It was a case of mission accomplished when Mehdi Bennani continued his bid for WTCC Trophy title glory in Argentina last weekend.
Bennani has topped the FIA World Touring Car Championship’s category for independent racers since winning his class in both the Opening Race and Main Race in France at the start of the season.
In Argentina on Sunday the Moroccan claimed a brace of third place finishes to take a lead of 23 points over Sébastien Loeb Racing team-mate Tom Chilton to WTCC JVCKENWOOD Race of Japan next month.
“I’ve accomplished my mission this weekend since my objective was first of all to complete the races and to score points,” said Bennani, last year’s WTCC Trophy runner-up. “These third places in the independent standings were a real satisfaction for me because, carrying 80kg less than our Citroëns, the Chevrolets were more efficient in this Argentinian race and it was difficult to go as fast as them, especially in the straight. However, Tom showed that Sébastien Loeb Racing had the resources to fight for victory and I’m still well-settled in the lead in the WTCC Trophy. That means that we have got what it takes to head off to Japan and start afresh.”