2013 FIA WTCC Race of China

The 2013 FIA WTCC Race of China was the eleventh round of the 2013 World Touring Car Championship season and the third running of the FIA WTCC Race of China. It was held on 3 November 2013 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China.

2013 FIA WTCC Race of China
Race details
Date3 November, 2013
LocationShanghai, China
CourseShanghai International Circuit
4.603 kilometres (2.860 mi)
Race One
Laps 12
Pole position
Driver Yvan Muller RML
Time 1:53.486
Podium
First Tom Chilton RML
Second Yvan Muller RML
Third James Nash bamboo-engineering
Fastest Lap
Driver Stefano D'Aste PB Racing
Time 2:01.528
Race Two
Laps 10
Podium
First Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda Team
Second Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda Team
Third Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport
Fastest Lap
Driver Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda Team
Time 1:55.568

Race one was won by Tom Chilton of RML and race two was won by Tiago Monteiro for the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team.

Background

Yvan Muller secured the drivers' title at the previous round in Japan. James Nash was leading the Yokohama Independents' Trophy.

When the weights were re-calculated, the Honda Civic WTCCs gained 20 kg of ballast to equal them with the Chevrolet Cruze 1.6Ts on 1,190 kg. The SEAT León WTCCs, BMW 320 TCs and Lada Granta WTCCs remained on 1,130 kg. The Volvo C30 received 20 kg of ballast to set it at 1,170 kg.[1]

Rickard Rydell returned to the championship with NIKA Racing, replacing Hiroki Yoshimoto who had other commitments.[2] Fredy Barth returned to Wiechers-Sport with the displaced Yukinori Taniguchi moving to Campos Racing alongside Fernando Monje and Hugo Valente.[3] Volvo Polestar Racing entered a Volvo C30 for 2013 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship champion Thed Björk for a one–off appearance.[4]

Report

Testing and free practice

Yvan Muller set the pace in Friday's test session by almost two tenths of a second ahead of Tom Coronel, with Chilton completing the top three placings.[5]

Thed Björk set the pace in free practice one, his first two laps of the session were both quickest. Gabriele Tarquini in second and Rickard Rydell in third were the only other drivers to break through the 1 minutes 55 seconds barrier. Pepe Oriola failed to set a timed lap due to power steering issues while Mehdi Bennani had a broken driveshaft on his Proteam Racing BMW.[6]

Muller was ahead in free practice two with Björk a close second, Chilton was third ahead of James Thompson. Bennani suffered once again with technical problems which limited his running.[7]

Qualifying

Muller led a Chevrolet 1–2–3–4–5–6 in qualifying, RML teammate Chilton was second with the Tuenti Racing car of Oriola third. The bamboo-engineering pair of James Nash and Alex MacDowall were next up followed by series returnee Rydell in sixth. Norbert Michelisz was the leading Honda in seventh ahead of outgoing champion Robert Huff. The Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team pairing of Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro were ninth and tenth ensuring they would lock out the front row for race two. Franz Engstler made it through to Q2 and finished 11th fastest. Franz Engstler was one place ahead of Björk who was ineligible to score points in the nationally homologated Volvo and was therefore required to sit out Q2.[8]

After qualifying, Björk's Volvo was found to be underweight and he was given a five–place grid penalty.[9]

Warm-Up

Björk was quickest in Sunday morning's warm–up session, pole sitter Muller was seventh.[10]

Race One

The track was damp after earlier rainfall and the decision was taken to start the race behind the safety car, some cars elected to run on wet tyres. The safety car went in and the race started on lap three, Oriola was the leading car on wet tyres and he passed Chilton and Muller to take the lead on the first lap. Hugo Valente went off into the gravel after being tagged and spun across in front of Engstler. Rydell moved up to fifth at the expense of MacDowall and was then able to pass Nash to move up to fourth. At the back of the field Mak Ka Lok spun on the back straight but continued without incident while up ahead the cars on wet tyres were not getting a consistent advantage. Huff had a moment on the entry of turn 1 but he was soon closing in on the Bamboo Engineering pair, he passed MacDowall on lap 5. MacDowall got 6th place back from Huff, Tarquini was now within range of Huff on lap 6. On lap 7 the advantage went back to the cars running on slick tyres, Muller and Chilton were closing the gap to Oriola, the three had built up a healthy gap to Rydell in fourth. Muller used the extra grip from his tyres to retake the lead before the end of lap 7, Chilton did so a few corners later at the start of lap 8. Nash briefly took fourth back from Rydell but the NIKA Racing driver soon retook the position, the two were at the head of a long train of cars. At the end of the back straight Nash, MacDowall and Tarquini passed Rydell at the hairpin while Huff and Michelisz were running close, they came together at the first corner on lap 9. By lap 10 Rydell had dropped out of the points while Oriola was in an increasingly distant third place. Thompson used the straightline advantage of his Lada to take 9th on Monteiro who was now under attack from the SEAT of Tom Boardman. Oriola's third place was also under threat from Nash on the final lap while Boardman tapped the back of Monteiro and went through into the final points position. Muller and Chilton were close as they headed down the back straight for the last time, the two ran side by side at the final corner with Chilton claiming victory at the line by one hundredth of a second. Nash and MacDowall moved into third and fourth on the last lap, Nash taking the Yokohama Trophy victory. In the Eurosport Asia Trophy, Taniguchi claimed victory with 21st place ahead of Felipe De Souza in one of the naturally aspirated Chevrolets.[11]

Race Two

Monteiro retained his lead while there was a collision with Coronel and Rydell at turn one. Michelisz in third was defending from Huff with Nash and Muller close behind. On lap four yellow flags were out in the final sector for the car of Jerónimo Badaraco which had stopped near the finish line. Muller had been chasing down Nash for a couple of laps when he passed around the outside of the Bamboo Chevrolet at the first corner of lap 7, elevating Muller to 5th place. Barth and Darryl O'Young came together at the final hairpin at the end of lap 7, the incident also delayed MacDowall who had dropped downt he field after a slow start. Nash lost another position to Coronel at the end of lap 8 while just up the road Muller was attacking Huff who was in turn trying to pass Michelisz for third place. Muller had a close battle with Huff on the final lap but Huff held on to take fourth while Monteiro led a Honda 1–2–3 across the line. Nash took his second independents' victory of the day and Taniguchi claimed his second Asia Trophy victory of the day.[12]

Results

Qualifying

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2 Points
1 12 Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:54.132 1:53.486 5
2 23 Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:54.886 1:53.868 4
3 74 Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:54.225 1:54.008 3
4 14 James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:54.777 1:54.034 2
5 9 Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:54.942 1:54.054 1
6 69 Rickard Rydell NIKA Racing Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:54.873 1:54.215
7 5 Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 1:55.081 1:54.576
8 1 Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 1:54.541 1:54.623
9 3 Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 1:54.637 1:54.666
10 18 Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 1:54.505 1:54.959
11 6 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:55.164 1:55.624
12 15 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 155.204
13 10 James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1:55.316
14 38 Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 1:55.434
15 20 Hugo Valente Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1:55.535
16 7 Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:55.581
171 40 Thed Björk Volvo Polestar Racing Volvo C30 DRIVe * 1:54.826
18 55 Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 1:55.591
19 22 Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1:55.610
20 73 Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 1:55.719
21 8 Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1:55.920
22 37 René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 1:56.171
23 19 Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1:56.282
24 25 Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:56.359
25 33 Yukinori Taniguchi Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y A 1:57.128
26 26 Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:58.448
27 88 Henry Ho Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y A 1:58.865
28 60 Felipe De Souza China Dragon Racing Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A 1:59.230
29 61 Kin Veng Ng China Dragon Racing Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A 2:00.337
30 77 Mak Ka Lok RPM Racing BMW 320si Y A 2:01.838
107% time: 2:02.141
66 Jerónimo Badaraco Son Veng Racing Team Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A no time set
  • Bold denotes Pole position for second race.
^1 — Björk originally qualified 12th but his car was later found to be underweight, having not been fitted with ballast to compensate for the lack of a camera on board.[9]

Race 1

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 23 Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 12 26:28.234 2 25
2 12 Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 12 +0.010 1 18
3 14 James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 12 +14.737 4 15
4 9 Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 12 +15.455 5 12
5 74 Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 12 +16.441 3 10
6 1 Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 12 +16.585 8 8
7 3 Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 12 +16.799 9 6
8 10 James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 12 +16.825 13 4
9 22 Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 12 +16.931 19 2
10 5 Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 12 +17.683 7 1
11 18 Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 12 +18.017 10
12 15 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 12 +18.079 12
13 6 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 12 +22.899 11
14 69 Rickard Rydell NIKA Racing Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 12 +27.546 6
15 38 Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 12 +29.496 14
16 25 Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 12 +42.004 24
17 8 Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 12 +45.122 21
18 37 René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 12 +47.010 22
19 73 Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 12 +48.590 20
20 55 Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 12 +1:02.102 18
21 33 Yukinori Taniguchi Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y A 12 +1:03.596 25
22 60 Felipe De Souza China Dragon Racing Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A 12 +1:03.800 28
23 88 Henry Ho Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y A 12 +1:13.464 27
24 66 Jerónimo Badaraco Son Veng Racing Team Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A 12 +1:29.654 31
25 77 Mak Ka Lok RPM Racing BMW 320si Y A 12 +2:03.392 30
26 61 Kin Veng Ng China Dragon Racing Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A 11 +1 Lap 29
27 7 Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 11 +1 Lap 16
28 26 Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 11 +1 Lap 26
29 19 Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 11 +1 Lap 23
Ret 20 Hugo Valente Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 7 Race incident 15
DNS 40 Thed Björk Volvo Polestar Racing Volvo C30 DRIVe * 0 Battery 17
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 18 Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 10 19:26.090 1 25
2 3 Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 10 +1.178 2 18
3 5 Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 10 +4.143 4 15
4 1 Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 10 +5.470 3 12
5 12 Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 10 +5.739 10 10
6 14 James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 10 +7.423 7 8
7 74 Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 10 +7.987 8 6
8 15 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 10 +8.042 12 4
9 26 Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 10 +11.407 26 2
10 23 Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 10 +13.608 9 1
11 22 Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 10 +16.659 19
12 20 Hugo Valente Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 10 +18.253 15
13 9 Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 10 +18.497 6
14 25 Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 10 +19.087 24
15 40 Thed Björk Volvo Polestar Racing Volvo C30 DRIVe * 10 +19.934 17
16 7 Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 10 +22.543 16
17 10 James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 10 +25.335 13
18 38 Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 10 +27.609 14
19 19 Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 10 +30.126 23
20 8 Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 10 +31.520 21
21 73 Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 10 +31.885 20
22 37 René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 10 +33.211 22
23 33 Yukinori Taniguchi Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y A 10 +38.017 25
24 60 Felipe De Souza China Dragon Racing Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A 10 +53.947 28
25 88 Henry Ho Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y A 10 +54.519 27
26 61 Kin Veng Ng China Dragon Racing Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A 10 +1:25.975 29
27 77 Mak Ka Lok RPM Racing BMW 320si Y A 10 +1:43.366 30
28 6 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 8 +2 Laps 11
29 69 Rickard Rydell NIKA Racing Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 7 +3 Laps 5
30 55 Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 7 +3 Laps 18
Ret 66 Jerónimo Badaraco Son Veng Racing Team Chevrolet Cruze LT Y A 1 31
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Standings after the event

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

References

  1. Ferret, Oliver (18 October 2013). "WTCC - Same weight for Chevrolet and Honda". Nextgen-Auto. Nextgen-Auto.com. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  2. "Rickard Rydell to make WTCC return in Shanghai". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  3. "Yukinori Taniguchi joins Campos Racing at Shanghai". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  4. "VOLVO POLESTAR TO RACE AT SHANGHAI". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  5. Tremayne, Sam (1 November 2013). "Shanghai WTCC: Yvan Muller puts Chevrolet on top in Friday testing". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  6. "PRACTICE 1 – THE VOLVO CREATES SURPRISE". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 2 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  7. "PRACTICE 2 – MULLER JUMPS BACK ON TOP". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 2 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  8. Tremayne, Sam (2 November 2013). "Shanghai WTCC: Yvan Muller leads all-RML Chevrolet front row". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  9. "GRID PENALTY FOR THE VOLVO CAR". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 2 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  10. "BJÖRK FASTEST IN THE WARM UP". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 3 November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  11. Hudson, Neil (3 November 2013). "Tom Chilton wins in China with last corner pass on Yvan Muller". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  12. "RACE 2 – MONTEIRO CLAIMS FIRST WIN". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 3 November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
World Touring Car Championship
Previous race:
2013 FIA WTCC Race of Japan
2013 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2013 Guia Race of Macau
Previous race:
2012 FIA WTCC Race of China
FIA WTCC Race of China Next race:
2014 FIA WTCC Race of China, Beijing
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