Ningbo WTCR: Michelisz takes points lead with Race 2 win

The Hungarian was involved in a clash that accounted for long-time race leader Andy Priaulx in the final laps but, despite significant front-end damage to his Hyundai, survived the incident to overtake Esteban Guerrieri - who again failed to score - in the championship standings.

Priaulx, starting a World Touring Car race from pole for the first time in almost nine years, beat fellow front-row starter Michelisz into the first corner as the pack bunched up.

It did not take long for contact to start, with Benjamin Leuchter (Sebastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen) and Niels Langeveld both eliminated early on.

Guerrieri's nightmare weekend continued when he was the next car to be taken out of contention.

He had been running in the lead pack and challenging the BRC Hyundai of Augusto Farfus and Thed Bjork's Cyan Racing Lynk & Co when Farfus went sideways and into the path of Guerrieri's Munnich Motorsport Honda, which ended up in the barrier.

Contact further round the lap also accounted for Farfus and Saturday runner-up Ma Qing Hua, whose the Alfa Romeo Guilietta Veloce shed its right-rear wheel, and mean the safety car was deployed before the end of the first lap.

A lengthy clean up period followed, but Priaulx again stayed out of Michelisz's reach when the race resumed at the start of lap six.

But the three-time World Touring Car champion could not shake off the attention of Michelisz or his teammate Gabriele Tarquini, as the Lynk & Co driver became increasingly robust in his defence of the lead.

Michelisz got a great exit off the Turn 10/11 hairpin on lap 11 of 15 and attempted to go up the inside of Priaulx only for that line to be blocked, before the pair spent the remainder of the lap dicing for position.

The Hungarian then backed out of a move on the run to the first corner, but would come to blows with Priaulx a handful of corners later.

Priaulx appeared to have picked up a puncture and, as he and Michelisz were both passed by Tarquini, braked much earlier than Michelisz - leaving the Hyundai little place to go but into the rear of the Lynk & Co.

While that clash accounted for Priaulx, Michelisz was able to continue and was given the lead back by Tarquini with two laps remaining, ultimately winning by 0.766 seconds.

As a result, Michelisz now leads Guerrieri by 16 points in the drivers' standings.

Behind Michelisz and Tarquini, race one winner Yvan Muller clinched third in his Lynk & Co, though that position might have gone to the PWR Cupra of Daniel Haglof had the Swede not been involved in late contact with the third Hyundai of Nicky Catsburg.

Catsburg had acted as a brilliant rear-gunner to Michelisz and kept the chasing pack at bay, but ran out of line while fighting Haglof for third and tagged the Cupra - allowing Muller and his teammate Thed Bjork into third and fourth.

Haglof nevertheless crossed the line fifth, ahead of the KCMG Honda of Attila Tassi and Rob Huff (SLR Volkswagen).

Catsburg ended up eighth after losing more positions on the final lap, ahead of Tom Coronel and Kevin Ceccon in the second Alfa Romeo.

• Catch the final WTCR race of the Ningbo weekend live and for free on Motorsport.tv.

Race results:

Cla	#	Driver	Chassis	Laps	Gap
1	5	Norbert Michelisz	Hyundai	15
2	1	Gabriele Tarquini	Hyundai	15	0.766
3	100	Yvan Muller	Lynk & Co	15	1.537
4	11	Thed Björk	Lynk & Co	15	1.906
5	37	Daniel Haglof	CUPRA	15	2.360
6	9	Attila Tassi	Honda	15	6.708
7	12	Rob Huff	Volkswagen	15	7.670
8	88	Nick Catsburg	Hyundai	15	11.402
9	50	Tom Coronel	CUPRA	15	11.623
10	31	Kevin Ceccon	Alfa Romeo	15	11.961
11	69	Jean-Karl Vernay	Audi	15	12.565
12	25	Mehdi Bennani	Volkswagen	15	12.766
13	14	Johan Kristoffersson	Volkswagen	15	13.120
14	52	Gordon Shedden	Audi	15	13.676
15	68	Yann Ehrlacher	Lynk & Co	15	14.307
	111	Andy Priaulx	Lynk & Co	13	2 Laps
	21	Aurelien Panis	CUPRA	10	5 Laps
	96	Mikel Azcona	CUPRA	7	8 Laps
	29	Nestor Girolami	Honda	7	8 Laps
	18	Tiago Monteiro	Honda	4	11 Laps
	86	Esteban Guerrieri	Honda	4	11 Laps
	22	Frederic Vervisch	Audi	3	12 Laps
	8	Augusto Farfus	Hyundai	0
	55	Ma Qing Hua	Alfa Romeo	0
	33	Benjamin Leuchter	Volkswagen	0
	10	Niels Langeveld	Audi	0
View full results