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Nurburgring WTCR: Kristoffersson claims maiden win

Double World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson resisted a challenge for the lead on lap one to claim his first World Touring Car Cup victory in the second Nurburgring Nordschleife race.

Johan Kristoffersson, SLR Volkswagen Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

Johan Kristoffersson, SLR Volkswagen Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

WTCR

Kristoffersson was challenged by the Audis of wildcard entrant Antti Buri and Comtoyou driver Frederic Vervisch on the grand prix loop but, having fended off those attacks, was able to break free to win for the first time since switching world championship disciplines.

Buri got a better start than the Sebastien Loeb Racing polesitter and had the inside line for the first corner, but Kristoffersson held on around the outside in his Volkswagen, which became the inside line for the switchback onto the main part of the GP loop.

Vervisch attempted to pass both Buri and Kristoffersson as they squabbled, although Kristoffersson was able to hang the Audi out to dry and scampered clear from there.

He ended the second lap 3.2 seconds clear of Vervisch and did not let up, eventually claiming the SLR VW squad's first win of 2019 by 5.108s.

Vervisch ended up in a similarly comfortable second but, as had been the case in Friday's opening race, the final podium position was only decided on the final lap.

Gabriele Tarquini (BRC Racing Hyundai) and Kristoffersson's teammate Rob Huff had been in a private battle for the place on the final lap, until they came together at the Carousel.

That put Huff, who had been on the outside line, in the barrier and out of the race with front-end and suspension damage.

Tarquini was able to continue and maintained third, but was caught by teammate Augusto Farfus and the KCMG Honda of Attila Tassi - with Farfus getting ahead on Dottinger Hohe to secure his first podium since returning to World Touring Cars.

Reigning champion Tarquini did cling on to fourth ahead of Tassi, who scored his best WTCR result to date, while Benjamin Leuchter was sixth in the third SLR VW.

Title protagonists Esteban Guerrieri and Norbert Michelisz were seventh and eighth - with Michelisz passing ninth-place finisher Aurelien Panis (Comtoyou Cupra) on the final lap.

Jean-Karl Vernay secured 10th in his WRT Audi, ahead of Tom Coronel, Nicky Catsburg and Thed Bjork - who was the only Cyan Racing Lynk & Co driver to score any points.

Bjork finished 14th on the road behind Buri, who is ineligible for points as a wildcard.

Race results:

Cla Driver Chassis Gap
1 Sweden Johan Kristoffersson
Volkswagen
2 Belgium Frederic Vervisch
Audi 5.108
3 Brazil Augusto Farfus
Hyundai 10.891
4 Italy Gabriele Tarquini
Hyundai 11.180
5 Hungary Attila Tassi
Honda 11.827
6 Germany Benjamin Leuchter
Volkswagen 12.340
7 Argentina Esteban Guerrieri
Honda 17.591
8 Hungary Norbert Michelisz
Hyundai 22.715
9 France Aurelien Panis
CUPRA 23.072
10 France Jean-Karl Vernay
Audi 23.657
11 Netherlands Tom Coronel
CUPRA 24.329
12 Netherlands Nick Catsburg
Hyundai 24.902
13 Finland Antti Buri
Audi 26.773
14 Sweden Thed Björk
Lynk & Co 27.121
15 Spain Mikel Azcona
CUPRA 27.178
16 Portugal Tiago Monteiro
Honda 27.626
17 France Yvan Muller
Lynk & Co 29.256
18 Morocco Mehdi Bennani
Volkswagen 29.647
19 Sweden Daniel Haglof
CUPRA 29.839
20 Guernsey Andy Priaulx
Lynk & Co 30.559
21 Italy Kevin Ceccon
Alfa Romeo 30.810
22 Netherlands Niels Langeveld
Audi 31.157
23 United Kingdom Gordon Shedden
Audi 31.839
24 China Ma Qing Hua
Alfa Romeo 32.385
25 Argentina Nestor Girolami
Honda 2'49.920
26 United Kingdom Rob Huff
Volkswagen 1 Lap
27 France Yann Ehrlacher
Lynk & Co 2 Laps

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