In the course of each of the two races of the German round of the WTCC participants had to pass only three circle. Three, but no — it's the Nürburgring, a length of 22 kilometers.
However, before the start of the weekend it was not so much talking about the highway or the struggle, and the scandal, which everyone was waiting for, and which still broke.
After an investigation conducted by the FIA in relation to the Honda team ruled out of the team riders from the minutes of the Hungarian and the Moroccan stages of the championship.
We are talking about the fact that both factory and «private» Honda Civic cars are equipped with head, not the relevant regulations of FIA WTCC 2016 year.
About the decision taken by the judges became known only on Thursday night, so the team did not have time to make any changes in the design of cars and all four riders — three factory pilots and «owner-driver» Franz Fitz — had to in Germany to act on «disputed» machines.
However, Honda management team has already announced that it will appeal the decision of the judges, which means that may still change. Or maybe not…
But the scandal scandal and racing the race. Qualify with only one goal won pilots Citroen — Jose Maria Lopez won the pole and Yvan Muller took the second place.
The tenth time, and with it the pole of the first race, won Tiago Monteiro. The ninth (and second at the start of the first race) became Mehdi Bennani.
Racers Lada of the Russian team failed the qualifying races. Nicky Katsburg finished sixth, while Gabriele Tarquini and South Valent finished qualification with 12 and 13 times respectively.
Winner of the pole position of the first race Tiago Monteiro confidently won the start and went from the rest of the field, allowing them to understand each other. The most active of all in the group of pursuers was Yvan Muller.
The Frenchman started the eighth, but then came to the fifth position. Then he walked Copper Bennani made a mistake and drove into the pits due to a fault of the motor Ted Bjork, allowing Muller to take second place behind Monteiro was in the lead.
However, on the last lap on the Honda Portuguese blown tire, car Tiago flew to bump, but Mueller had already not ottormozitsya and crashed into a Civic. As a result, the two leaders have gone!
The winner became so dramatic arrival Citroen other driver Jose Maria Lopez. Tom Chilton in a private Citroen took second place, and closed the top three winners of the first race Norbert Mihelits.
Pilots Lada finished race in the top 10 — South Valent became the sixth, Gabriele Tarquini finished seventh and Nicky Katsburg finished ninth.
Muller and Monteiro were not able to go to the start of the second race, so standing on pole Lopez actually turned out to be an appropriate level of competition.
Argentinian though lost Norbert Mihelitsu start, but quickly regained the lead and did not miss it until the finish, which allowed him to win in the second race.
Mihelits brought the check to the «silver», and the third was Tom Chilton — Hungarian and British as well as the Argentine, the second time for the weekend were on the podium.
Representatives of the Russian team again finished in the top ten. This time Nicky Katsburg became the sixth and Gabriele Tarquini and South Valent rounded out the top ten.
The next stage of the world Turing will be held June 11–12 on the highway Moscow Raceway.
Photo: fiawtcc.com
