Paul Ricard, Race 2: López wins action-packed WTCC counter
Michelisz 2nd, Ma Qing Hua 3rd
José María López has claimed a dramatic victory in the second JVC KENWOOD WTCC Race of France.
Starting from eighth on the grid, López snatched second place from Tiago Monteiro following a clash with the Portuguese Honda driver exiting the first corner on lap seven. He then caught and passed Norbert Michelisz for top spot and his fifth win of the season to rebuild his shrinking title advantage.
Honda driver Michelisz, who started third, moved into the lead when pole-sitter Mehdi Bennani was forced to take a drive-through penalty for a jumped start. But the Hungarian was unable to fend off Citroën driver López on lap 14, settling instead for second and top Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy points.
Ma Qing Hua finished third with Yvan Muller fourth and Gabriele Tarquini fifth for Honda.
WTCR
- The race of Marrakech is cancelled, replaced by Salzburg
- Malaysia, Race 3: Kristoffersson takes victory as Michelisz claims title
- Malaysia, Race 2: Guerrieri wins to set-up final-round title decider with Michelisz
- Malaysia, Race 1: Michelisz triumph to extend points lead
- New tracks plus weight rule tweak as WTCR revs up for next three seasons