Slovakia WTCC: Citroen and Honda set sensational tie in MAC3

Lada were the first to get out on track, with works drivers Nicky Catsburg, Gabriele Tarquini and Hugo Valente at the wheel.

The Dutchman stalled at the start, thus making the challenge with Citroen seen in France impossible. He subsequently stopped along the track with a puncture, meaning Lada scored no points in MAC 3.

It was then Citroen’s turn, with Mehdi Bennani taking part in the competition just like in France alongside factory drivers Yvan Muller and Jose Maria Lopez.

The start was smooth and the Argentinian led the trio with Muller and Bennani following. The two factory drivers opened a gap from the Moroccan and eventually set a time of 4m17.233s, which was the reference for Honda to beat.

The Japanese cars, driven by the three factory drivers, Norbert Michelisz, Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro, had a smooth start as well, with the trio driving in the order.

The white cars were much closer and started building a gap from the French cars. Towards the end of the first of the two laps, however, the gap started coming down, making the Slovakian MAC3 a real thriller.

The climax was at the end of the second lap, when the Japanese cars clocked the same lap time as the Citroens.

The two manufacturers therefore get 10 points each, with Lada scoring no points due to Catsburg’s puncture which forced him to stop on the track.

TouringCarTimes