Vila Real WTCC: Jose Maria Lopez leads race one Citroen one-two
Reigning World Touring Car champion Jose Maria Lopez led flawlessly from pole position to victory in race one in Vila Real, followed home by Citroen team-mate Sebastien Loeb
Third-place qualifier Hugo Valente in the Campos Chevrolet had confided to AUTOSPORT on Saturday that he was apprehensive about the start, which is conducted on a part of the track off the racing line.
Those fears came to pass as he was swallowed up as the lights went out while the front row Citroen duo moved clear.
Honda privateer Norbert Michelisz moved up from fourth to third, followed by the factory Civics of Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro.
As Valente finally got up to speed he became the meat in a Citroen sandwich as Yvan Muller and Ma Qing Hua, who had already dispatched the Ladas of Jaap van Lagen and Nicky Catsburg, tried to go by on each side.
Valente was clipped by both cars, more firmly by Ma's, and cruised into the pits to retire.
Loeb could keep Lopez in sight but could not get close enough to mount a challenge, and the order up front remained set throughout.
After the first lap fracas Ma and Muller ran in sixth and seventh but gave fifth-placed Monteiro no trouble.
Ladas occupied the final three places in the top 10 as van Lagen built a gap from Catsburg, who had Rob Huff looming in his mirrors for the majority of the race.
RESULTS - 13 LAPS:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Maria Lopez | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 26m23.906s |
| 2 | Sebastien Loeb | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 1.519s |
| 3 | Norbert Michelisz | Zengo Motorsport | Honda | 5.391s |
| 4 | Gabriele Tarquini | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 5.711s |
| 5 | Tiago Monteiro | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 9.402s |
| 6 | Ma Qinghua | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 12.807s |
| 7 | Yvan Muller | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 21.126s |
| 8 | Jaap van Lagen | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | 22.324s |
| 9 | Nicky Catsburg | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | 27.636s |
| 10 | Rob Huff | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | 28.860s |
| 11 | Mehdi Bennani | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | 29.395s |
| 12 | Tom Coronel | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | 29.853s |
| 13 | Stefano D'Aste | All-Inkl.com Munnich Motorsport | Chevrolet | 34.158s |
| 14 | Tom Chilton | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | 47.443s |
| 15 | John Filippi | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | 1m06.056s |
| 16 | Gregoire Demoustier | Craft-Bamboo Racing | Chevrolet | 1m06.927s |
| - | Nestor Girolami | Honda Racing team Sweden | Honda | Disqualified |
| - | Hugo Valente | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | Retirement |
Previous article
Vila Real WTCC: Citroen's Jose Maria Lopez and Ma Qing Hua on poles
Next article
WTCC Vila Real: Citroen's Ma Qing Hua wins red-flagged race two
Why joker laps are entering the mainstream
This season the World Touring Car Championship looks certain to bring joker laps to a circuit-racing world championship for the first time. And it need not be the daft gimmick people may think
The making of the world's best tin-top driver
He has been overshadowed at Citroen for the last three seasons, but the retirement of Yvan Muller means the world says farewell to one of touring-car racing's finest talents
Volvo's plan to conquer the WTCC
Volvo gave the World Touring Car Championship a major boost when it announced it would enter the series, but its ambitions don't stop there. JACK COZENS examines its programme, the S60 and what its arrival means for the WTCC
The WTCC's Nordschleife gamble paid off
A 17-car field on a 13-mile track - the WTCC's Nurburgring Nordschleife gamble wasn't going to be easy to pull off. STUART CODLING explains how the series made it work
Insight from a Nordschleife master
World championship racing returns to the Nordschleife this weekend. STUART CODLING got a lesson from one of the legendary track's few masters
Becoming world champion for £100k
The 2012 World Touring Car champion says he never had the money to race cars. Yet 2015 is his 11th season in the WTCC. He talks STUART CODLING through his journey from motorsport fan to paid professional - for little more than £100,000
Can the vanquished champion bounce back?
The World Touring Car Championship kicks off in Argentina this weekend, and Yvan Muller bids to reclaim his throne from Citroen team-mate Jose Maria Lopez. He talks to STUART CODLING
The top 10 WTCC drivers of 2014
Citroen had no rivals during the 2014 World Touring Car Championship, and 'rookie' Jose Maria Lopez hit the ground running to emerge as a worthy champion. PETER MILLS rates the field
