Ningbo WTCR: Muller resists Ma for Saturday win

Muller had sealed his first World Touring Car pole for more than three years in Saturday's qualifying session, and used that to good effect to lead the Alfa Romeo of Ma and third-place starter Mikel Azcona (PWR Cupra) into the first corner.

The four-time world champion's sternest test came further round the opening lap, when Ma drew alongside Muller and rubbed panels with the the Lynk & Co, but Muller rebuffed that attack before settling into a modest lead.

But Ma began to mount another challenge for the lead in the closing laps and ran on the tail of Muller through the final sequence of corners, though the Chinese driver ultimately fell short of winning the opening race of his home WTCR round.

Muller's victory did however ensure a home victory for the Lynk & Co brand, while the win was also his first since last year's Ningbo round a little under a year ago.

Azcona ran third from start to finish, though he almost forfeited it on the final lap to the BRC Racing Hyundai of title hopeful Norbert Michelisz.

Michelisz was not close enough to line up a move exiting Turns 10 and 11 on the penultimate lap, but had a much better approach to the two corners on the final lap and attempted to get a slingshot out of the double-corner hairpin.

Azcona was wise to this, quickly moving across to the left to block Michelisz, and kept the Hyundai at bay through the twistier section of the track to claim his fifth podium of the season.

Michelisz nevertheless made ground in the title race with fourth - ahead of teammate Nicky Catsburg and the Comtoyou Cupra of Aurelien Panis - as points leader Esteban Guerrieri failed to score after his fire extinguisher went off on the grid.

Guerrieri, who qualified ninth but started 12th after a three-place grid penalty for an incident at the Vila Real round in July, was wheeled off the grid by his Munnich Motorsport team and started from the pitlane.

The Argentinian made up seven places but ended up outside of the points in 19th, meaning his lead over Michelisz is now just 10 points.

Behind Panis, Augusto Farfus made it three Hyundais in the top 10 by finishing seventh, ahead of the leading Sebastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen of Johan Kristoffersson, Niels Langeveld (Comtoyou Audi) and Rob Huff.

Muller's Lynk & Co teammates Thed Bjork, Yann Ehrlacher and Andy Priaulx could only score minor points in 12th, 13th and 14th.

• Catch the second and third races from the Ningbo WTCR round live and for free on Motorsport.tv.

Race results:

Cla	#	Driver	Chassis	Laps	Gap
1	100	Yvan Muller	Lynk & Co	13
2	55	Ma Qing Hua	Alfa Romeo	13	0.263
3	96	Mikel Azcona	CUPRA	13	2.444
4	5	Norbert Michelisz	Hyundai	13	2.843
5	88	Nick Catsburg	Hyundai	13	3.092
6	21	Aurelien Panis	CUPRA	13	3.603
7	8	Augusto Farfus	Hyundai	13	9.028
8	14	Johan Kristoffersson	Volkswagen	13	11.440
9	10	Niels Langeveld	Audi	13	12.526
10	12	Rob Huff	Volkswagen	13	13.903
11	22	Frederic Vervisch	Audi	13	15.440
12	11	Thed Björk	Lynk & Co	13	18.021
13	68	Yann Ehrlacher	Lynk & Co	13	18.602
14	111	Andy Priaulx	Lynk & Co	13	19.602
15	29	Nestor Girolami	Honda	13	20.069
16	69	Jean-Karl Vernay	Audi	13	20.631
17	31	Kevin Ceccon	Alfa Romeo	13	21.118
18	33	Benjamin Leuchter	Volkswagen	13	21.515
19	86	Esteban Guerrieri	Honda	13	23.224
20	25	Mehdi Bennani	Volkswagen	13	26.212
21	18	Tiago Monteiro	Honda	13	26.576
22	52	Gordon Shedden	Audi	13	28.614
23	9	Attila Tassi	Honda	13	29.585
24	50	Tom Coronel	CUPRA	13	39.538
25	1	Gabriele Tarquini	Hyundai	9	4 Laps
26	37	Daniel Haglof	CUPRA	8	5 Laps
View full results