How to spend a two-month break, participants of the world championship WTCC? Citroen — probably on vacation, but their rivals on the course to find a weapon that would allow the French to fight the invincible armada. And it seems that this weapon was found! How else to explain what happened on the circuit at Motegi?
Sensations began in the qualifying rounds. Best time showed «private owner» of the team Zengo Norbert Mihelits. Hungary became the only driver in the third segment, speaking in a car Citroen. But it did not bother it — on his Honda Civic he was ahead of Jose Maria Lopez by eight hundredths of a second. The third moment Sebastien Loeb further sitroenovskoy «private owner» Mehdi Bennani and closed the «top 5» Ma Qing Hua.
Fourth Citroen driver Yvan Muller won on the basis of qualifications only seventh place.
The best pilots of the Russian team Lada showed the tenth time — this turned out to be a racing driver Niki Katsburg. His teammates Nicolas Lyaper and Rob Huff showed 12 and 13 results.
«Stop! What's Lyaper? „- You might say. And you will be absolutely right — Lada once again changed the composition of the riders.
This year, the team has managed to escape, James Thompson and Michael Kozlowski, and now it is through Jaap van lagena. His place in the team took 31-year-old Frenchman, who won the «24 Hours of Le Mans» this year in the standings LMP 2. Why is «gone» van lagena? It remains a mystery.
The fate of the first race of yet solved at the start. As he tried holder of pole position Norbert Mihelits he was unable to «hold» Jose Maria Lopez. As a result, in the first turn behind the uncompromising Argentinian he left Hungary and went for another victory.
The leaders spent the whole race together, not allowing anyone to doubt his superiority. But behind them seething passion. At the start of Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini Citroen factory of Honda made breakthroughs — the Frenchman has moved from seventh place to fourth, and sixth with the Italian as much as one third!
Experienced Italian brought the race to «bronze», amounting to a podium finish group winner arrival Jose Maria Lopez and second place holder Norbert Mihelitsu. But the Frenchman could not only get involved in the battle for the podium, but on the contrary — skipped ahead of his teammate Ma Qing Hua Citroen. Chinese rider was at his best — in the first round, he beat another Citroen pilot Sebastien Loeb and later left out of work and Mueller.
The result of the first race was hit all five cars Citroen and two Honda cars in the top seven. But on the podium was only one representative of the French brand — winner Jose Maria Lopez. The other four did not get on the podium, settle for a place to fourth to seventh — Ma was fourth, Müller took fifth place, followed by Sebastien Loeb and plays for his personal command Mehdi Bennani.
Pilots Lada finished the race in eighth (Rob Huff) and eleventh (Nicolas Lapierre) positions. Another Russian team rider Nicky Katsburg did not get to finish because of contact with an opponent.
In the second race Nicky Katsburg started from the second position and was counting on a good result. Not a bit of it...
Already from the start of arrival, the Dutchman began to lose ground one after the other and as a result failed to finish in the second race.
But with far greater challenges faced pilots Citroen — with each of the four factory team riders took any trouble, affect the final outcome of the race.
Sebastien Loeb and Ma Qing Hua visited outside the track — for this we must thank the uncompromising opponent. Jose Maria Lopez did not last in the race, and one round — a blow from someone of the riders depart from the road, punched the wheel and the gathering in the pits.
Finally, Yvan Muller on the brakes «caught up» South Valens crashed into him, as a result of the bent front left side of the hood of his car. The judges showed him the black and orange flag in the middle of the second race the Frenchman was forced to call in to the pit lane for quick repairs. But in the end the situation ended with a gathering of Ivan. At that time, he took the third place...
As a result, a podium finish proved to be completely devoid of pilots Citroen — the best of them at the finish was ranked fourth Sebastien Loeb. Ma Qing Hua became the sixth and eleventh Mehdi Bennani only.
The victory in the second race of the weekend won Tiago Monteiro. And it is not just a victory, and home for his team Honda!
South Valens finished second and closed the top three winners Rob Huff from the Russian team Lada. Nicolas Lapierre led his Lada Vesta to finish ninth in the position — in the first weekend in the French part of the Russian team scored points.
So what is the secret of the failure of the riders Citroen? Honda Pilot was fastest in training and qualification, and in the second race the peloton literally «flashed» Rob Huff from the team Lada. Opponents Citroen find the desired settings, and with it the speed? Maybe! And we will check very soon — 25 September will start the next stage of the World Championship WTCC. This time — in China and it is called Rosneft Race of China.
