2012 FIA WTCC Race of Austria

The 2012 FIA WTCC Race of Austria was the sixth round of the 2012 World Touring Car Championship season and the inaugural running of the FIA WTCC Race of Austria. It was held on May 20, 2012 at the Salzburgring, east of Salzburg in Austria. The first race was won by Robert Huff for Chevrolet and the second race was won by Stefano D'Aste for Wiechers-Sport.

2012 Race of Austria
Race details
DateMay 20, 2012
LocationSalzburg, Austria
CourseSalzburgring
4.225 kilometres (2.625 mi)
Race One
Laps 12
Pole position
Driver Robert Huff Chevrolet
Time 1:26.791
Podium
First Robert Huff Chevrolet
Second Yvan Muller Chevrolet
Third Alain Menu Chevrolet
Fastest Lap
Driver Yvan Muller Chevrolet
Time 1:28.340
Race Two
Laps 12
Podium
First Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport
Second Robert Huff Chevrolet
Third Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport
Fastest Lap
Driver Alain Menu Chevrolet
Time 1:27.820

Background

Yvan Muller came into the event leading the championship 23 points clear of Alain Menu, who was in turn seven points ahead of Robert Huff. Gabriele Tarquini was the leading non-Chevrolet driver, 53 points behind Huff in the standings. Pepe Oriola was leading the Yokohama Independents' Trophy.

Report

Free Practice

Alain Menu led a Chevrolet 1-2-3 in the opening practice session, with Tom Coronel for ROAL Motorsport fourth quickest.[1]

Menu set the pace once again in the second practice session, with Muller and Huff once again making it a 1-2-3 for Chevrolet. Pasquale di Sabatino surprised by finishing fourth fastest for bamboo-engineering.[2]

Qualifying

Huff took pole position ahead of his Chevrolet teammates. Tom Chilton and Franz Engstler made contact in Q1, with BMW of Engstler spinning into the gravel and bringing the red flag out. Tarquini was the fastest non-Chevrolet driver and Alex MacDowall was the fastest independent. Aleksei Dudukalo would take pole position for the reversed grid race.[3] Chilton received a five-place grid penalty for his collision with Engstler.[4]

Warm-Up

Four Chevrolets finished morning warm-up at the top of the times, with Muller setting a time faster than Huff's pole position time. Muller finished the session on top ahead of Menu, Huff and MacDowall.[5]

Race One

At a circuit where slipstreaming is important, Muller trailed Huff for the whole race to benefit from the tow. Further back, Special Tuning Racing's Darryl O'Young and Engstler Motorsport's Charles Ng tangled, with O'Young requiring attention at the circuit medical centre which would render him unable to start the second race. Huff took his 20th WTCC win ahead of Muller and Menu, Tarquini finished as best of the rest in fourth. MacDowall was the winning independent.[6]

Race Two

Dudukalo started on pole position for a race which would be known for its multiple tyre issues. Both Dudukalo and his Lukoil Racing Team teammate Tarquini had to pit for fresh rubber due to punctures and Tiago Monteiro retired following a left-front puncture. After this, the three Chevrolets led until Menu went into the gravel on lap eight with a puncture. Shortly after, race one independent winner MacDowall also had a puncture and stopped in the gravel next to Menu's stranded car. The remaining Chevrolets of Muller and Huff comfortably led the BMW pair of Coronel and D'Aste until the final lap when Muller went off at turn 10 with a puncture and Huff suffered a puncture at the final corner. Coronel tried to go up the inside of Huff without success, allowing D'Aste to overtake the pair of them and take the win. Huff held off Coronel despite his puncture to take second.[7]

Results

Qualifying

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2 Points
1 2 Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:27.683 1:26.791 5
2 1 Yvan Muller Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:27.346 1:26.933 4
3 8 Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:27.501 1:26.961 3
4 3 Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil Racing SEAT León WTCC 1:28.162 1:27.490 2
5 11 Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:27.813 1:27.573 1
6 18 Tiago Monteiro Tuenti Racing SR León 1.6T 1:28.406 1:27.808
7 26 Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 1:28.392 1:27.927
8 74 Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1:28.100 1:28.122
9 15 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 1:28.149 1:28.124
10 4 Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1:28.298 1:28.317
11 20 Darryl O'Young Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1:28.364 1:28.342
12 25 Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:28.293 1:28.373
13 14 James Nash Team Aon Ford Focus S2000 TC 1:28.421
14 16 Alberto Cerqui ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 1:28.424
15 5 Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 1:28.582
16 12 Pasquale Di Sabatino bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:28.858
17 6 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:28.913
18 7 Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:29.137
19 23 Tom Chilton Team Aon Ford Focus S2000 TC 1:29.271
20 22 Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León TDi Y 1:30.057
21 27 Gábor Wéber Zengő Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 1:30.116
  • Bold denotes Pole position for second race.

Race 1

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 2 Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 23:26.809 1 25
2 1 Yvan Muller Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 +0.312 2 18
3 8 Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 +0.739 3 15
4 3 Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil Racing SEAT León WTCC 14 +2.919 4 12
5 18 Tiago Monteiro Tuenti Racing SR León 1.6T 14 +3.483 6 10
6 11 Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 14 +3.774 5 8
7 74 Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 14 +4.741 8 6
8 15 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 14 +6.923 9 4
9 5 Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 14 +8.419 15 2
10 14 James Nash Team Aon Ford Focus S2000 TC 14 +8.914 13 1
11 6 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 14 +9.796 17
12 12 Pasquale Di Sabatino bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 14 +10.429 16
13 16 Alberto Cerqui ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 14 +12.813 14
14 7 Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 14 +13.178 18
15 27 Gábor Wéber Zengő Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 14 +13.983 20
16 23 Tom Chilton Team Aon Ford Focus S2000 TC 14 +16.756 21
17 25 Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 14 +18.390 12
18 22 Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León TDi Y 14 +1 Lap 19
19 4 Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 14 +3 Laps 10
Ret 26 Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 5 Collision 7
Ret 20 Darryl O'Young Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 4 Collision 11
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 26 Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 12 17:58.529 4 25
2 2 Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 12 +0.377 10 18
3 15 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 12 +0.494 2 15
4 74 Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 12 +4.103 3 12
5 5 Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 12 +4.929 14 10
6 25 Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 12 +5.432 11 8
7 16 Alberto Cerqui ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 12 +5.786 13 6
8 1 Yvan Muller Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 12 +6.464 9 4
9 6 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 12 +6.474 16 2
10 14 James Nash Team Aon Ford Focus S2000 TC 12 +9.056 12 1
11 23 Tom Chilton Team Aon Ford Focus S2000 TC 12 +12.980 18
12 27 Gábor Wéber Zengő Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 12 +15.659 19
13 7 Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 12 +37.399 17
14 4 Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 11 +1 Lap 1
15 12 Pasquale Di Sabatino bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 11 +1 Lap 15
16 3 Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil Racing SEAT León WTCC 11 +1 Lap 7
Ret 8 Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 7 Puncture 8
Ret 11 Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 7 Puncture 6
Ret 18 Tiago Monteiro Tuenti Racing SR León 1.6T 7 Puncture 5
DNS 20 Darryl O'Young Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 0 Injury
DNS 22 Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León TDi Y 0 Transmission
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Standings after the round

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of drivers' standings.

References

World Touring Car Championship
Previous race:
2012 FIA WTCC Race of Hungary
2012 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2012 FIA WTCC Race of Portugal
Previous race:
none
FIA WTCC Race of Austria Next race:
2013 FIA WTCC Race of Austria
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