Sonoma, Race 2: Tarquini wins from Bennani

He gave Honda the WTCC Manufacturers’ title

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9 September 2013 - 00:50
Sonoma, Race 2: Tarquini wins from (…)

Gabriele Tarquini won Race 2 at the Sonoma Raceway and so gave Honda the WTCC Manufacturers’ title with three more race meetings remaining.

After starting from second place on the grid, it took only two corners for Tarquini to pass the driver on pole position, Mehdi Bennani in a BMW, and the Italian then led for the remainder of
the thirteen-lap race to take a comfortable victory. Despite struggling throughout the race with damaged power-steering, Bennani managed to keep hold over second place and win the Yokohama Trophy.

Third, in another Honda Civic, was Norbert Michelisz; the Zengö Motorsport driver having to fend off a determined challenge from Yvan Muller throughout the closing laps.

Muller needed to out-score Tarquini and Michel Nykjaer to take the Drivers’ title, but the Honda driver’s victory means the battle remains alive at least until the next pair of races in Japan.

At one stage, it looked as though the reigning World Champion Rob Huff was on course for a podium finish, but the SEAT limped into the pits with a puncture on only the second lap. Other non-finishers included Charles Ng, Franz Engstler and Pepe Oriola.

Key moments
Lap 1 – Tarquini passes Bennani for the lead in Turn 2; Muller passes Monteiro for 6th
Lap 2 – Huff drops down after running wide at T7, then pits with a puncture
Lap 3 – Coronel is up to 7th; Engstler retires
Lap 4 – Muller passes Nash for 4th; Monteiro passes Nash for 5th
Lap 5 – Coronel passes Nash for 6th; Ng spins at T6; Barth passes Basseng for 8th
Lap 7 – D’Aste passes Basseng for 9th
Lap 9 – Barth passes Nash for 7th
Lap 10 – O’Young attacks Basseng
Lap 11 – Muller attacks Michelisz
Lap 12 – Chilton goes sideways through Turn 2
Lap 13 – Tarquini takes the win

Pos. Driver Car Time
1 Gabriele TARQUINI Honda Civic 13 laps - 23m40.401s
2 Mehdi BENNANI BMW 320 TC + 2.434
3 Norbert MICHELISZ Honda Civic + 4.099
4 Yvan MULLER Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T + 4.606
5 Tiago MONTEIRO Honda Civic + 4.941
6 Tom CORONEL BMW 320 TC + 7.735
7 Fredy BARTH BMW 320 TC + 14.165
8 James NASH Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T + 17.865
9 Marc BASSENG SEAT Leon WTCC + 18.746
10 Stefano D’ASTE BMW 320 TC + 19.234
11 Tom CHILTON Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T + 20.858
12 Darryl O’YOUNG BMW 320 TC + 22.239
13 Alex MACDOWALL Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T + 24.265
14 Hugo VALENTE SEAT Leon WTCC + 24.436
15 Fernando MONJE SEAT Leon WTCC + 31.098
16 James THOMPSON Lada Granta + 32.650
17 Michel NYKJAER Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T + 32.794
18 Mikhail KOZLOVSKIY Lada Granta + 47.352
19 René MUNNICH SEAT Leon WTCC + 47.553
20 Rob HUFF SEAT Leon WTCC + 1 lap
21 Pepe ORIOLA Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T + 3 laps
22 Tom BOARDMAN SEAT Leon WTCC + 4 laps
23 Charles NG BMW 320 TC + 7 laps
24 Franz ENGSTLER BMW 320 TC + 11 laps

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