Moscow WTCC: Honda's Tiago Monteiro resists Rob Huff's Lada for win

The ex-Formula 1 driver finished the race three seconds clear of Huff, who came through to finish second at Lada's home event from seventh on the grid.

Monteiro led from the reverse grid pole position as fellow Civic driver Norbert Michelisz moved up into second ahead of Lada debutant Nicky Catsburg.

Ma Qing Hua also got a better start than Catsburg but ran wide at the first corner after slight contact, and was pushed back to fifth behind Hugo Valente.

Huff made quick work of passing Ma and Valente in the early stages and was up into a podium position by the end of lap five of 16 when he took third away from Catsburg at the final corner.

The British driver went on to claim second with a robust move on Michelisz, but was unable to do anything about Monteiro.

Portuguese racer Monteiro's win was the factory Honda team's first of the season, but it was a mixed race for the squad.

Gabriele Tarquini was following Huff through the order but his attempted move on Catsburg for fourth resulted in contact between the two, which fired the Italian veteran off track and into the barriers.

Catsburg survived the clash to make it two Ladas in the top four, while Ma was the first of the Citroens home in fifth after passing Valente at the final corner with four laps to go.

Sebastien Loeb attempted to follow his Chinese team-mate through but was instead dumped behind race one winner Yvan Muller, before both eventually worked their way ahead of Valente.

Muller had spent the earlier part of the race scrapping with team-mate and title rival Jose Maria Lopez before the Argentinian was forced to serve a drive-through penalty for jumping the start, leaving him 12th at the finish and out of the points for the first time this season.

That means Lopez's championship has been eroded from 50 points at the start of the weekend to 35 in front of Muller.

RESULTS - 16 LAPS:

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: