2013 FIA WTCC Race of Morocco

The 2013 FIA WTCC Race of Morocco was the second round of the 2013 World Touring Car Championship season and the fourth running of the FIA WTCC Race of Morocco. It was held on 7 April 2013 at the Marrakech Street Circuit in Marrakech, Morocco.

Morocco 2013 FIA WTCC Race of Morocco
Race details
Date7 April, 2013
LocationMarrakech, Morocco
CourseMarrakech Street Circuit
4.545 kilometres (2.824 mi)
Race One
Laps 13
Pole position
Driver Italy Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda Team
Time 1:44.358
Podium
First Denmark Michel Nykjær NIKA Racing
Second Italy Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda Team
Third United Kingdom James Nash bamboo-engineering
Fastest Lap
Driver United Kingdom Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering
Time 1:46.237
Race Two
Laps 13
Podium
First Spain Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team
Second France Yvan Muller RML
Third United Kingdom Tom Chilton RML
Fastest Lap
Driver United Kingdom Tom Chilton RML
Time 1:45.545

Both races were won by first time victors in the World Touring Car Championship, race one was won by Michel Nykjær of NIKA Racing and race two was won by Pepe Oriola of Tuenti Racing Team who also became the youngest winner of a WTCC race.

Background

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After the first round at Monza, RML driver Yvan Muller was leading the drivers' championship. James Nash was leading the Yokohama Independents' Trophy.

After the qualifying incident at Monza, Lukoil Lada Sport replaced Aleksei Dudukalo with series rookie Mikhail Kozlovskiy.[1] Jean-Philippe Dayraut and the ANOME team were not on the entry list for Marrakech.[2]

Report

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Testing and free practice

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A test session had been scheduled for Friday afternoon but was cancelled along with activities for the support races when heavy rain flooded the circuit, the lost half–hour session would not be replaced.[3]

Muller led the dry first free practice session on Saturday morning with teammate Tom Chilton third, the pair separated by the Honda of Gabriele Tarquini who had set the pace earlier on. Norbert Michelisz was fourth in the independent Honda ahead of James Thompson in the leading Lada. Tom Coronel was sixth as the fastest BMW while Fernando Monje in tenth was the quickest SEAT. There were no improved times in the final minutes of the session due to yellow flags at the final hairpin brought out by Tom Boardman who had stopped on the circuit.[4]

Muller led an RML 1–2 in the second practice session with Alex MacDowall making it three Chevrolets at the top of the times. There was a small fire on Michelisz's car in the pit lane while SEAT drivers Boardman and Robert Huff completed a limited number of laps due to car problems.[5]

Qualifying

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Qualifying was delayed by an hour as a result of the cancellation of all Friday running for the support races.[6]

Tarquini took the first pole position for the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team ahead of the bamboo-engineering Chevrolet of Nash. The first part of qualifying was led by Tarquini, whose teammate Tiago Monteiro brought out the red flags halfway through the session when he hit one of the walls at the second chicane. The ROAL Motorsport drivers collided towards the end of the session, Darryl O'Young had given Tom Coronel a tow to get the Dutch driver through to Q2, Coronel then got his braking wrong at turn ten and ran into the back of O'Young. Thompson collided with one of the walls on the street circuit and damaged his front left corner, although he was through to the second session he would not be able to set a time due to the damage sustained.

Tarquini spent most of Q2 at the top of timing pages, Chilton looked set to take pole position when he came across the slow moving Campos Racing car of Fernando Monje who had just left the pits. Chilton and the train of cars behind him were forced to abandon their flying laps. The grid order was therefore decided by times set earlier in the session, Tarquini was ahead of five Chevrolets with Nash second, Muller and Michel Nykjær on row two with Chilton and MacDowall on row three. The ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport cars of Huff and Marc Basseng were on row four, Pepe Oriola was ninth and Monje in tenth would start on pole position for race two. Coronel and Thompson didn't set times in Q2.[7]

Warm-Up

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Chilton led the warm–up session on Sunday morning. The red flags came out twice, firstly when Nykjær clipped the kerbs at the second chicane and stopped in the middle of the track. The second stoppage brought warm–up to an early end when Boardman appeared to suffer a brake failure, clipping the front of MacDowall's Chevrolet and colliding head–on with the barriers at the final chicane.[8]

Boardman was later ruled out of the races as a result of the damage sustained in the warm–up crash.[9]

Race One

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Tarquini led away from pole position while Nykjær moved into second place ahead of Nash. Huff had moved up to fifth place behind Muller and eventually managed to pass the RML driver, the pair then spent the next couple of places fighting over the position. Muller eventually got ahead at the final hairpin and Huff lost more places. Chilton pulled into the pit lane on lap six due to overheating resulting for damage. Nykjær and Nash were disputing second place behind Tarquini, Nykjær was then able to pass Tarquini moments before the yellow flags came out after Monteiro crashed into one of the barriers and the safety car was deployed. Nash ignored the yellow flags and passed Tarquini for second place, he then tried to hand the position back on the main straight behind the safety car but it wasn't until the following lap when the pair swapped positions. The race resumed with two laps to go, the main battle was for the final podium spot with Muller chasing Nash. Muller made a number of attempts to take the place but Nash successfully defended the place to take his first podium finish. Up ahead Nykjær claimed his first overall victory in the WTCC ahead of Tarquini.[10]

Race Two

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Monje was on pole but was passed on the opening lap by Oriola. Monje was involved a collision with the Lada of Thompson although both cars were removed under yellow flags. Towards the end of the first lap, Huff made contact with Monje and broke his right front suspension. Monje was then out on lap two when he collided with the Lada of Thompson. The safety car came out on lap nine when Tarquini lost control of his car over the kerbs at one of the chicanes and collided with MacDowall, putting both out of the race. The race resumed on the final lap with Oriola holding off Muller and Chilton to claim his first WTCC victory and become the youngest winner and the championship's history, Nash in fourth was the independents' winner.[11]

After the race, Monje was given a five–place grid penalty at the next race in Slovakia for his collision with Thompson.[12]

Results

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2 Points
1 3   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 1:44.910 1:44.358 5
2 14   James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:45.677 1:44.406 4
3 12   Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:45.185 1:44.504 3
4 17   Michel Nykjær NIKA Racing Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:45.656 1:44.745 2
5 23   Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:45.471 1:44.863 1
6 9   Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:45.446 1:45.060
7 1   Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 1:46.125 1:45.228
8 38   Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 1:45.794 1:45.552
9 74   Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team SEAT León WTCC 1:45.617 1:46.341
10 19   Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1:46.194 1:55.405
11 10   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1:45.992 no time set
12 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 1:46.091 no time set
13 55   Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 1:46.327
14 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 1:46.396
15 73   Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 1:46.412
16 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:46.494
17 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 1:46.629
18 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:46.660
19 22   Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1:46.713
20 7   Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:47.140
21 26   Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:47.390
22 8   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1:47.598
23 37   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 1:49.222
  • Bold denotes Pole position for second race.

Race 1

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 17   Michel Nykjær NIKA Racing Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 28:51.561 4 25
2 3   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 13 +0.566 1 18
3 14   James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 +1.612 2 15
4 12   Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 13 +2.224 3 12
5 1   Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 13 +2.248 7 10
6 9   Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 +2.476 6 8
7 38   Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 13 +3.201 8 6
8 74   Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team SEAT León WTCC 13 +3.565 9 4
9 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 13 +5.270 12 2
10 10   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 13 +5.881 11 1
11 19   Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 13 +7.078 10
12 55   Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 13 +7.879 13
13 73   Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 13 +8.485 15
14 7   Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 13 +9.298 19
15 37   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 13 +14.192 22
16 8   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 13 +15.333 21
17 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 13 +33.246 16
18 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 12 +1 Lap 18
Ret 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 5 Race incident 14
Ret 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 5 Race incident 17
Ret 23   Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 5 Overheating 5
Ret 26   Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1 Race incident 20
DNS 22   Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 0 Did not start 23
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 74   Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team SEAT León WTCC 13 28:08.751 2 25
2 12   Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 13 +0.430 8 18
3 23   Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 13 +0.677 6 15
4 14   James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 +0.948 9 12
5 38   Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 13 +1.808 3 10
6 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 13 +2.028 12 8
7 17   Michel Nykjær NIKA Racing Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 +2.326 7 6
8 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 13 +4.377 16 4
9 55   Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 13 +4.889 13 2
10 7   Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 13 +6.273 18 1
11 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 13 +6.349 17
12 73   Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 13 +6.385 15
13 8   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 13 +7.037 19
14 26   Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 13 +7.698 22
15 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 9 Fuel leak 21
Ret 3   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 7 Race incident 10
Ret 9   Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 7 Race incident 5
Ret 37   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 3 Puncture 20
Ret 1   Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 1 Race incident 4
Ret 10   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1 Race incident 11
Ret 19   Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 1 Race incident 1
DNS 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 0 Did not start 14
DNS 22   Tom Boardman Special Tuning Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 0 Did not start
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Standings after the event

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of drivers' standings.

References

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  1. ^ Tremayne, Sam (2 April 2013). "Kozlovskiy replaces Dudukalo at Lada's WTCC squad". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  2. ^ "2013 FIA WORLD TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY LIST" (PDF). World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-20. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  3. ^ "WEATHER FORCES TO CANCEL WTCC TEST". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  4. ^ Hudson, Neil (6 April 2013). "Yvan Muller leads first practice at Marrakech". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  5. ^ Hudson, Neil (6 April 2013). "Yvan Muller leads RML 1-2 in FP2 at Marrakech". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  6. ^ "SATURDAY'S QUALIFYING DELAYED BY ONE HOUR". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  7. ^ Tremayne, Sam (6 April 2013). "WTCC Marrakech: Tarquini gives Honda maiden pole". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  8. ^ Abbott, Andrew (7 April 2013). "Chilton fastest in interrupted warmup". Touring-Cars.net. Andrew Abbott. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  9. ^ Tremayne, Sam (7 April 2013). "Marrakech WTCC: Tom Boardman ruled out after warm-up crash". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  10. ^ Tremayne, Sam (7 April 2013). "Marrakech WTCC: Nykjaer takes maiden victory in race one". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  11. ^ Abbott, Andrew (7 April 2013). "Oriola takes maiden win in Morocco". Touring-Cars.net. Andrew Abbott. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  12. ^ Hudson, Neil (7 April 2013). "Fernando Monje given penalty for Thompson collision". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
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World Touring Car Championship
Previous race:
2013 FIA WTCC Race of Italy
2013 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2013 FIA WTCC Race of Slovakia
Previous race:
2012 FIA WTCC Race of Morocco
FIA WTCC Race of Morocco Next race:
2014 FIA WTCC Race of Morocco