Paul Ricard, Race 1: Loeb upstages WTCC champions for home win

Muller 2nd, Lopez 3rd

By Franck Drui

28 June 2015 - 13:25
Paul Ricard, Race 1: Loeb upstages (…)

Frenchman Sébastien Loeb converted pole position to win number three of the FIA World Touring Car Championship season following a dominant drive at Circuit Paul Ricard.

The nine-time world rally champion beat the intense heat and Citroën team-mates Yvan Muller and José María López with Muller’s capture of second enough to narrow defending champion López’s title lead to 26 points ahead of this afternoon’s second race.

“In the start Yvan put me under pressure and I had to close the door one or two times,” said Loeb, who won by six seconds. “I was able to take a little lead and drive like I want without closing the doors. He was under pressure from Pechito and couldn’t go flat out so I was able to pull away and it was okay.

“But you have to stay concentrated and I prefer to keep in my rhythm, try to save a little bit the tyre too and drive like I can.”

Ma Qing Hua completed a Citroën top-four as Tom Chilton grabbed the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy prize in fifth in his privateer Chevrolet.

Norbert Michelisz beat fellow Honda driver Gabriele Tarquini for sixth with Gabriele Tarquini eighth and Mehdi Bennani passing LADA pilot Jaap van Lagen for ninth. Bennani will start the 16-lap reverse race from pole with the action due to begin at 14h00 local time.

Pos. Driver Team Car Time
1 Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WTCC Citroen 16 laps
2 Yvan Muller Citroen Total WTCC Citroen +6.020
3 Jose Maria Lopez Citroen Total WTCC Citroen +7.147
4 Ma Qing Hua Citroen Total WTCC Citroen +9.102
5 Tom Chilton ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet +12.638
6 Norbert Michelisz Zengo Motorsport Honda +16.032
7 Tiago Monteiro Honda Racing Team JAS Honda +16.286
8 Gabriele Tarquini Honda Racing Team JAS Honda +20.888
9 Mehdi Bennani Sebastien Loeb Racing Citroen +27.191
10 Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport Rosneft Lada +31.589
11 Rickard Rydell Nika International Honda +31.802
11 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet +31.822
13 Grégoire Demoustier Craft-Bamboo Racing Chevrolet +38.658
14 Stefano D’Aste Munnich Motorsport Chevrolet +42.028
15 John Filippi Campos Racing Chevrolet +42.362
16 Hugo Valente Campos Racing Chevrolet DNF
17 Nicky Catsburg LADA Sport Rosneft Lada DNF
18 Robert Huff LADA Sport Rosneft Lada DNF

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