Briton Rob Huff made history by winning for a record-breaking ninth time around the Guia street track as he dominated a wet Main Race at FIA WTCC JVCKENWOOD Race of Macau.
The ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver kept his head in difficult conditions on the famous 6.120-kilometre circuit to claim his first FIA World Touring Car Championship race win since April 2016.
“Absolutely amazing!” said Huff, whose car had been severely damaged in the incident that had stopped the Opening Race on Saturday. “All credit to the team. They did an unbelievable job to rebuild the car last night. At midnight I didn’t think I had a car for today.”
A safety car start kicked off the first ever wet WTCC race at Macau, and DHL Pole Position winner Huff was cautious as racing began on lap three. “For the first lap or two I was really careful on the brakes into Lisboa which allowed [Norbert] Michelisz to catch up, but the car was awesome.”
Once he got into his stride, Huff opened up a cushion to Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver Norbert Michelisz to win by an impressive 8.142s.
Michelisz’s second place allowed him to close the WTCC title points gap to championship leader Thed Björk, but the Hungarian was made to sweat for his result.
Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Tom Chilton, who started third on the grid, pushed Michelisz hard for the place in the early stages, until Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team’s Esteban Guerrieri drafted past the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC on the run to the fast Mandarin right-hander on lap nine.
Guerrieri looked set to protect his team-mate’s second place all the way to the chequered flag. But as Michelisz appeared to slow in the closing stages, Chilton continued to pressure Guerrieri to take back his third place.
On the last lap Argentine driver Guerrieri made a mistake and ran wide, allowing Chilton to pounce and reclaim his podium finish, crossing the line right behind Michelisz.
Championship leader Björk finished a distant fifth in his Polestar Cyan Racing Volvo S60, with Macau veteran Tom Coronel following up his second place in the Opening Race to come home sixth in his ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1.
Reverse-grid Opening Race winner Mehdi Bennani was seventh this time for Sébastien Loeb Racing, ahead of RC Motorsport’s Kevin Gleason in eighth and Nestor Giorlami’s Polestar Cyan Racing Volvo in ninth. Zsolt David Szabo’s Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC rounded out the top 10.