Qatar, Race 2 : Bennani keeps Björk at bay for WTCC glory

Mehdi Bennani soaked up big pressure from Thed Björk to win the Main Race at WTCC DHL Race of Qatar, the final race of the 2016 FIA World Touring Car Championship.

Starting from his maiden outright pole position, Bennani kept the lead at the start in front of José María López, who passed the Volvo of Björk. Behind that there was some fraught racing, with separate incidents between Tom Chilton and Robert Dahlgren and the LADA pair of Nicky Catsburg and Hugo Valente triggering a safety car.

After the restart, Björk found a way back past López and caught Bennani, looking to take a second win in as many events for Polestar Cyan Racing. The Moroccan kept the Swede at bay however with an error-free run to the chequered flag for his second win of the year in his Sébastien Loeb Racing-entered Citroën.

López signed off from his highly-successful stint in the WTCC with Citroën with a podium finish in third. Norbert Michelisz passed Yvan Muller for fourth place, which meant he was on course to beat Honda team-mate Tiago Monteiro to third in the championship. That was until Monteiro also found a way by Muller on the last lap to grab fifth, rewarding his Honda mechanics who did a great job to repair the Portuguese racer’s Civic after Opening Race damage.

Muller finished his final race in the WTCC before his retirement in sixth ahead of Opening Race winner Gabriele Tarquini and Rob Huff. Tom Coronel and James Thompson took WTCC Trophy podium finishes behind winner Bennani.