Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia

Zandvoort WTCR: Vernay wins after start investigation

WRT Audi driver Jean-Karl Vernay survived an investigation into his start to win the final World Touring Car Cup race at Zandvoort.

Jean-Karl Vernay, Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team Audi RS 3 LMS

Jean-Karl Vernay, Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team Audi RS 3 LMS

WTCR

Vernay got a good enough getaway from pole position in his Audi to close the door on the Volkswagen of fellow front-row starter Rob Huff and edged away thereafter to claim his second win of the season.

Sebastien Loeb Racing driver Huff ended up second, while Frederic Vervisch (Comtoyou Racing Audi) rounded out the podium with his third top-three finish from the last five races.

Vernay momentarily crept forward from his start slot before the lights went out but came to a prompt stop, then moved over to the right-hand side of the track when the race started to prevent Huff from running up his inside and into the lead.

That startline movement was investigated by officials as Vernay gradually increased his lead at the front, before a decision of no further action was communicated midway through the race.

Vernay said he he had been "worried" about the three cars behind, which all started with new front tyres, but the Frenchman maintained a comfortable buffer back to Huff throughout and clinched victory by 1.2 seconds, with Vervisch a comfortable third.

The second WRT Audi of Gordon Shedden spent the majority of the race pent up behind the Munnich Motorsport Honda of Esteban Guerrieri, having been jumped by the Argentinian at the start

From fifth on the grid, Guerrieri shaped to the outside off the line and almost found a way past Vervisch before ceding third on the run to the Hugenholtz left-handed hairpin, slotting back in between the two Audis.

Shedden had two half chances to engineer a way past the Honda but had to settle for fifth.

Guerrieri's teammate Yann Ehrlacher could not match the two podiums he achieved in either of the weekend's first two races, but with sixth in the final encounter did move into the lead of the championship.

Ehrlacher had an uneventful race in his Honda, sitting a comfortable margin back from Shedden's Audi, but the 10 points he claimed were enough to move him to the head of the drivers' standings by nine points from uncle Yvan Muller.

Aurelien Comte capped a fine weekend in his DG Sport-run Peugeot with seventh, beating the second SLR Volkswagen of Mehdi Bennani.

James Thompson completed a late pass on the Campos Racing Cupra of Pepe Oriola to claim ninth ahead of the Spaniard.

Gianni Morbidelli had advanced from 17th on the grid to run 13th and within striking distance of his and the Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo outfit's first points of the WTCR season, but contact from John Filippi two laps from the finish as Morbidelli overtook the Cupra driver for 12th turned the Italian round.

Thed Bjork was the leading Hyundai driver in 14th, which meant all four Hyundai failed to score a point during the Zandvoort weekend.

Race 3:

ClaDriverCargap
1 FRA Jean-Karl Vernay Audi  
2 GBR Rob Huff Volkswagen 1.199
3 BEL Frederic Vervisch Audi 3.065
4 ARG Esteban Guerrieri Honda 4.405
5 GBR Gordon Shedden Audi 5.019
6 FRA Yann Ehrlacher Honda 6.869
7 FRA Aurélien Comte Peugeot 7.804
8 MAR Mehdi Bennani Volkswagen 12.298
9 GBR James Thompson Honda 14.241
10 ESP Pepe Oriola Seat 18.718
11 FRA Nathanaël Berthon Audi 18.932
12 BEL Denis Dupont Audi 19.524
13 FRA Aurelien Panis Audi 20.541
14 FRA John Filippi Seat 21.957
15 SWE Thed Björk Hyundai 26.197
16 SVK Mato Homola Peugeot 28.075
17 HUN Norbert Nagy Seat 28.455
18 ITA Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai 29.001
19 HOL Bernhard van Oranje-Nassau Audi 31.277
20 HOL Michael Verhagen Audi 1'03.669
21 ITA Gianni Morbidelli Alfa Romeo 1 Lap
22 HUN Norbert Michelisz Hyundai 2 Laps
  FRA Yvan Muller Hyundai 6 Laps
  BEL Benjamin Lessennes Honda 8 Laps
  HOL Tom Coronel Honda 14 Laps
  HUN Zsolt David Szabo Seat 14 Laps
  ITA Fabrizio Giovanardi Alfa Romeo 15 Laps

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Zandvoort WTCR: Comte bags Peugeot's maiden win
Next article Argentina round dropped from WTCR 2018 calendar

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia