The notable images of the 2010 decade in Tourism

The internal duel at Chevrolet

At the start of the decade, the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) was the preserve of Chevrolet. With its Cruze with a 2-liter naturally aspirated engine, the English tuner RML dominates the Seat Leon and other BMWs, notably thanks to three drivers: Yvan Muller, Rob Huff and Alain Menu.

The first two cities will cross swords on numerous occasions. Despite belonging to the same team, the duo sometimes exceeds the limits of the track, as in Porto (Portugal) in 2011, then in Monza (Italy) from the opening of the 2012 season:

The Swiss Alain Menu, leader of the Chevrolet effort in the WTCC since 2005, is trying to be authoritative towards Yvan Muller. Here again, fights sometimes degenerate, as in the Temple of Speed:

In this climate of heightened tensions, Yvan Muller will emerge victorious from this fight, winning with three titles (2010, 2012, 2013) against one for Rob Huff (2011) and none for Alain Menu.

Ehrlacher's 360 in Macau

Yvan Muller's nephew made a name for himself during the second half of the decade. Arriving in the WTCC in 2017, Yann Ehrlacher then revealed himself with Münnich Motorsport the following year in the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR). A time leader of the championship, the Alsatian left his mark with an artistic figure perfectly executed at 160 km/h in the streets of Macau:

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 this clash with Pepe Oriola (Cupra), the Frenchman did not lose any place in this mishap!

The “big one” of Vila Real

across the Atlantic, the Nascar is fond of “big ones”, huge pileups on ovals like Daytona or Talladega. Imagine that the WTCR had its say thanks (or because) of the Sébastien's teammates Loeb Racing, Rob Huff and Mehdi Bennani. 

Starting from the first row on the urban route of Vila Real (Portugal), the two Volkswagen Golf GTIs want to pass the first turn in the lead. No car wants to give way, collision is inevitable. 

A scene of chaos ensues, where Thed Björk's engine catches fire, when Rob Huff's block is ejected from its compartment! Yann Ehrlacher is stuck and has to exit through the trunk of his Civic Type-R. Mehdi Bennani, stiff, will be taken to hospital for a medical check-up.

Touch-touch on the Nordschleife

Literally, Tourism allows door-to-door struggles. Race 1 at the 2019 Nürburgring provided a further illustration of this characteristic of the WTCR. On the endless Döttinger Höhe straight (2,1 km flat out), Nestor Girolami (Honda) and Niels Langeveld (Audi) are so busy bickering that this prankster Rob Huff appears out of nowhere! 

A few minutes later, the Briton used all his mischief to prevent Nestor Girolami from overtaking him. Suction cut here and there, zigzag up to the button, it's very warm and beautiful! The Argentinian will have the last word and the commissioners will call the rascals to order.

Serial punctures

The Saltzburgring meeting (Austria) caused a lot of problems, whether in WTCC or TCR. A curve negotiated at high speed had the unfortunate tendency to cause punctures on the left front tire. 

There are plenty of off-track events in 2012, particularly among Chevrolets. Alain Menu, Yvan Muller and Rob Huff were struck by this damage. The top 3 is decimated, which should leave the victory to Tom Coronel (BMW) in the last lap:

But the Dutchman chose the wrong trajectory in the final corner, could not pass the Frenchman, while Stefano d'Aste (BMW) passed on the outside and won at the last minute! The Italian with the combination worthy of a tricolor suit signs his first World Cup victory with the small Wiechers-Sport team. 

An exceptional final at Sepang

You were frustrated by the lack of suspense in Formula 1 this autumn ? Do you miss the glorious uncertainty of motorsport? So get a dose of WTCR in Malaysia! The conclusion of the 2019 season was hair-raising, contested in perilous weather conditions.

Trois pilotes pouvaient coiffer le titre. Yvan Muller (Lynk & Co) a été mis volontairement hors-jeu par Nicky Catsburg (Hyundai), ce dernier jouant à fond la carte de son équipier Norbert Michelisz. Le Néerlandais sera tout bonnement exclu de la Course 3 par la Direction de course !

Only two men left. Thanks to perfect driving in Race 2, Esteban Guerrieri (Honda) closed to just 10 points behind leader Norbert Michelisz before the final event. 

The best view of my road. From 9º to 1º in the Sepang region, there is rain and light in the camp! Inolvidable!

The best lap of my career. From P9 to P1 at the start in Sepang, under the rain and fighting for the championship! Unforgettable!#TeamEG @FIA_WTCR pic.twitter.com/murjxNrsWY

— Esteban Guerrieri (@E_Guerrieri) December 17, 2019

The icing on the cake is that the two rivals form the first row of the starting grid. The Argentinian, former fallen hope of the car defends himself like hell. He led the race for a time then the championship while ''Norbi'' fell back. However, Mikel Azcona (Cupra) doesn't give him an ounce of rest and ends up sending him into the wet grass!

Miraculously, Esteban Guerrieri maintains control of his Honda, but the grass is now obstructing the air intake of his engine. He slows down then returns to the pits, it's over for him. Norbert Michelisz, for his part, lets the astonishing Johan Kristoffersson make the comeback of the year (from 21st to 1st) and can finally be titled, 10 years after his debut in the World Cup!