The WTCC reaches the half way point in the season, and Volvo's Polestar racing is chasing for wins.

The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) reaches its half way point on the fast street circuit of Vila Real in Portugal this weekend, with just eight points separating the top three and a new “Joker Lap” being introduced.

Polestar Cyan Racing driver Nicky Catsburg heads the standings, with team-mate Thed Björk third, following their historic double win at the Nürburgring Nordschleife a month ago.

“It’s definitely a good feeling heading to Portugal in the lead, but it also applies some pressure as you really want to remain there. Vila Real is a demanding and very fast street circuit. I think the fight with the Hondas, and especially Tiago (Monteiro), will be very tough. They usually perform well at street circuits and they are 30 kilos lighter. But we have been fast with weight this year and, as always, we will try to score as many points as possible,” said Nicky Catsburg.

Four-time STCC champion Björk reduced the gap to the championship lead from 42 points to just eight after his strong victory in the first race at the WTCC Race of Germany.

“The championship is really close and we expect the Hondas to be strong here. Some people have them as the favourites for this track and therefore the pressure is on them. While we are on full weight, we were strong in Portugal last year. I am bringing that positivity, together with the feeling from the win in Germany, with me to this weekend,” said Thed Björk.

Team-mate Néstor Girolami is looking for revenge this weekend as his streak of bad luck continued at the Nürburgring where he suffered a puncture at over 200 km/h while leading the race. The Argentinian escaped unharmed but lost vital points in the championship.

“This is motorsport. Sometime you have bad luck and sometimes you are lucky. The important thing is to stay motivated and I am definitely fired up because I know that I have the speed to be on the top. Vila Real is a really challenging street circuit with both slow corners and some very fast, blind corners at over 200 km/h. I will again do my best and work even harder with the team for our goal to win both championships,” said Néstor Girolami.

A new addition to this WTCC weekend is the introduction of Joker Laps to improve overtaking possibilities on street circuits that can prove hard to overtake on. The Joker Lap route is located at turn 26 and all drivers must take it once during both races. It is estimated to be two seconds slower than the normal lap.

“I have worked as an engineer in rallycross before where the Joker Lap originates from and it is definitely an element that creates more excitement. It’s completely new for us in the WTCC, so there are of course many unknowns. But I am leaving the tactics for our brilliant engineers,” said Thed Björk.

The fight for the manufacturers’ World Title is close heading to Portugal, with Volvo leading main rivals Honda by 40 points.

“We are looking forward to this race. It is a great event with a fantastic crowd. On paper, this should be a tough race for us but we are confident in our car, the team and drivers. We intend fight for every point available to defend our twin championship lead,” said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Motorsport at Polestar.

WTCC Race of Portugal

Circuit: Circuito Internacional de Vila Real

Length: 4785 m

Lap record (WTCC): 1:58.385 (Huff)

Championship Standings

Drivers’ – Top 5

1 Nicky Catsburg Volvo S60 127 pts

2 Tiago Monteiro Honda Civic 125 (-2)

3 Thed Björk Volvo S60 119 (-8)

4 Tom Chilton Citroën C-Elysée 106 (-21)

5 Rob Huff Citroën C-Elysée 102 (-25)

…

9 Néstor Girolami Volvo S60 52 (-75)

Manufacturers’

1 Volvo 404 pts

2 Honda 364 (-40)

Compensation weights for Portugal

Model – Time difference – Weight

Volvo S60 Polestar – 0.0 sec – +80 kg

Citroën C-Elysée – 0.0 sec – +80 kg

Honda Civic – +0.3 sec – +50 kg

Chevrolet Cruze – +0.6 sec – +20 kg

Lada Vesta +1.2 sec – +0 kg

2017 FIA World Touring Car Championship Entry List

No – Driver – Team – Car

3 – Tom Chilton – GBR – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

5 – Norbert Michelisz – HUN – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC

8 – Aurélien Panis – FRA – Zengő Motorsport – Honda Civic WTCC

9 – Tom Coronel – NED – ROAL Motorsport – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

12 – Rob Huff – GBR – Münnich Motorsport – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

18 – Tiago Monteiro – POR – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC

24 – Kevin Gleason – USA – RC Motorsport – Lada Vesta WTCC

25 – Mehdi Bennani – MOR – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

27 – John Filippi – FRA – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

34 – Ryo Michigami – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC

61 – Néstor Girolami – ARG – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 TC1

62 – Thed Björk – SWE – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 TC1

63 – Nicky Catsburg – NED – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 TC1

68 – Yann Ehrlacher – FRA – RC Motorsport – Lada Vesta WTCC

86 – Esteban Guerrieri – ARG – Campos Racing – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

99 – Daniel Nagy – HUN – Zengő Motorsport – Honda Civic WTCC

FIA World Touring Car Championship 2017 Calendar

WTCC Race of Morocco (Marrakech): 7-9 April

WTCC Race of Italy (Monza): 28-30 April

WTCC Race of Hungary (Hungaroring): 12-14 May

WTCC Race of Germany (Nürburgring Nordschleife): 25-27 May

WTCC Race of Portugal (Vila Real): 23-25 June

WTCC Race of Argentina (Termas de Río Hondo): 15-16 July

WTCC Race of China (Shanghai Ningbo Circuit): 13-15 October

WTCC Race of Japan (Twin Ring Motegi): 27-29 October

WTCC Race of Macau (Circuit de Guia): 17-19 November

WTCC Race of Qatar (Losail International Circuit): 30 November-1 December

After three dominating seasons in the WTCC, Citroen and the C-Elysée withdraw from the event.

The final meeting of the 2016 FIA WTCC season, in Qatar, marked the end of Citroën Racing’s involvement in the championship. 

The Citroën C-Elysée WTCC claimed its fiftieth victory in three seasons, and in his farewell to elite motorsport Yvan Muller secured second place in the World Championship, behind his teammate José María López. Citroën’s track racing adventure has come to an end after three consecutive world titles.

José María López clocked the fastest time in Q1 on Friday with 1m59.788s, one second faster than the time that secured him pole in 2015. 

In Q2, Yvan Muller and Pechito López immediately claimed the top two positions, before the red flag was brought out. When the action resumed, López once again dipped under the two-minute mark, enough to put him top of the timing screens again, just ahead of Muller.

Q3 was an unusual affair. Mehdi Bennani was first out and set a good pace. Norbert Michelisz then crashed out, causing a long delay. After the interruption, both Yvan Muller and José María López were looking good, but both slipped up at the same turn. The few tenths of a second that those errors cost them meant the Argentine driver had to settle for the third best time, with the Frenchman in fourth. It was Mehdi Bennani who then clinched the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC’s 31st pole position.

A few minutes later, the SLR team’s three drivers were out on track representing Citroën in MAC3. Bennani, Tom Chilton and Grégoire Demoustier produced a flawless performance to score maximum points for the manufacturer.

The opening race got under way long after night had fallen in the Middle East. Having finished tenth in qualifying, Tom Chilton was the man in pole position, with Gabriele Tarquini alongside him. When the lights went out, Chilton was the first man to turn, while Yvan Muller managed to haul himself into fifth place. Back in the chasing pack, José María López was run into by Tiago Monteiro. The Portuguese driver ended up crashing off, which brought the safety car out, followed by the red flag.

Once the track had been cleaned, the race got under way again. Tom Chilton went wide on the first bend and Tarquini took advantage to sneak past. A little further back, Yvan Muller moved up one more place into fourth. Tarquini emerged victorious in the opening race, ahead of Chilton, Huff and Muller. Pechito López staged an impressive recovery to finish ninth.

Fortunately, the team’s mechanics had time to repair the cars’ bodywork before the final race of the year. Pole sitter Bennani maintained his lead at the first turn, with López just behind him after an excellent start from the second row. Muller held on to fourth place, with Thed Björk in third.

The chasing pack was once again full of incident, and the safety car made an appearance after just one lap. A few drops of rain then came down, but certainly not enough to justify rain tyres. Shortly after the race resumed, Muller was ousted from fourth after a powerful overtaking manoeuvre from Michelisz.      A few laps later, López was passed by Björk.

It looked like the race order would remain unchanged until the end: Bennani, Björk, López, Michelisz, Muller. But with just a few laps to go, Tiago Monteiro got the better of his friend and rival Yvan Muller. For Yvan, however, this result was not important. The race marked the end of a magnificent career which has included winning four FIA World Touring Car Championship titles and breaking all the records in the discipline. Upon returning to the pit lane, he received a long ovation from the members of the Citroën Total team. There were red eyes all round, showing just what an emotional moment this was in the history of motorsport.

CITROËN IN WTCC IN FIGURES (2014-2016)

• 35 meetings and 69 races
• 31 pole positions (89%): 21 for José María López, 8 for Yvan Muller, 1 each for Sébastien Loeb and Mehdi Bennani
• 308 starts: 69 for José María López, 68 for Yvan Muller, 47 for Sébastien Loeb, 46 for Mehdi Bennani, 34 for Ma Qing Hua, 22 each for Tom Chilton and Grégoire Demoustier
• 50 race wins (72%): 28 for José María López, 11 for Yvan Muller, 6 for Sébastien Loeb, 2 each for Ma Qing Hua and Mehdi Bennani, 1 for Tom Chilton
• 45 fastest race laps (65%): 26 for José María López, 8 for Yvan Muller, 7 for Sébastien Loeb, 2 for Ma Qing Hua, 1 each for Mehdi Bennani and Tom Chilton
• 119 podium finishes (57% of the maximum possible): 47 for José María López, 34 for Yvan Muller, 20 for Sébastien Loeb, 8 for Ma Qing Hua, 5 each for Mehdi Bennani and Tom Chilton
• 246 points finishes (80%)
• 3,736 points scored in the Drivers’ World Championship
• 3,029 points scored in the Manufacturers’ World Championship

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

Yves Matton, Team Principal, Citroën Racing: “This was the Red Army’s last appearance in the FIA WTCC. I would like to thank every member of the team for their commitment, their constant thirst for improvement and their willingness to represent Citroën in what was a new discipline for the team. 

I will cite two figures to demonstrate Citroën Racing’s know-how: 89% of pole positions and 72% of race wins in three seasons. 

Thanks must go, too, to José María López and Yvan Muller. 

I have been lucky enough to work with these two great champions, who are also great men. And I cannot help thinking of Sébastien Loeb and Ma Qing Hua, who also contributed so much to this success, which I will always remember as an amazing adventure for the people involved.”

José María López: “It wasn’t an easy last race for us! To a large extent, the result was determined in qualifying. We felt that the track changed during the long delay. 

In any case, we can be proud of what we have all accomplished together. Tonight, I’m not really thinking about me. I’m thinking about Yvan. I want to thank him for what he has given me. 

I have learnt a lot from working with him and I have enormous respect for him. He has decided to bow out of motorsport while he’s still at the top and I wish him all the best in his new life.”

Yvan Muller: “There are lots of feelings swimming around in my head, particularly after Pechito’s words and the team’s celebrations. 

It wasn’t an easy decision to take and this is an emotional moment for me. All good things must come to an end and I am happy to be retiring now, with these opponents around me. 

We have had some tough scraps at times, but there has always been respect between us, and that’s why I love this sport. My overwhelming feeling is one of joy. 

I’ve got lots of things to do, what with my team, developing young drivers, and my family. I will have plenty to keep me busy!”

Citroen Claim more wins in the WTCC, with the provisional Championship title going to José María López again.

Yvan Muller and José María López finished first and second in the main race at Motegi (Japan) to claim the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC’s fifth one-two of the season. This means the Argentinian is provisional world champion for the third year running, whilst Citroën took another step closer to a sixteenth World Championship title.

In the opening race, Yvan Muller and José María López started from ninth and tenth on the grid. When the lights went out, the Citroën Total drivers moved up the field and into seventh and eighth places.

A few corners later, Muller also managed to take sixth place from Tom Chilton. It wasn’t long before López followed suit.

Muller then tried to find a way past Nick Catsburg. This gave López a chance to close in and overtake his team-mate after a minor coming together. Shortly afterwards, Catsburg’s determined defence was breached and the two team-mates set off in pursuit of Thed Bjork, who suffered the same fate.

Fourth and fifth respectively, López and Muller obtained the best possible result given their starting positions. They scored important points towards both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ World Championship standings.

After the damaged bodywork components were quickly replaced, the two works Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs lined up on the front row of the start grid for the main race.

López made a perfect start to enter the first corner ahead of Muller. Setting a blistering pace, the two drivers wasted little time in moving clear of the rest of the field, and were comfortable at the front as they headed towards a one-two finish.

With two laps to go, the no. 37 Citroën C-Elysée WTCC moved aside to let the no. 68 car past. Certain to win the title by finishing second, José María López handed victory to his team-mate.

For the first time this season, Yvan Muller therefore crossed the finish line as the race winner. This enabled him to draw level with Tiago Monteiro sitting in second place in the Drivers’ World Championship.

Second-placed López scored enough points to claim a third consecutive drivers’ title*, as he now has an unassailable 120-point lead.

In the manufacturers’ standings, Citroën has moved slightly closer to a sixteenth world title, having already won five Cross Country Rally World Cups, eight World Rally Championships and two World Touring Car Championships. The next round, held in Shanghai (24-25 September), should prove decisive.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal: “Everything worked well today, with a great fightback from our drivers in the opening reverse-grid race and a one-two finish in the main race. We achieved one of our goals this weekend with José María López, who provisionally retained his World Championship title. 

Although we still have a few races left to contest together, this is the beginning of the end of a great adventure that we started almost three years ago. In deciding to let Yvan win today, Pechito showed the team spirit that drives us all. We are now going to prepare for the next race, which should enable us to secure the manufacturers’ title. 

We’d also like to finish first and second in the drivers’ standings. Yvan drew level on points with Tiago Monteiro today, so he is ideally placed to finish as runner-up!”

José María López: “I must be one of the happiest men in the world tonight! When you watch motorsport on television, maybe you think that drivers are cold and aloof, but I can assure you that I’m feeling very emotional right now. I’ve had three fantastic seasons with Citroën Racing and I think a lot of drivers would love to be in my shoes. 

Competing in the WTCC has been a great opportunity for me in my career, but I am most indebted to the team. As regards my gesture for Yvan, it was a way of showing the respect that I have for him. I took the decision on my own, but it wasn’t easy to give up a victory. 

It’s always difficult to win races and I said to myself that it would be hard not to hear the Argentinian national anthem on the podium, especially on the day I win the title. 

But I thought that I might not have too many other opportunities to do it. I’ll keep fighting in the last few races – apart from anything else, we still have work to do to win the manufacturers’ title.”

Yvan Muller: “First of all, I would like to congratulate Pechito on this third title. He deserves it because he is currently the best driver in the category. In addition to being a great driver, he’s also a great man. 

Obviously, I hadn’t asked him to let me past, because that’s not how I like to win races. But he did what I have done in the past, most recently in Argentina when I decided to help him. 

There is genuine mutual respect, built on our shared determination to ensure Citroën wins. Now that I am level on points with Tiago, I’m going to try and finish as runner-up in the championship.”

Citroen fail to take any wins at the Moscow Raceway last weekend, leaving the home brand, LADA, to take both wins.

Yvan Muller’s car was the best performing Citroën C-Elysée, finishing third in the opening race at the rain-affected FIA WTCC races at Moscow Raceway.  Despite a winless weekend, Citroën and José María López have extended their respective leads in the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ World Championships.

The skies looked threatening, but the Moscow Raceway track was totally dry when the cars lined up on the starting grid for the opening race. During the warm-up lap, there was a downpour over the circuit, forcing the race officials to delay the start. All the drivers switched to wet tyres, while the engineers tinkered with their cars’ setups.

When the lights went out, Tiago Monteiro took the lead, ahead of Yvan Muller, who got a good start from the second row. Mehdi Bennani and José María López also found a way through the pack.

After a few turns, Muller was in front. Monteiro was unable to hold off Bennani and López, and the three Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs found themselves out in front.

That situation was not to last. Gabriele Tarquini snatched third place, clipping López’s car in the process. Nick Catsburg soon followed suit, while Tarquini passed Bennani and was gaining ground on Muller.

After five laps, Tarquini took the lead and Muller soon found himself under pressure from Catsburg. Struggling with the conditions, Bennani lost ground, enabling Pechito López to climb back into fourth.

A little after the halfway mark, Catsburg moved into second after passing Muller. López also conceded fourth spot to Valente.

The Citroën Total drivers then held firm until the chequered flag to secure their places. Muller’s podium finish was the best result possible in the circumstances.

During the short break before the main race, the Russian track was once again soaked by a shower, making wet tyres essential.

Once again, the Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs started strongly. Muller and López went into the first bend in sixth and seventh. Very quickly, however, they lost ground on their competitors as they were plagued by a total lack of grip. After three laps, López, Bennani and Muller lay in seventh, eighth and tenth respectively.

As the race went on, the track dried out, though it was still not possible to change to slicks. The Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs therefore focused on not making any mistakes to ensure they secured the best results possible.

López eventually took the points for eighth place. Bennani finished tenth, ahead of Muller, who ended up just out of the points.

Despite a disappointing weekend, Citroën maintains a healthy 172-point lead in the World Championship. In the driver standings, López has extended his advantage, now lying 105 points clear of Bennani and Catsburg. Muller is in fifth place, just nine points adrift of the two second-placed drivers. The point’s tallies have been revised after Honda’s exclusion from the Marrakech meeting was confirmed.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

Yves Matton (Team Principal, Citroën Racing): “It is hard to find positives in such a difficult weekend. The drivers gave their all in trying circumstances and Yvan must be congratulated on his podium finish. It is tough to pinpoint any one reason for our lack of success: the 80kg ballast, the weather conditions, the tyres, the circuit itself. It’s probably down to a combination of all of those things, and we are going to have to work to understand what went wrong. Well done to the Lada team for their two one-two finishes, in any case. We know how it feels to achieve such results, particularly on home soil!”

José María López: “These two races were really tough. The grip deteriorated lap after lap and I wasn’t able to hold our rivals at bay. These things happen. We just need to understand why. At the same time, it has not been a bad weekend, as I have widened the gap at the top of the World Championship!

I can’t wait to get to Vila Real. It’s a circuit I’m very fond of and I hope to repeat last year’s victory there.”

Yvan Muller: “Congratulations to the winners. They deserve this result. I got a good start in the opening race, which allowed me to take the lead for the first time this season. I quickly realised I wasn’t going to be able to hold off Gabriele and Nick. I am happy to be on the podium. It’s not the kind of result you dream about, but I’ll take it, given the circumstances. We are going to work hard to draw the necessary conclusions. We cannot put our lack of success down to a single factor.”

Citroen continues to dominate the WTCC with a pair of wins at the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife.

José María López proved unstoppable at the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife by securing a double victory at the FIA WTCC Race of Germany. The dual success puts the Argentine driver well clear at the top of the World Championship standings, while Citroën has also extended its lead in the Manufacturers’ title chase.

Held as a curtain-raiser for the 24 Hours Nürburgring, the two FIA WTCC races were contested under blue skies, just hours before a hailstorm swept across the Eifel mountains.

Yvan Muller and José María López were placed eighth and ninth on the starting grid for the opening race. 

The Citroën Total drivers charged through the pack to nestle in behind Tiago Monteiro, Mehdi Bennani and Thed Björk. Bennani lost ground from the first lap and was overtaken. Björk was then forced to withdraw, but not before sending oil splattering onto the windscreen of Muller’s C-Elysée.

Entering the third and final lap, the top three were Monteiro, Muller and López, with all three drivers waiting for the last long straight in the hope of slipstreaming. When Tiago Monteiro crashed out, chaos ensued. 

Unable to take evasive action in time, Muller ran into him. Pechito narrowly dodged the two stranded leaders and became the first man across the finish line, ahead of Tom Chilton, who had a solid race at the wheel of his SLR team Citroën C-Elysée WTCC.

As the cars did not return to the pit lane between the two races, the mechanics could not even try to repair Muller’s car in time for the main race. José María López started from pole, ahead of Norbert Michelisz, Tom Chilton and Rob Huff.

When the red lights went out, Norbert Michelisz got the best start and moved past Pechito. Even before they reached the Nordschleife, López had reclaimed the lead and quickly opened up a gap between himself and Michelisz. Chilton and Huff completed the leading group.

Throughout the three laps, López held onto his lead while taking care not to wear out his tyres. He finished ahead of Michelisz and Chilton, who heroically held Huff at bay.

For the second time in his FIA WTCC career, José María López scored the maximum 55 points. That means López now has a 69-point lead over Tiago Monteiro in the World Championship. Yvan Muller lies in sixth place, behind Huff, Michelisz and Bennani. Citroën also continues to lead the Manufacturers’ standings.

Now halfway through the season after the German meeting, the World Championship will continue at Russia’s Moscow Raceway on 11 and 12 June.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

Yves Matton (Team Principal, Citroën Racing): 

“We are frustrated that Yvan had to pull out. He had been having an excellent weekend until then, showing significant improvement since last year. 

But for the umpteenth time this season, luck was not on his side, and circumstances beyond his control prevented him from picking up a good result. We sincerely hope that things will go in his favour over the next few races. 

Pechito showed great skill in taking advantage of events to win the first race, before controlling the second despite a tricky start. With pole position, a new WTCC track record and two race wins, he has had an exceptional weekend, scoring maximum points. 

It was also a good weekend for Citroën, thanks to the points earned by Pechito and Tom Chilton. After taking a few races to get used to the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC, Tom has had a great weekend and was up there with the leaders from the first free practice session. Things have clicked for him and that’s a good sign for the rest of the season.”

José María López: 

“It’s really special to win both races on this track. I did it in 2014 at Termas de Río Hondo, but I didn’t dare dream of it here, especially with 80kg of ballast. 

I didn’t really savour the first race, as it wasn’t a victory I went out and earned. I couldn’t get the better of Yvan on the straight, as he was in Tiago’s slipstream. I saw Tiago hit the safety barrier. It was quite a shock and I only had a fraction of a second to react. 

I’m glad that Tiago and Yvan came out of it unhurt. In the main race, I got a good start, but Norbi’s was even better. I was surprised to find him in front of me. I managed to get back in front and from then on I tried to keep up a good pace while looking after my car and my tyres. 

At the halfway point of the season, the 55 points I’ve scored this weekend have given me a huge boost in the overall standings. It means the others will have to take risks to come back at me.”

Yvan Muller: 

“The opening race was going pretty well. The first lap was difficult, though, as Björk’s car was losing oil, which stained my windscreen. When he pulled out, I moved up into second place, which was already good going considering I started from eighth. 

I knew that if I stayed on Tiago Monteiro’s tail, I could use his slipstream to overtake him on the long final straight. Unfortunately, he got a flat when taking a bend at nearly 250km/h. His car hit the safety barrier and bounced back onto the middle of the track. 

I braked and locked my wheels as quickly as I could, but I couldn’t avoid hitting him. I was afraid another driver might then run into me, but fortunately everything turned out OK and we emerged unscathed.”