Honda driver Tiago Monteiro made the most of his pole position to win a thirlling second ROSNEFT WTCC Race of Russia.
Rob Huff charged through from seventh on the grid to finish second in round 10 of the FIA World Touring Car Championship with Norbert Michelisz third and top Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy runner.
Nicky Catsburg marked an impressive WTCC debut in fourth for LADA with Ma Qing Hua fifth following several battles for on-track position. Gabriele Tarquini crashed out following contact with Catsburg.
In a dramatic race, world champion and current WTCC title leader José María López languished in 12th place after he was ordered to serve a drive-through penalty for a jumped start. The Argentine’s misfortune led and sixth place for his Citroën team-mate Yvan Muller means 45 points separate the pair at the top of the title standings.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiago Monteiro | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 16 laps |
| 2 | Robert Huff | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | +3.155 |
| 3 | Norbert Michelisz | Zengo Motorsport | Honda | +5.549 |
| 4 | Nicky Catsburg | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | +8.074 |
| 5 | Ma Qing Hua | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | +12.188 |
| 6 | Yvan Muller | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | +14.674 |
| 7 | Sebastien Loeb | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | +18.010 |
| 8 | Hugo Valente | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | +20.803 |
| 9 | Tom Chilton | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | +20.968 |
| 10 | Tom Coronel | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | +21.207 |
| 11 | Rickard Rydell | Nika International | Honda | +21.686 |
| 12 | Jose Maria Lopez | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | +24.659 |
| 13 | Grégoire Demoustier | Craft-Bamboo Racing | Chevrolet | +29.019 |
| 14 | Stefano D’Aste | Munnich Motorsport | Chevrolet | +34.584 |
| 15 | John Filippi | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | +34.404 |
| 16 | Gabriele Tarquini | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | DNF |
| 17 | Jaap van Lagen | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | DNF |
| 18 | Mehdi Bennani | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | DNF |