Race report
WTCR Slovakia
Slovakia WTCR: Vervisch wins Race 1 from ninth
Comtoyou driver Frederic Vervisch grabbed his and Audi’s first WTCR victory of the season in race one at the Slovakia Ring, having started from ninth on the grid.
Edited: May 12, 2019, 10:40 AM
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Vervisch benefited from a rapid getaway and emerged from a hectic opening lap in second place, chasing the fast-starting Alfa Romeo Giulietta of Ma Qing Hua.
The Belgian kept the pressure on and swept by after a mistake under braking cost Ma the lead on lap four of 11.
Vervisch was untroubled for the remainder of the race on his way to sealing Audi’s first win of the year by 2.8s, while Ma took his first podium in second.
Spots of rain threatened before the race just as it did in Friday qualifying, but it was not enough for drivers to opt for wet tyres as the first 11-lap race got underway.
Ma inherited the lead while polesitter Nicky Catsburg slid wide in the slippery conditions in his efforts to sweep around the outside of the Alfa heading through Turn 1.
After surrendering the lead, Ma came under attack from Norbert Michelisz in the best of the BRC Racing Hyundais, but the Chinese driver held on for second despite an attempted lunge around the outside from Michelisz in the closing laps of the race.
Jean-Karl Vernay (WRT Audi) finished a lonely fourth, having survived a tag in the rear under braking heading into the tight third corner during the opening lap fall-out in tricky conditions.
A hectic tussle for fifth place eventually went the way of Augusto Farfus (BRC Hyundai), who charged through the pack methodically from a lowly 19th place on the grid.
Another Hyundai finished sixth as reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini fought his way from 13th, disposing of Catsburg, who fell back to seventh having also clipped a tyre stack.
Tom Coronel (Comtoyou Cupra) was eighth ahead of Mikel Azcona (PWR Cupra), while Luca Engstler’s wildcard Hyundai was 10th ahead of the best of the Cyan Racing Lynk & Co cars of Yvan Muller.
Points leader Nestor Girolami failed to finish, after the Munnich Motorsport Honda driver made contact with the second Comtoyou Audi of Niels Langeveld during a frenetic first lap.
Report by Dan Mason
Race results:
Cla # Driver Chassis Laps Gap 1 22 Frederic Vervisch
Audi 11 2 55 Ma Qing Hua
Alfa Romeo 11 2.834 3 5 Norbert Michelisz
Hyundai 11 3.243 4 69 Jean-Karl Vernay
Audi 11 7.503 5 8 Augusto Farfus
Hyundai 11 13.949 6 1 Gabriele Tarquini
Hyundai 11 14.426 7 88 Nick Catsburg
Hyundai 11 20.055 8 50 Tom Coronel
CUPRA 11 20.274 9 96 Mikel Azcona
CUPRA 11 20.463 10 6 Luca Engstler
Hyundai 11 21.657 11 100 Yvan Muller
Lynk & Co 11 22.328 12 52 Gordon Shedden
Audi 11 22.532 13 12 Rob Huff
Volkswagen 11 24.017 14 33 Benjamin Leuchter
Volkswagen 11 24.373 15 86 Esteban Guerrieri
Honda 11 25.407 16 10 Niels Langeveld
Audi 11 26.665 17 18 Tiago Monteiro
Honda 11 26.870 18 9 Attila Tassi
Honda 11 28.405 19 37 Daniel Haglof
CUPRA 11 29.471 20 14 Johan Kristoffersson
Volkswagen 11 29.757 21 111 Andy Priaulx
Lynk & Co 11 30.061 22 68 Yann Ehrlacher
Lynk & Co 11 31.896 23 11 Thed Björk
Lynk & Co 11 32.145 21 Aurelien Panis
CUPRA 9 2 Laps 25 Mehdi Bennani
Volkswagen 9 2 Laps 31 Kevin Ceccon
Alfa Romeo 29 Nestor Girolami
Honda View full results
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