Macau, Race 1 - Huff reduces gap to 13 points

Huff keeps World Touring Car title hopes alive

By Franck Drui

20 November 2011 - 05:20
Macau, Race 1 - Huff reduces gap (...)

Rob Huff won the first race at Macau, keeping his team-mate and championship leader Yvan Muller at bay during a race that was neutralized twice by the safety car. This result meant that the Briton reduced his gap from Muller to 13 points, keeping alive his chances to be sacred world champion in the second race.

For the whole distance Muller put strong pressure on Huff, changing line at every braking point in the attempt to push him to make a mistake. In spite of this, Huff remained cool and focused, avoiding to open the least of a gap.

Gabriele Tarquini collected another podium result ahead of Tom Coronel, while Michel Nikyær finished in fifth winning the Yokohama Trophy, while Kristian Poulsen clinched the title even before the final race. Joe Rosa-Merszei claimed victory in the Jay-Ten Trophy.

Key moments
Start – Huff takes the lead from Muller and Tarquini
Lap 1 – Couto spins at the Mandarin bend and collects Menu; the safety car is deployed
Lap 5 – the race resumes; Monteiro goes straight at the Lisboa bend dropping from 7th to 18th
Lap 5 - O’Young and Bennani come together at the Lisboa bend; the safety car is deployed again
Lap 8 – the race resumes
Lap 9 – Dudukalo crashes at Moorish Hill
Lap 10 – Engstler overtakes Poulsen for sixth; Bennani overtakes Villa for tenth
Lap 11 – Bennani overtakes Oriola for ninth

Withdrawals
Kuok Io Keong: DNS; A. Couto race incident; A. Menu: race incident; D. O’Young: race incident; Dudukalo race incident

Pos. Driver Car Time
01 R. Huff Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 11 laps - 35m01.903s
02 Y. Muller Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T +1.016s
03 G. Tarquini SR Leon 1.6T +6.666s
04 T. Coronel BMW 320 TC +8.239s
05 M. Nykjaer SR Leon 1.6T +10.778s
06 F. Engstler BMW 320 TC +11.165s
07 K. Poulsen BMW 320 TC +11.860s
08 N. Michelisz BMW 320 TC +12.049s
09 M. Bennani BMW 320 TC +14.146s
10 P. Oriola SR Leon 1.6T +16.940s
11 J. Villa BMW 320 TC +17.136s
12 T. Monteiro SR Leon 1.6T +21.775s
13 C. Ng BMW 320 TC +41.256s
14 J. Merszei BMW 320 si +46.447s
15 F. Desouza Chevrolet Lacetti +2 laps
16 G. Kwok BMW 320 TC +3 laps
17 A. Dudukalo SR Leon 1.6T DNF
18 P. Ma BMW 320 si DNF
19 Mak Ka Lok BMW 320 si DNF
20 D. O’Young Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T DNF
21 A. Couto SR Leon 1.6T DNF
22 A. Menu Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T DNF
Best lap Y. Muller Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 2:32.146

WTCR

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