Norbert Michelisz was fastest in testing for WTCC Race of Thailand as the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy contender topped the timesheets during the 30-minute session at the Chang International Circuit this morning.
Driving a Honda Civic WTCC for Zengő Motorsport, Michelisz set a best time of 1m38.789s to edge LADA Sport Rosneft’s Nicolas Lapierre by 0.148s. Sébastien Loeb was third quickest for Citroën with Hugo Valente completing the top four in his privateer Chevrolet.
World champion elect José María López was sixth quickest behind LADA’s Nicky Catsburg. Gabriele Tarquini, Mehdi Bennani, Yvan Muller and Ma Qing Hua filled out the remaining top 10 positions.
The session marked the first FIA World Touring Car Championship on Thai soil and was a precursor to this afternoon’s pair of 30-minute Free Practice sessions.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norbert Michelisz | Zengo Motorsport | Honda | 1:38.260 |
| 2 | Nicolas Lapierre | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | 1:38.408 |
| 3 | Sebastien Loeb | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 1:38.855 |
| 4 | Hugo Valente | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | 1:38.956 |
| 5 | Nicky Catsburg | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | 1:38.970 |
| 6 | Jose Maria Lopez | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 1:38.980 |
| 7 | Gabriele Tarquini | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 1:39.060 |
| 8 | Mehdi Bennani | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Citroen | 1:39.119 |
| 9 | Yvan Muller | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 1:39.515 |
| 10 | Ma Qing Hua | Citroen Total WTCC | Citroen | 1:39.547 |
| 11 | Tiago Monteiro | Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda | 1:39.815 |
| 12 | Tom Coronel | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | 1:39.959 |
| 13 | John Filippi | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.142 |
| 14 | Robert Huff | LADA Sport Rosneft | Lada | 1:40.593 |
| 15 | Tom Chilton | ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet | 1:40.616 |
| 16 | Tin Sritrai | Campos Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.762 |
| 17 | Grégoire Demoustier | Craft-Bamboo Racing | Chevrolet | 1:40.806 |
| 18 | Stefano D’Aste | Munnich Motorsport | Chevrolet | 1:40.878 |