The Proteam Motorsport duo of Sergio Hernández and Stefano D’Aste is leading the WTCC Independents’ Trophy after the first three events. They both were already crowned Independents’ champions: Hernández in 2008 for Proteam and D’Aste in 2007, when racing for Wiechers-Sport.
The latest race meeting in Monza provided ups and downs for the two drivers. D’Aste struggled in qualifying, but then shone in both races. He finished third in Race1, but was promoted to second following Bennani’s penalty, and later claimed his first victory of the season in Race 2.
His Spanish team-mate remained in the pit for most of the time during Friday’s testing and Saturday’s practice, his car suffering from a number of technical issues. In spite of this he managed to complete both races, collecting 10 points that propelled him on top of the standings, with a gap of 5 ahead of D’Aste.
Their rivals are close behind: Mehdi Bennani and Franz Engstler are one and two further points adrift respectively, while Harry Vaulkhard lies fifth, with a 9-point gap from the lead.