Citroen wins FIA WTCC Manufacturers' title

The Citroen C-Elysee WTCCs recorded a magnificent one-two-three-four in Shanghai, as Jose Maria Lopez won race one ahead of Ma Tiroen became Manufacturers' World Champions.

This is the first international championship that Citroen has won on the track, after five Cross Country Rally World Cups and eight WRC titles.

In the Drivers' World Championship, Joe Maria Lopez moved another step closer to the title, which he will have the chance of winning at the next round in Suzuka on 24-26 October.

WTCC: Muller clinches fourth world title

By finishing third in Suzuka's Race 1, Yvan Muller become the FIA World Touring Car Champion for an unprecedented fourth time.

This was also the fifth consecutive Drivers' Championship won by the Chevrolet cars run by the RML Group. It was also the more special for Muller as one month before the beginning of the season, he didn't have a drive.

Muller will join Citroen and Sébastian Loeb in 2014. He had already won the WTCC title in 2008 for SEAT Sport, 2010 and 2011 for Chevrolet.

However, in the first race, Norbert Michelisz claimed victory. It is the first of the season for him and a special one for Honda on its home racetrack. Behind him, Alex MacDowall rejected the assaults of Muller who was determined to celebrate in style his fourth Drivers' Championship title.

The second race was enlivened by an-all BMW duel between Mehdi Bennani and Tom Coronel. Eventually the Dutchman got the better with a brilliant overtaking manoeuvre, while Tiago Monteiro gave Honda another podium result.

The championship will resume after a five-week break for rounds 21 and 22 that will take place at Shanghai, China on 3 November.

Lopez drives Argentina crazy

Local here 'Pechito' Lopez rewrote the history books when the WTCC aid its first visit to Argentina over the weekend, writes Trish Whelan.

In 2005, Duncan Huisman become the first driver to win a WTCC round at his first attempt - but he had experience in FIA Touring Car Championships - and now Lopez's victory in Race 2 at Termas de Rio Honda was the first WTCC win by a 'rookie' driver.

Lopez

And he beat Yvan Muller who had taken maximum points in Race 1. But the RML Chevrolet driver was handed a drive-through penalty in Race 2 after making contact with Tiago Monteiro while the pair were battling for second place.

Gabriele Tarquni gave the Castrol Honda team something to celebrate by finishing second in Race 2 while Pepe Oriola recorded a pair of podium finishes and so collected a healthy points haul from the long journey to South America.

In the Championship standings, Muller now has a massive 132 point lead in the Drivers' table ahead of Michel Nykjaer, with Tarquini in third place. Nykjaer has also extended his lead in the Yokohama Trophy to nine points after the two races in Argentina, ahead of the British pair of James Nash and Alex MacDowall.

The Championship will resume after a one month break for rounds 17 and 18 at Sonoma, USA on 8th September.

FIA WTCC Route to Porto, Portugal

The 13th and 14th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place this coming weekend on Porto's Circuito da Boavista (29-30 June), writes Trish Whelan.

This is the fourth visit the championship pays to this racetrack that winds up along the streets of the Portuguese city.  The WTCC Race of Portugal returns to Porto every two years since 2007. This year, up to 25 cars will be in contention.
Local hero will be Tiago Monteiro who actually lives in Porto. He'll be driving a Honda Civic car.

The Porto event marks the start of the second half of the 2013 WTCC season. The previous race meetings have included Italy, Morocco, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Russia. After Porto, the WTCC will be heading for its five overseas events: Argentina, USA, Japan, China and Macau.

The Drivers' Championship looks comfortably controlled by Yvan Muller. At the wheel of his RML Chevrolet Cruze, the Frenchman has collected nearly twice the points of his closest chasers, and is heading for a fourth world title.

Another triple podium for Chevrolet in Japan

Chevrolet celebrated its third consecutive Manufacturers' title victory in the best possible way by taking another 1-2-3 win in Race 1 in Suzuka, Japan on Sunday.

Gabriele Tarquini had to defend his fourth position from the attacks of a brilliant Alex MacDowall who came in 5th overall and claimed top spot among the independent racers at the wheel of a Bamboo Engineering Cruze.

Race 2 was won by Stefano D'Aste, chased by Pepe Oriola, Tarquini, Bennani and the Chevrolets that, for once, were not in the position to benefit from their superior power as Huff, Menu and Muller finished in 4th, 5th and 6th place.

All three Chevrolet drivers finished Race 1 in the points with the results of the first leg of the WTCC Asian tour seeing Yvan Muller and Rob Huff still heading the Drivers' standings on equal points (345) and Alain Menu gaining 10 points on his team mates to climb to 307.

With the Manufacturers' championship decided, all the attention is focused on the battle for the Drivers' crown which has become a private affair between the Chevrolet drivers, the only ones still in the race for the title.

The championship resumes in two weeks at Shanghai, on 4 November, for Rounds 21 and 22.

WTCC resumes in September

The World Touring Car Championship will resume in one month at Sonoma in California, with rounds 17 and 18 due to take place on 23 September.

This event will mark the championship's first visit to the United States.

In the meanwhile, cars and parts are on their way to North America. The 26 containers were shipped from the Brazilian harbour of Paranagua on 30 July on board a cargo ship currently crossing the Panana Canal. It is expected to call at Oakland, California, on 8 September. From there, the containers will be trucked to Sonoma, a distance of about 60 kilometres away.

WTCC drivers, teams and personnel are taking advantage of the break between the events in Brazil and the USA to enjoy well deserved holidays.

Chevrolet dominates Zandvoort

Alain Menu On Pole; Nicola Larini Second; Rob Huff Ninth



The Chevrolet WTCC team dominated today’s qualifying proceedings for tomorrow’s second round of the 2007 World Touring Car Championship at the Dutch seaside track of Zandvoort.

Alain Menu, who had already set the fastest time of the day on Friday, was again the undisputed fastest man on the track today, setting the provisional pole position on his first run before bettering his time on his second run. Team mate Nicola Larini was second fastest while Rob Huff qualified in ninth, still within one second of Menu.

The event marked the first ever pole position of Chevrolet in the WTCC, at the same time the first ever time two Chevrolets will start the first race from the first row.

ZANDVOORT QUALIFYING TIMES

1. A Menu Chevrolet Lacetti 1m47s044
2. N Larini Chevrolet Lacetti + 0s157
3. A Farfus BMW 320si + 0s475
4. L Rangoni BMW 320si + 0s635
5. T Monteiro SEAT Leon + 0s694
9. R Huff Chevrolet Lacetti + 0s925