WTCC Marrakech: Honda leads the way in free practice
Honda drivers Norbert Michelisz and Tiago Monteiro were fastest in practice ahead of the first World Touring Car Championship round of the season in Marrakech
Monteiro had topped the morning's first 45-minute session, but Michelisz ended practice with the fastest time after a late flying lap of the Moulay el Hassan street circuit in practice two.
Hungarian Michelisz managed only five laps and failed to record a time in the first session as a result of an oil leak, but he racked up 21 laps in the second session, recording his fastest time of 1m22.234s at the death.
That bettered Monteiro's previous session best by 0.206 seconds to ensure a 1-2 for the works Honda team.
Former Honda driver Rob Huff ended second practice with the third-fastest time, but his morning was not without its dramas.
Huff was barred from taking part in the first practice session after his Munnich Motorsport Citroen C-Elysee failed scrutineering - having originally been fitted with out of date seatbelts.
While he was later cleared to take part in second practice minutes before the session start after 2017-specification belts were flown over from the UK, Huff stopped on track late on, shortly after recording his fastest time having run out of fuel.
Volvo drivers Nestor Girolami and Nicky Catsburg were fifth- and sixth-fastest in the second session, with the Campos Racing Chevrolet Cruze of Esteban Guerrieri separating the pair from the third Vovlo S60 Polestar of Thed Bjork.
Mehdi Bennani had been second fastest in first practice to Monteiro but was eighth in the lead Sebastien Loeb Racing C-Elysee in the second session, ahead of the third factory Honda Civic of Ryo Michigami and team-mate Tom Chilton.
PRACTICE ONE TIMES:
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tiago Monteiro | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 1m22.685s | 15 |
2 | Mehdi Bennani | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | 0.778s | 10 |
3 | Tom Chilton | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | 0.894s | 12 |
4 | Thed Bjork | Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo | 0.908s | 12 |
5 | Ryo Michigami | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 1.241s | 20 |
6 | Nestor Girolami | Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo | 1.441s | 14 |
7 | Esteban Guerrieri | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | 1.454s | 18 |
8 | Nicky Catsburg | Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo | 1.845s | 13 |
9 | Tom Coronel | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | 1.984s | 11 |
10 | Yann Ehrlacher | RC Motorsport | Lada | 2.082s | 23 |
11 | John Filippi | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | 2.092s | 16 |
12 | Daniel Nagy | Zengo Motorsport | Honda | 2.252s | 20 |
13 | Norbert Michelisz | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | - | 5 |
14 | Aurelien Panis | Zengo Motorsport | Honda | - | 0 |
15 | Rob Huff | Munnich Motorsport | Citroen | - | 0 |
PRACTICE TWO TIMES:
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norbert Michelisz | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 1m22.234s | 21 |
2 | Tiago Monteiro | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 0.206s | 18 |
3 | Rob Huff | Munnich Motorsport | Citroen | 0.303s | 19 |
4 | Nestor Girolami | Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo | 0.913s | 16 |
5 | Nicky Catsburg | Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo | 1.029s | 13 |
6 | Esteban Guerrieri | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | 1.131s | 16 |
7 | Thed Bjork | Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo | 1.164s | 14 |
8 | Mehdi Bennani | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | 1.175s | 22 |
9 | Ryo Michigami | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 1.270s | 20 |
10 | Tom Chilton | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | 1.291s | 20 |
11 | John Filippi | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | 1.328s | 19 |
12 | Daniel Nagy | Zengo Motorsport | Honda | 1.737s | 23 |
13 | Yann Ehrlacher | RC Motorsport | Lada | 2.838s | 8 |
14 | Tom Coronel | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | 3.051s | 12 |
15 | Aurelien Panis | Zengo Motorsport | Honda | 3.329s | 17 |
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