Kristoffersson claims first WTCR victory in Nurburgring race two
Double World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson resisted a challenge for the lead on lap one to claim his first World Touring Car Cup victory in the second Nurburgring Nordschleife race
Kristoffersson was challenged by the Audis of wildcard entrant Antti Buri and Comtoyou driver Frederic Vervisch on the grand prix loop but, having fended off those attacks, was able to break free to win for the first time since switching world championship disciplines.
Buri got a better start than the Sebastien Loeb Racing polesitter and had the inside line for the first corner, but Kristoffersson held on around the outside in his Volkswagen Golf GTI, which became the inside line for the switchback onto the main part of the GP loop.
Vervisch attempted to pass both Buri and Kristoffersson as they squabbled, although Kristoffersson was able to hang the Audi RS3 LMS out to dry and scampered clear from there.
He ended the second of the three laps 3.2 seconds clear of Vervisch and did not let up, eventually claiming the SLR VW squad's first win of 2019 by 5.108s.
Vervisch ended up in a similarly comfortable second but, as had been the case in Friday's opening race, the final podium position was only decided on the final lap.
Gabriele Tarquini (BRC Racing Hyundai i30 N) and Kristoffersson's team-mate Rob Huff had been in a private battle for the place on the final lap, until they came together at the Carousel.
That put Huff, who had been on the outside line, in the barrier and out of the race with front-end and suspension damage.
Tarquini was able to continue and maintained third, but was caught by team-mate Augusto Farfus and the KCMG Honda Civic Type R of Attila Tassi - with Farfus getting ahead on Dottinger Hohe to secure his first podium since returning to World Touring Cars.
Reigning champion Tarquini did cling on to fourth ahead of Tassi, who scored his best WTCR result to date, while Benjamin Leuchter was sixth in the third SLR VW.
Title protagonists Esteban Guerrieri and Norbert Michelisz were seventh and eighth - with Michelisz passing ninth-place finisher Aurelien Panis (Comtoyou Cupra) on the final lap.
Jean-Karl Vernay secured 10th in his WRT Audi, ahead of Tom Coronel, Nicky Catsburg and Thed Bjork - who was the only Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 driver to score any points.
Bjork finished 14th on the road behind Buri, who is ineligible for points as a wildcard.
Result - 3 laps
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Johan Kristoffersson | SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen | 27m08.370s |
2 | Frederic Vervisch | Comtoyou Audi | Audi | 5.108s |
3 | Augusto Farfus | BRC Racing Team | Hyundai | 10.891s |
4 | Attila Tassi | KCMG | Honda | 11.827s |
5 | Benjamin Leuchter | SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen | 12.340s |
6 | Esteban Guerrieri | Munnich Motorsport | Honda | 17.591s |
7 | Norbert Michelisz | BRC Squadra Corse | Hyundai | 22.715s |
8 | Aurelien Panis | Comtoyou Cupra | Cupra | 23.072s |
9 | Jean-Karl Vernay | WRT | Audi | 23.657s |
10 | Tom Coronel | Comtoyou Cupra | Cupra | 24.329s |
11 | Antti Buri | LMS Racing | Audi | 26.773s |
12 | Thed Bjork | Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co | 27.121s |
13 | Mikel Azcona | PWR Racing | Cupra | 27.178s |
14 | Tiago Monteiro | KCMG | Honda | 27.626s |
15 | Yvan Muller | Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co | 29.256s |
16 | Mehdi Bennani | SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen | 29.647s |
17 | Daniel Haglof | PWR Racing | Cupra | 29.839s |
18 | Andy Priaulx | Cyan Performance | Lynk & Co | 30.559s |
19 | Kevin Ceccon | Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo | 30.810s |
20 | Niels Langeveld | Comtoyou Audi | Audi | 31.157s |
21 | Gordon Shedden | WRT | Audi | 31.839s |
22 | Ma Qinghua | Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo | 32.385s |
23 | Gabriele Tarquini | BRC Squadra Corse | Hyundai | 41.180s |
- | Nicky Catsburg | BRC Racing Team | Hyundai | Disqualified |
- | Nestor Girolami | Munnich Motorsport | Honda | Retirement |
- | Rob Huff | SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen | Retirement |
- | Yann Ehrlacher | Cyan Performance | Lynk & Co | Retirement |
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