Race report
WTCR Zandvoort
Zandvoort WTCR: Bjork wins after late-race team order
Thed Bjork claimed his second win of the Zandvoort World Touring Car Cup weekend after his Cyan Racing team twice intervened to swap him and Yann Ehrlacher's positions.
Jack Cozens
Published: May 19, 2019, 3:32 PM
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Bjork had led the opening laps of the race but was asked to move aside to allow polesitter Ehrlacher back into the lead, only for the team to direct the drivers to change positions again.
The two were involved in a clash at the start, as Ehrlacher moved over to his right in an attempt to block off the faster-starting Bjork on the run to the first corner.
Bjork had enough of his car up the inside by that point, but Ehrlacher continued to move across and collided with Bjork's Lynk & Co, although both were able to continue.
But Bjork was soon asked to make way for Ehrlacher, who was allowed into the lead at Tarzan at the start of the third lap of 15.
Ehrlacher had a longer stint in the lead and held a steady gap at the head of the order until he was told to let Bjork back past.
The 22-year-old complained to Cyan over the radio and spent a further lap in the lead after being asked to move aside, but obliged at the start of lap nine.
There were no further changes to the order as Bjork clinched his third victory of the season, a result that moved him into second in the drivers' standings, while second still represented Ehrlacher's best finish of 2019.
The destiny of the final podium position was also resolved by a change of order between two teammates, with Augusto Farfus making way for fellow BRC Racing Hyundai driver Norbert Michelisz at the final corner.
Farfus had made a better start than Michelisz and held third throughout the race, before allowing Michelisz - BRC's lead representative in the drivers' standings - past.
Yvan Muller could not recover any of the positions he lost to his exclusion from the final part of Sunday qualifying but still came home fifth in his Lynk & Co, ahead of the PWR Cupra of Mikel Azcona.
Johan Kristoffersson (Sebastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen) was seventh ahead of championship leader Esteban Guerreiri, who made the most of an excellent start to limit the damage done by Bjork's win.
Gabriele Tarquini made up five places to finish ninth in his BRC Hyundai, with Rob Huff (SLR VW) between Tarquini and the fourth Hyundai of his teammate Nicky Catsburg.
The Comtoyou Cupra of Aurelien Panis, Mehdi Bennani (SLR VW), erstwhile points leader Nestor Girolami and Andy Priaulx in the fourth Cyan Lynk & Co completed the points.
Race 3 Results:
Cla Driver Chassis Gap 1 Thed Björk
Lynk & Co 2 Yann Ehrlacher
Lynk & Co 0.830 3 Norbert Michelisz
Hyundai 2.377 4 Augusto Farfus
Hyundai 2.995 5 Yvan Muller
Lynk & Co 3.658 6 Mikel Azcona
CUPRA 4.120 7 Johan Kristoffersson
Volkswagen 4.432 8 Esteban Guerrieri
Honda 6.696 9 Gabriele Tarquini
Hyundai 7.543 10 Rob Huff
Volkswagen 9.840 11 Nick Catsburg
Hyundai 11.093 12 Aurelien Panis
CUPRA 13.094 13 Mehdi Bennani
Volkswagen 13.328 14 Nestor Girolami
Honda 13.558 15 Andy Priaulx
Lynk & Co 15.591 16 Frederic Vervisch
Audi 15.956 17 Niels Langeveld
Audi 16.121 18 Kevin Ceccon
Alfa Romeo 16.847 19 Tiago Monteiro
Honda 17.537 20 Tom Coronel
CUPRA 18.475 21 Ma Qing Hua
Alfa Romeo 19.009 22 Attila Tassi
Honda 22.779 23 Daniel Haglof
CUPRA 22.849 24 Gordon Shedden
Audi 23.677 25 Jean-Karl Vernay
Audi 29.621 Benjamin Leuchter
Volkswagen 5 Laps View full results
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