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Macau WTCR: Andy Priaulx takes first WTCR win of 2019 in finale

Three-time World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx claimed his first WTCR victory by holding off Rob Huff in a tense Macau Guia Race finale

Priaulx, who has two previous Guia Race wins from his World Touring Car Championship spell, set up victory by passing polesitter Huff before the approach to the Reservoir kink at the start of the race.

While Huff's Sebastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI was able to close up in the second and third sectors on the mountain, Priaulx had superior drive off the Melco hairpin each time and was able to gap his compatriot through the final sector in preparation for the long run to Lisboa.

Huff set the fastest lap on the antepenultimate tour in one final bid to close in on Priaulx, but the Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 driver went faster still on the following lap, taking a big step towards winning the race in doing so.

Huff closed up once more in the third and fourth sectors, but Priaulx held tight to clinch his first World Touring Car win in nine years - which also denied Huff a record 10th win in Macau.

Jean-Karl Vernay jostled with Huff and his team-mate Johan Kristoffersson at the start, settling into third place at Lisboa in his WRT Audi RS3 LMS.

Both he and Kristoffersson kept a watching brief behind the two leaders, as the leading quartet finished well clear of the rest of the pack.

Thed Bjork had occupied fifth, but dropped two positions on the final lap to boost Cyan team-mate Yvan Muller's points haul.

BRC Racing Hyundai driver Nicky Catsburg instead claimed the place, having kept Muller behind him as the leading pack escaped.

The fourth Lynk & Co 03 of Yann Ehrlacher came home in eighth, behind Muller and Bjork, while Kevin Ceccon (Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce) and title hopeful Esteban Guerrieri completed the top 10.

Points leader Norbert Michelisz was 12th in his BRC Racing Hyundai. He now has nine points in hand over Munnich Motorsport Honda driver Guerrieri, while Muller is two further back in third after winning the first two races of the weekend.

Result - 11 laps

Pos Driver Team Car Gap
1 Andy Priaulx Cyan Performance Lynk & Co 27m58.428s
2 Rob Huff SLR VW Motorsport Volkswagen 0.352s
3 Jean-Karl Vernay WRT Audi 1.193s
4 Johan Kristoffersson SLR Volkswagen Volkswagen 1.855s
5 Nicky Catsburg BRC Racing Team Hyundai 20.030s
6 Yvan Muller Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 21.096s
7 Thed Bjork Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 21.552s
8 Yann Ehrlacher Cyan Performance Lynk & Co 22.194s
9 Kevin Ceccon Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo 22.565s
10 Esteban Guerrieri Munnich Motorsport Honda 23.506s
11 Tom Coronel Comtoyou Cupra Cupra 23.884s
12 Norbert Michelisz BRC Squadra Corse Hyundai 24.597s
13 Niels Langeveld Comtoyou Audi Audi 25.054s
14 Luca Engstler BRC Racing Team Hyundai 27.552s
15 Frederic Vervisch Comtoyou Audi Audi 27.925s
16 Attila Tassi KCMG Honda 29.259s
17 Nestor Girolami Munnich Motorsport Honda 30.140s
18 Mehdi Bennani SLR VW Motorsport Volkswagen 30.527s
19 Tiago Monteiro KCMG Honda 31.317s
20 Mikel Azcona PWR Racing Cupra 31.500s
21 Benjamin Leuchter SLR Volkswagen Volkswagen 32.319s
22 Ma Qinghua Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo 34.602s
23 Aurelien Panis Comtoyou Cupra Cupra 37.051s
24 Robert Dahlgren PWR Racing Cupra 39.756s
25 Billy Lo Tian Shi Zuver Team Audi 51.272s
- Gabriele Tarquini BRC Squadra Corse Hyundai Retirement
- Gordon Shedden WRT Audi Withdrawn
- Jim Ka To KC Motorgroup Honda Withdrawn

Drivers' championship

Pos Driver Points
1 Norbert Michelisz 316
2 Esteban Guerrieri 307
3 Yvan Muller 305
4 Thed Bjork 288
5 Yann Ehrlacher 209
6 Gabriele Tarquini 205
7 Mikel Azcona 199
8 Nestor Girolami 198
9 Rob Huff 197
10 Jean-Karl Vernay 196

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