Following the team’s 1-2 in Race 1, Chevrolet Cruze cars took all three of the podium places in Race 2 with the reigning WTCC Drivers’ Champion Yvan Muller securing his second win from as many races.
New for 2012, the starting grid for Race 2 was a reversal of the top 10 from the Q2 session and so it was the BMW 320 TC of Norbert Michelisz that started from pole position. It wasn’t until lap 7 that the lead changed hands, with Michelisz’s challenge fading to eventually leave him in eighth place at the chequered flag.
Any hope of another podium finish for Gabriele Tarquini in the Lukoil Racing Team SEAT León ended at the first corner of lap 2, when a four-car clash saw Robert Huff send Muller straight on at the chicane and Tarquini - the only casualty - parked up.
The fight amongst the Yokohama Trophy competitors was just as keen with Michelisz, Alex MacDowall, Stefano D’Aste and Franz Engstler scrapping throughout the race. In the end, it was the Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 of D’Aste that took maximum points, with Engstler’s BMW and the Chevrolet Cruze of MacDowall both finishing within a second or so of D’Aste.
Key moments
Start - Michelisz is first into the chicane; Rydell takes a bad start
Lap 1 - Menu has contact with D’Aste
Lap 2 - Huff hits Muller; the three Chevrolets and Tarquini spin at the first chicane
Lap 2 - Tarquini retires following the incident
Lap 4 - D’Aste passes MacDowall for third at the first chicane.
Lap 4 - Muller, Menu and Huff overtake MacDowall
Lap 4 - Muller overtakes D’Aste to take third
Lap 5 - Menu overtakes D’Aste to take fourth
Lap 6 - Muller passes Coronel to take second
Lap 7 - Coronel re-takes second place from Muller at the chicane
Lap 7 - Menu makes contact with Muller at the second chicane
Lap 7 - Muller re-takes second place from Coronel, then passes Michelisz for the lead
Lap 7 - Michelisz drops back, being passed by Menu, Coronel and Huff
Lap 8 - MacDowall makes contact with Michelisz and drops two places
Lap 9 - Huff passes Coronel to take third place
Withdrawals
A. Dudukalo: DNS; C. Ng: race incident; G. Tarquini: race incident.
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yvan MULLER | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 10 laps - 20m07.643s |
| 2 | Alain MENU | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +0.307 |
| 3 | Robert HUFF | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +0.613 |
| 4 | Tom CORONEL | BMW 320 TC | +0.993 |
| 5 | Stefano D’ASTE | BMW 320 TC | +6.125 |
| 6 | Franz ENGSTLER | BMW 320 TC | +6.705 |
| 7 | Alex MACDOWALL | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +7.247 |
| 8 | Norbert MICHELISZ | BMW 320 TC | +10.238 |
| 9 | Alberto CERQUI | BMW 320 TC | +12.663 |
| 10 | Rickard RYDELL | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +14.066 |
| 11 | Gabor WEBER | BMW 320 TC | +14.202 |
| 12 | Pepe ORIOLA | SEAT Leon WTCC | +14.575 |
| 13 | James NASH | Ford Focus S2000 TC | +18.279 |
| 14 | Mehdi BENNANI | BMW 320 TC | +18.775 |
| 15 | Andrea BARLESI | SEAT Leon TDi | +24.880 |
| 16 | Tom CHILTON | Ford Focus S2000 TC | +25.586 |
| 17 | Isaac TUTUMLU | BMW 320 TC | +35.129 |
| 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO | SEAT Leon TDi | +1 lap |
| 19 | Pasquale DI SABATINO | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | +2 laps |
| 20 | Gabriele TARQUINI | SEAT Leon WTCC | DNF |
| 21 | Charles NG | BMW 320 TC | DNF |
| 22 | Aleksei DUDUKALO | SEAT Leo WTCC | DNS |
| 23 | Darryl O’YOUNG | SEAT Leon WTCC | DNS |