(Episode 5/7) WTCR highlights of 2018

A 360° at 160 km/h
The adage is well known in the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) paddock. In Macau, anything can happen, and Yann Ehrlacher will not contradict us. The Alsatian, hit by Pepe Oriola at the start of Race 2, went into a masterful spin at nearly 160 km/h.

Onboard with me for a 360° at 160 kph, touch the wall, catch it back and loose no places I can probably go to the “save of the year awards” @FIA_WTCR pic.twitter.com/U2vTesUNRl

— Yann Ehrlacher (@YannEhrlacher) November 19, 2018

Despite hitting the rail, the future Lynk & Co pilot was able to continue his progression to sixth place, without his Honda Civic Type-R being damaged.

An impressive pileup in Vila Real
En Nascar, we call that a “big one”. Unable to give up a single centimeter in the first corner of Race 1 in Portugal, Rob Huff and Mehdi Bennani (Volkswagen) sent each other into the rail. The problem is thatapart from belonging to the same team (Sébastien Loeb Racing), they were ahead of the entire pack of madmen...

The tangle is incredible. The safety rail is ripped open, the engine of Rob Huff's Golf GTI is torn off, wheels are flying, the Hyundai by Thed Björk catches fire, Yann Ehrlacher is forced to escape from its wreckage through the trunk opened by Tom Coronel. Miraculously, the bodily damage was minor (only Mehdi Bennani, suffering from dizziness and headaches, was taken to hospital for a check-up).

The return of Monteiro
An example of willpower, Tiago Monteiro manages to take part in his first race at Suzuka (Japan), after a forced absence of 415 days. The Portuguese, seriously injured in an accident during private testing in Barcelona (Spain) in September 2017, was applauded by all the drivers, who had prepared a guard of honor before the first practice session on Friday.

The ex-pilot of F1 was touched by this mark of respect. “I try to concentrate on the tests, but there are a lot of emotions, a lot. I have tears in my eyes. I've dreamed of this for so much now, and now here we are. This is why I love this sport, and this championship”. His full-time return is planned for 2019.

A suspenseful finale
Delayed by 39 points before the last three races in Macau on the general leader Gabriele Tarquini, Yvan Muller took up the challenge brilliantly. As the Italian veteran made mistakes (exit in qualifying, clashes in the peloton, 4th, retirement, 10th in the races), the Frenchman had a solid weekend (2nd, 3rd, 4th) in the city of gaming.

He finally missed three small points to damn the pawn to his rival. The four-time WTCC champion consoled himself with the Teams title for his Yvan Muller Racing team, while setting an appointment for a rematch next year.

Cars everywhere in Suzuka
Race 3 of the Japanese meeting is a summary of what makes motorsport enthusiasts smile: overtaking, attacking, contact, skidding! No need to recount the ordeal in detail (won by Gabriele Tarquini), as the adventures piled up over 11 rounds. Place for the show: