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Zandvoort WTCR: Bjork wins after Cyan Lynk & Co team orders

Thed Bjork claimed his second win of the Zandvoort World Touring Car Cup weekend after his Cyan Racing team twice intervened to swap his and Yann Ehrlacher's positions

Bjork had led the opening laps of the race but was asked to move aside to allow polesitter Ehrlacher back into the lead, only for the team to direct the drivers to change positions again.

The two were involved in a clash at the start, as Ehrlacher moved over to his right in an attempt to block off the faster-starting Bjork on the run to the first corner.

Bjork had enough of his car up the inside by that point, but Ehrlacher continued to move across and collided with Bjork's Lynk & Co 03, although both were able to continue.

But Bjork was soon asked to make way for Ehrlacher, who was allowed into the lead at Tarzan at the start of the third lap of 15.

Ehrlacher had a longer stint in the lead and held a steady gap at the head of the order until he was told to let Bjork back past.

The 22-year-old complained to Cyan over the radio and spent a further lap in the lead after being asked to move aside, but obliged at the start of lap nine.

There were no further changes to the order as Bjork clinched his third victory of the season, a result that moved him into second in the drivers' standings, while second still represented Ehrlacher's best finish of 2019.

The destiny of the final podium position was also resolved by a change of order between two team-mates, with Augusto Farfus making way for fellow BRC Racing Hyundai driver Norbert Michelisz at the final corner.

Farfus had made a better start than Michelisz and held third throughout the race, before allowing Michelisz - BRC's lead representative in the drivers' standings - past.

Yvan Muller could not recover any of the positions he lost to his exclusion from the final part of Sunday qualifying but still came home fifth in his Lynk & Co, ahead of the PWR Cupra of Mikel Azcona.

Johan Kristoffersson (Sebastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI) was seventh ahead of championship leader Esteban Guerrieri, who made the most of an excellent start to limit the damage done by Bjork's win.

Gabriele Tarquini made up five places to finish ninth in his BRC Hyundai, with Rob Huff (SLR VW) between Tarquini and the fourth i30 N of his team-mate Nicky Catsburg.

The Comtoyou Cupra of Aurelien Panis, Mehdi Bennani (SLR VW), erstwhile points leader Nestor Girolami and Andy Priaulx in the fourth Cyan Lynk & Co completed the points.

Race three results

Pos Driver Team Car Laps Gap
1 Thed Bjork Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 15 27m12.801s
2 Yann Ehrlacher Cyan Performance Lynk & Co 15 0.830s
3 Norbert Michelisz BRC Squadra Corse Hyundai 15 2.377s
4 Augusto Farfus BRC Racing Team Hyundai 15 2.995s
5 Yvan Muller Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 15 3.658s
6 Mikel Azcona PWR Racing Cupra 15 4.120s
7 Johan Kristoffersson SLR Volkswagen Volkswagen 15 4.432s
8 Esteban Guerrieri Munnich Motorsport Honda 15 6.696s
9 Gabriele Tarquini BRC Squadra Corse Hyundai 15 7.543s
10 Rob Huff SLR VW Motorsport Volkswagen 15 9.840s
11 Nicky Catsburg BRC Racing Team Hyundai 15 11.093s
12 Aurelien Panis Comtoyou Cupra Cupra 15 13.094s
13 Mehdi Bennani SLR VW Motorsport Volkswagen 15 13.328s
14 Nestor Girolami Munnich Motorsport Honda 15 13.558s
15 Andy Priaulx Cyan Performance Lynk & Co 15 15.591s
16 Frederic Vervisch Comtoyou Audi Audi 15 15.956s
17 Niels Langeveld Comtoyou Audi Audi 15 16.121s
18 Kevin Ceccon Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo 15 16.847s
19 Tiago Monteiro KCMG Honda 15 17.537s
20 Tom Coronel Comtoyou Cupra Cupra 15 18.475s
21 Ma Qinghua Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo 15 19.009s
22 Attila Tassi KCMG Honda 15 22.779s
23 Daniel Haglof PWR Racing Cupra 15 22.849s
24 Gordon Shedden WRT Audi 15 23.677s
25 Jean-Karl Vernay WRT Audi 15 29.621s
- Benjamin Leuchter SLR Volkswagen Volkswagen 10 Retirement

Drivers' standings

Pos Driver Points
1 Esteban Guerrieri 161
2 Thed Bjork 150
3 Nestor Girolami 135
4 Norbert Michelisz 130
5 Mikel Azcona 120
6 Yvan Muller 107
7 Gabriele Tarquini 106
8 Yann Ehrlacher 88
9 Jean-Karl Vernay 86
10 Nicky Catsburg 80
11 Frederic Vervisch 79
12 Augusto Farfus 75
13 Ma Qinghua 70
14 Rob Huff 55
15 Johan Kristoffersson 47
16 Kevin Ceccon 39
17 Aurelien Panis 38
18 Andy Priaulx 37
19 Benjamin Leuchter 36
20 Daniel Haglof 35
21 Tom Coronel 24
22 Niels Langeveld 23
23 Gordon Shedden 22
24 Tiago Monteiro 20
25 Mehdi Bennani 20
26 Attila Tassi 16


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