Yvan Muller took the most out of his pole position and managed to keep Norbert Michelisz behind at the first braking, which gave him the opportunity to control his rival for all the 12 laps.
The Frenchman increased his pace between laps 3 and 6 to create a gap and then was able to resist in the final part of the race, when Michelisz’s pace was a bit faster.
Behind them Gabriele Tarquini claimed third place, benefiting from the battle over fourth place that involved Rob Huff, Mehdi Bennani, Tom Coronel and Tom Chilton.
Eventually Huff was classified fourth ahead of Bennani who scored his first victory in the Yokohama Trophy.
A pile up after the start eliminated some potential top players such as Tiago Monteiro, Pepe Oriola, Fredy Barth and James Thompson. Coronel and Darryl O’Young are currently under investigation for this.
Key moments
Start – Muller sprints from pole to take the lead from Michelisz, Tarquini and Huff
Lap 1 – Coronel hits Monteiro at Turn 2, behind them a pile up eliminates Oriola and Thompson and forces Barth, O’Young and D’Aste to pit for repair
Lap 2 – Monteiro outbrakes himself at Turn 1 and crash into the tyre wall
Lap 2 – Coronel overtakes Bennani for sixth
Lap 5 – Coronel and Bennani overtake Chilton at Turn 13 and move up to fifth and sixth
Lap 6 – Muller and Michelisz pull away, Muller leads by one second
Lap 7 – Close fight for third between Tarquini, Huff, Coronel and Bennani
Lap 9 – Huff is put under pressure by Coronel
Lap 10 – Huff and Coronel drive side-to-side, Bennani overtakes Coronel for fifth
Lap 11 – Chilton chases Coronel for sixth
Lap 12 – Michelisz closes in on Muller, but the Frenchman maintains the lead
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yvan MULLER | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 12 laps - 23m17.125s |
| 2 | Norbert MICHELISZ | Honda Civic | +0.617 |
| 3 | Gabriele TARQUINI | Honda Civic | +12.670 |
| 4 | Rob HUFF | SEAT Leon WTCC | +13.573 |
| 5 | Mehdi BENNANI | BMW 320 TC | +13.861 |
| 6 | Tom CORONEL | BMW 320 TC | +14.133 |
| 7 | Tom CHILTON | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +15.021 |
| 8 | Alex MACDOWALL | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +17.343 |
| 9 | James NASH | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +18.073 |
| 10 | Michel NYKJAER | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +18.465 |
| 11 | Marc BASSENG | SEAT Leon WTCC | +23.782 |
| 12 | Hugo VALENTE | SEAT Leon WTCC | +28.395 |
| 13 | Franz ENGSTLER | BMW 320 TC | +29.116 |
| 14 | Stefano D’ASTE | BMW 320 TC | +30.474 |
| 15 | Charles NG | BMW 320 TC | +34.221 |
| 16 | Fernando MONJE | SEAT Leon WTCC | +35.498 |
| 17 | Mikhail KOZLOVSKIY | Lada Granta | +39.708 |
| 18 | René MUNNICH | SEAT Leon WTCC | +44.193 |
| 19 | Darryl O’YOUNG | BMW 320 TC | DNF |
| 20 | Tom BOARDMAN | SEAT Leon WTCC | DNF |
| 21 | Tiago MONTEIRO | Honda Civic | DNF |
| 22 | Fredy BARTH | BMW 320 TC | DNF |
| 23 | James THOMPSON | Lada Granta | DNF |
| 24 | Pepe ORIOLA | SEAT Leon WTCC | DNF |