Esteban Guerrieri claimed the parts lead of the WTCR – FIA World Touring Vehicle Cup presented by OSCARO with an excellent take from the DHL Pole space in Plug 1 at WTCR JVCKENWOOD Plug of Japan.
The ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver delivered a residence victory for Honda on the 2.243-km East Route circuit, earlier than Comtoyou Team Audi Sport’s Dutchman Niels Langeveld and KCMG’s Tiago Monteiro, from Portugal.
“It’s one among my most nice victories I’ve ever had,” mentioned a happy Argentine. “It is mandatory for many causes. Thank you to all americans smitten by this mission.”
Before the entirety, Comtoyou Team Audi Sport’s Frédéric Vervisch challenged Guerrieri for first region on the outdoor of Turns 1 and 2, which allowed crew-mate Langeveld up the inside of to take the lead. But on lap two the Dutch driver made a mistake on the final flip, which allowed Guerrieri to take a lead he would no longer lose.
“It used to be intense,” mentioned Guerrieri. “The Audis were lighter and faster on the straight. After the delivery I touched wheels with Vervisch, but the Honda is treasure a tractor and so righteous! Langeveld got inside of and took the lead, but then made a mistake. From there I had the tempo to manipulate the bound.”
There used to be faulty success for Vervisch, who lost his third region on lap seven when debris got lodged between the front-left brake caliper and wheel, splitting the rim within the formula and triggering a security car interlude when Vervisch stopped heading within the valid route.
The racing action resumed on lap 10 with Guerrieri main from Langeveld, earlier than Monteiro – who had started fourth as an replace of from the DHL Pole Space as one among pretty heaps of drivers to incur a grid penalty after qualifying.
On lap 14 there used to be extra Audi distress as impressive wildcard entrant Ritomo Miyata dropped out of seventh region in his Audi Team Hitotsuyama RS 3 LMS with a breeze-shift failure.
The bound ended below the Audi R8 security car following a excessive-velocity shatter animated Andy Priaulx and Nicky Catsburg. The Cyan Performance Lynk & Co driver, running in P13, used to be defending into Flip 1 from BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team’s Catsburg. The Hyundai i30 N TCR made contact with the Lynk & Co, with Priaulx taking pictures throughout the gravel trap and laborious into the barrier. Click here to discover what Catsburg and Priaulx mentioned of the incident.
Within the abet of the pinnacle three, Thed Björk accomplished fourth for Lynk & Co, earlier than SLR Volkswagen’s Johan Kristoffersson who held off Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport’s Jean-Karl Vernay for fifth.
Gabriele Tarquini used to be seventh, earlier than Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR duo Kevin Ceccon and Ma Qinghua. Volkswagen-powered Sébastien Loeb Racing driver Prefer Huff accomplished the pinnacle 10 followed by Yvan Muller, Yann Ehrlacher, erstwhile title leader Norbert Michelisz, Catsburg and Aurélien Panis, the first CUPRA driver residence in P15.
Muller rose from P25 on the grid to protect out in P11, as fellow title contender on the #RoadToMalaysia, Michelisz, lost his profit on the pinnacle of the desk in P13.
WTCR JVCKENWOOD Plug of Japan continues tomorrow (Sunday) with Plug 1 at 10h00 native time followed by Plug 2 from 11h30.
*Plug 1 results are provisional, field to interchange
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