For immediate release: 7
October 2018
RACE REPORT
FIA WTCR RACE OF
CHINA-WUHAN
Wuhan
International Street Circuit, 5-7 October 2018
WTCR – FIA World
Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO, Rounds 22-24 of 30
WUHAN STREETS PAVED WITH GOLD FOR BENNANI AND SHEDDEN AS
WTCR DELIVERS SPECTACULAR ACTION
*Audi driver
Shedden holds off Vervisch and Dupont after fantastic battle for Race 3
win
*Volkswagen-powered
Bennani bags maiden WTCR victory with Race 2 triumph
*China’s Ma Qing
Hua scores first WTCR OSCARO points during Golden Week
*Björk closes on
title lead but it’s a tough weekend for championship chasers
The WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO completed its
China double-header in memorable and spectacular fashion in Wuhan with
Mehdi Bennani and Gordon Shedden joining the list of 2018 winners that
now totals 13 drivers.
After Frenchman Jean-Karl Vernay claimed the Race 1 honours at the
Wuhan International Circuit on Saturday, Morocco’s Bennani took the
reverse-grid Race 2 spoils on Sunday afternoon for his maiden category
victory, before Scottish driver Shedden converted his DHL Pole Position
into WTCR OSCARO win number one later in the day.
The three-time British Touring Car champion’s success was the second
for Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team on the streets of Wuhan – China’s
car-manufacturing hub – which produced excitement from start to finish
and included a dramatic victory for Bennani. The Sébastien Loeb Racing
Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR driver crossed the line 0.4s ahead of Aurélien
Comte after the pair briefly tangled on the final lap, which allowed
Nathanaël Berthon to join a three-car scramble to the finish to signal
his first WTCR podium for Comtoyou Racing.
Shedden’s win, coupled with his third place in Race 1, made him the TAG
Heuer Most Valuable Driver for the most points scored across the Wuhan
weekend, while Frédéric Vervisch – who finished second in Race 3 after
shadowing Shedden for several laps – took the TAG Heuer Best Lap
Trophy. He was joined on the day’s final podium by Denis Dupont, the
Belgian federation-backed driver’s second top-three in as many events.
Aurélien Comte, in a DG Sport Compétition PEUGEOT 308TCR, returned to
form with second in Race 2 but his hopes of a repeat in Race 3 were
dashed when he was involved in a multi-car collision, which eliminated
Rob Huff’s Volkswagen and also forced Mato Homola and double DTM
champion Timo Scheider out.
Pepe Oriola (Team OSCARO by Campos Racing) experienced a weekend of
differing fortunes. He was second in Race 1 but crashed in Second
Qualifying as he gave his all to make it into the final-five showdown.
However, he hit back with fourth in Race 2 and sixth in Race 3. The
points scored put him fourth in the table, 34 down on leader Gabriele
Tarquini, who endured a frustrating event, failing to score as he
battled to find a competitive edge in his BRC Racing Team Hyundai
following the latest compensation weight and balance of performance
rulings.
Tarquini’s fellow Hyundai driver Thed Björk – the double winner in
Ningbo – also struggled for form but his capture of P10 in Race 3 could
yet prove decisive in the final championship reckoning. He’s now seven
points behind Tarquini and one point ahead of YMR team-mate Muller, who
scored a weekend best P10 in Race 2. Like team-mate Tarquini, Norbert
Michelisz failed to score.
Other results of note included Ma Qing Hua becoming the first Chinese
driver to land WTCR OSCARO points with seventh in Race 3. However, it
was a case of what might have been for the Boutsen Ginion Racing Honda
driver, who started Race 2 on the front row only for early contact to
put him back. Team Mulsanne’s Kevin Ceccon (Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR)
added eighth in Race 3 to his sixth in Race 1. Esteban Guerrieri took a
weekend-best fourth in Race 3 for the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Honda team.
Race winner
quotes
Jean-Karl
Vernay, Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team, Audi RS 3 LMS (Race 1): “A
good car and a good team made that possible, and I was able to make a
good lap in qualifying. I guess it started from there and I just had to
manage a good start, making sure I would still lead after the first
corner. And then just focus on my driving, being consistent, making no
mistakes. The track is tricky during the race because if you have a
lack of concentration there are so many marbles on the outside line you
can go directly into the wall. So I just tried to keep focused until
then end. The car was great, so that was a little bit easier for me. I
was just trying to understand a few things I need to work on for
qualifying tomorrow. I couldn’t have hoped for a better result after
the nightmare of last week and I’m really glad for the team, the guys.
Now we have to make sure we are out front again, together with Gordon.
It’s a great team effort.”
Mehdi Bennani,
Sébastien Loeb Racing, Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR (Race 2):
“It was very tough from the beginning of the weekend. The car was heavy
on weight after my podium in Ningbo and I had to drive at 110 per cent
because I knew I would be struggling with tyres from lap 12 or 13. And
this is what happened. It’s a nice victory because so much has happened
since my crash at Vila Real. This win is dedicated to the King of
Morocco, who has done so much to make me a professional driver. I knew
[Comte] was much lighter, by something like 60kg. He closed too much in
the final three laps, but when he overtook me I knew it would be nearly
impossible for him to stop the car at the hairpin on that line. I’m
very happy.”
Gordon Shedden,
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team, Audi RS 3 LMS (Race 3): “Wins
in the WTCR don’t come easy and today has been exactly that: trials and
tribulations, ups and downs from a fantastic qualifying this morning to
qualify on pole position and then get involved with somebody who hit me
in Race 2 and broke the steering rack. The guys at WRT did an amazing
job to replace the steering rack. I didn’t even think I’d make the grid
to be able to start from pole position. Race 3 was very eventful, there
was lots going on. Denis [Dupont] was exciting… but we made it to the
end and it’s fantastic to get my first win and also to have two more
Audis on the podium. It has been a fantastic day for the RS 3 Audis.”
Race 1 report
Race 1 press conference
Race 2 report
Race
3 report
Race
3 press conference
Provisional results and
standings
More on OSCARO:
wtcr.oscaro.com
What’s next? WTCR
Race of Japan, Suzuka Circuit, 26-28 October
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