José María López has claimed a dramatic victory in the second JVC KENWOOD WTCC Race of France.
Starting from eighth on the grid, López snatched second place from Tiago Monteiro following a clash with the Portuguese Honda driver exiting the first corner on lap seven. He then caught and passed Norbert Michelisz for top spot and his fifth win of the season to rebuild his shrinking title advantage.
Honda driver Michelisz, who started third, moved into the lead when pole-sitter Mehdi Bennani was forced to take a drive-through penalty for a jumped start. But the Hungarian was unable to fend off Citroën driver López on lap 14, settling instead for second and top Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy points.
Ma Qing Hua finished third with Yvan Muller fourth and Gabriele Tarquini fifth for Honda.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Maria Lopez | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 16 laps |
| 2 | Norbert Michelisz | Zengo Motorsport | Honda | +1.449 |
| 3 | Ma Qing Hua | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | +2.156 |
| 4 | Yvan Muller | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | +3.165 |
| 5 | Gabriele Tarquini | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | +12.071 |
| 6 | Hugo Valente | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | +16.645 |
| 7 | Tom Coronel | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | +16.681 |
| 8 | Tom Chilton | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | +16.792 |
| 9 | Mehdi Bennani | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | +22.667 |
| 10 | Rickard Rydell | Nika International | Honda | +24.009 |
| 11 | Jaap van Lagen | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | +26.371 |
| 12 | Nicky Catsburg | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | +28.673 |
| 13 | John Filippi | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | +34.641 |
| 14 | Grégoire Demoustier | Craft-Bamboo Racing | Chevrolet | +38.623 |
| 15 | Stefano D’Aste | Munnich Motorsport | Chevrolet | DNF |
| 16 | Tiago Monteiro | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | DNF |
| 17 | Sebastien Loeb | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | DNF |
| 18 | Robert Huff | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | DNF |