Sochi WTCR: Huff becomes 12th race winner in season finale

The Briton came from sixth on the grid to win in his Zengo Motorsport Cupra, as two safety car interruptions broke up an incident-filled conclusion to the season. 

The first intervention followed directly from the start when Gilles Magnus and Attila Tassi made contact off the line, the former’s Audi left stranded on the track. 

Racing was due to resume on lap four, but then pole position starter Yvan Muller slammed into the back of leader and race one winner Mikel Azcona at the penultimate corner as the safety car returned to the pits. The impact left both out of the race. 

"I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry,” said a contrite Muller. 

Azcona was furious: “The car is totally destroyed. “I don’t understand how it’s possible for a driver like Yvan Muller with such experience to do this. Very disappointing from him. He totally destroyed my race, so thank you very much.” 

As Nestor Girolami led the restart, Cupra driver Bence Boldizs and Lada local entry Kirill Ladygin collided at Turn 3, the Hungarian walking away from a big impact which once again neutralised the race. 

When the action finally got under way on lap seven, Huff chased down Girolami and took the lead with a fine move at Turn 13. He then stretched a gap to win from Vervisch, who passed Girolami on lap 10 and secured second in the points standings behind new champion Ehrlacher. 

“We deserved that after the year we’ve had, with seven DNFs,” said a delighted Huff. “What a way to go out at the end of the season. And we had a misfire, but still pulled it off. Absolutely brilliant.” 

Nathanael Berthon completed the podium, while Tassi survived his start clash with Magnus to finish fourth from 12th on the grid. Jean-Karl Vernay was fifth, with Ehrlacher – who had wrapped up his second consecutive WTCR title in race one – scoring his second sixth place of the day. 

Gabriele Tarquini’s WTCR career ended in disappointment. The 59-year-old Italian, who has announced his retirement, started 15th and ran into the back of fellow veteran Jordi Gene on lap eight. Heavy front-end damage forced Tarquini out of the race. 

Race results:

Cla	#	Driver	Chassis	Gap
1	79	Rob Huff	CUPRA
2	22	Frederic Vervisch	Audi	4.563
3	17	Nathanael Berthon	Audi	5.643
4	9	Attila Tassi	Honda	7.493
5	69	Jean-Karl Vernay	Hyundai	9.291
6	68	Yann Ehrlacher	Lynk & Co	9.600
7	29	Nestor Girolami	Honda	12.944
8	5	Norbert Michelisz	Hyundai	14.070
9	32	Tom Coronel	Audi	16.551
10	8	Luca Engstler	Hyundai	17.868
11	11	Thed Björk	Lynk & Co	18.421
12	28	Jordi Gene	CUPRA	30.463
13	20	Kirill Ladygin	LADA	37.541
14	30	Mikhail Mityaev	LADA	42.790
	3	Gabriele Tarquini	Hyundai
	96	Mikel Azcona	CUPRA
	55	Bence Boldizs	CUPRA
	100	Yvan Muller	Lynk & Co
	12	Santiago Urrutia	Lynk & Co
	16	Gilles Magnus	Audi
	86	Esteban Guerrieri	Honda
View full results

Rob Huff, Zengo Motorsport CUPRA Leon Competición

Photo by: WTCR