C2 – Muller regains the lead of the championship after the abandonment of Tarquini

Yvan muller (Hyundai) has done his accounts well. Authoritative winner of Race 2 of the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) in Ningbo on Sunday, the Frenchman takes control of the general classification after the 20th event of the season.

Beneficiary of second place thanks to the principle of the reverse grid, the Alsatian passed in front of pole sitter Mehdi Bennani (Volkswagen) even before the first corner. The boss-driver did not witness the numerous fights in the peloton, which caused numerous victims among the title contenders.

After barely a turn, the leader of the general Gabriele Tarquini (Hyundai) abandoned, front face smashed after contact in the peloton. Simultaneously, Jean-Karl Vernay (Audi) recorded a fourth consecutive zero point following an impact from Aurélien Comte (Peugeot , abandonment too) on the back of his mount.

The most notable incident in this event occurred three laps from the end; then third, Yann Erlacher (Honda) and Frédéric Vervisch (Audi) veered wide, both men refusing to give way in the fight for third place.

This excursion into the gravel cost the Frenchman dearly. Returning to the track in 10th, he was violently hit by the freelancer Ma Qing Hua (Honda) on the last lap! The Münnich Motorsport driver expressed his frustration when the Chinese returned to his deceleration lap.

In this mess, Esteban Guerrieri (Honda) inherited the last step of the podium even though he started eighth. In the general ranking, Yvan Muller is 14 points ahead of Gabriele Tarquini. Thed Björk (Hyundai) continues his comeback with only 29 points behind his Team manager. As a result of this abandonment, Yann Erlacher concedes 54 points to his uncle.

Race 3 will be held Sunday morning at 9:40 a.m.

WTCR standings 2018 Race 2 at Ningbo:

Drivers' Championship after Race 2 in Ningbo: