2013 FIA WTCC Race of Russia

The 2013 FIA WTCC Race of Russia (formally the 2013 FIA WTCC Lukoil Race of Russia) was the sixth round of the 2013 World Touring Car Championship season and the maiden running of the FIA WTCC Race of Russia. It was held on 9 June 2013 at the Moscow Raceway in Volokolamsk, Russia, 97 kilometres (60 miles) from Moscow.

Russia 2013 FIA WTCC Race of Russia
Race details
Date9 June, 2013
LocationVolokolamsk, Russia
CourseMoscow Raceway
3.931 kilometres (2.443 mi)
Race One
Laps 15
Pole position
Driver France Yvan Muller RML
Time 1:43.335
Podium
First France Yvan Muller RML
Second Netherlands Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport
Third Hungary Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport
Fastest Lap
Driver Netherlands Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport
Time 1:44.179
Race Two
Laps 13
Podium
First Denmark Michel Nykjær NIKA Racing
Second France Yvan Muller RML
Third United Kingdom Robert Huff Münnich Motorsport
Fastest Lap
Driver Denmark Michel Nykjær NIKA Racing
Time 1:44.456

Race one was won by Yvan Muller of RML who started from pole position. Race two was won by Michel Nykjær for NIKA Racing.

Background

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After the last round in Austria, Yvan Muller was leading the world drivers' championship and James Nash was leading the Yokohama Independents' Trophy.

The SEAT cars were allowed a 10 kg weight reduction under the compensation weights system after the Austrian round, taking their weight down to 1,160 kg. The Chevrolet and Honda cars remained at their maximum weights of 1,190 kg while the BMW 320 TCs maintained their base weight of 1,150 kg. The Lada cars continued to be the lightest cars on the grid at 1,130 kg for their home race.[1]

European Touring Car Cup regular Nikolay Karamyshev joined Campos Racing for his home race, replacing Hugo Valente on a two race deal for Russia and the following round in Portugal.[2]

Report

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Testing and free practice

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Muller was the quickest driver in Friday's test session which took place on a drying track. Gabriele Tarquini was running third having topped the times in the first half of the session, and Tom Coronel was the second fastest.[3]

Coronel was fastest in the first free practice session on Saturday morning, ahead of Robert Huff and Muller. Karamyshev was tenth quickest in this session.[4] Muller then led an RML 1–2 in the second practice session.[5]

Qualifying

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Coronel had been fastest in the first part of qualifying which remained dry despite a threat of rain. A number of drivers were close to dropping out of qualifying in the first session with Huff and Norbert Michelisz getting through after late improvements. The first driver to drop out in Q1 was Fredy Barth who was just over one–hundredth of a second off Michelisz's time. Tiago Monteiro was 22nd after a water pump problem on his Honda Civic.

The weather changed in Q2 as it started to rain. This meant that there were very few flying laps. Muller set the benchmark time of 1:45.335 with the fastest times being slower in the session as the rain got heavier. Coronel was second ahead of Huff, Michelisz and Tarquini. James Thompson was sixth at Lada's home race. Mehdi Bennani was tenth to secure pole position on the reversed grid for race two, he would then start alongside Liqui Moly Team Engstler's Charles Ng. Yokohama Trophy points leader missed out on the reversed grid in eleventh ahead of his former teammate Tom Chilton in twelfth.[6]

After qualifying, both of the Campos Racing cars had their lap times removed. Karamyshev failed to stop and get his car weighed after the session while his teammate Fernando Monje's car failed the scrutineering check.[7] Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver Monteiro received a grid penalty for race one when the team decided to change the engine as a precaution after experiencing overheating issues.[8]

Warm-Up

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Thompson led the warm–up session on Sunday morning. Ng ended his session stuck in one of the gravel traps while Tarquini had a minor collision with a tyre wall which ended his running.[9]

Race One

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Muller led away from pole, there was some light contact with Coronel at the first corner while Barth and Ng behind collided, putting both out of the race on the spot. Karamyshev was clipped by Ng's car as he tried to avoid the incident and returned to the pits for repairs. Darryl O'Young was also caught out by the collision and returned to the pits for repairs to his suspension. The safety car came out as the debris was cleared up, the race was then red flagged on lap four. The rescue vehicle that was recovering the stricken BMW of Ng broke down and the marshals were required to remove the car manually. When the recovery vehicle had been removed, the race was restarted with the recovery vehicle still in place when it could not be removed, the race continued with a permanent yellow flag at the first corner. Further back there was a close battle between Monteiro, Marc Basseng, Alex MacDowall and Mikhail Kozlovskiy. Up at the front, Coronel had closed in on Muller while Huff was still trying to take the final podium place off Michelisz. Throughout the field there was generally very little overtaking with the best overtaking spot at turn one unavailable. Coronel was close but was unable to pass Muller who won, Michelisz was third after holding off Huff's advances. Thompson in fifth secured Lada's best ever result in the World Touring Car Championship.[10]

After the race, Oriola, Basseng and Karamyshev were issued with 30–second penalties when the three drivers were deemed to have made false starts. With Oriola losing his eighth place, Stefano D'Aste was promoted into the final points paying position.[11]

Race Two

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Before the race, Ng was dropped to the back of the grid when Engstler Motorsport broke parc ferme regulations to repair his car. This promoted Nykjær to the front row, alongside Bennani. Bennani had a fast start from pole position and quickly distanced himself from the rest of the field. Oriola passed Tarquini on the opening lap, the Honda then went to retake the position but tapped Oriola and spun him. On the second lap, Nykjær began to close in on Bennani, setting the fastest lap of the race. On lap three, Tarquini and Coronel were disputing third place – the two made contact while they allowed Thompson to make it a three-way battle. Going up the pit straight at the start of lap four, Huff made it a four-way battle and the quartet ran side by side until Coronel spun around the front of Tarquini's car and collided with Thompson at the first corner. Nykjær had caught up with Benanni at the end of lap four and looked likely to take the lead, Bennani stayed up the inside of the Chevrolet at the final corner, Nykjær ran out wide and Bennani retained the lead. Nykjær took the lead on lap seven. At the end of lap nine, Huff attempted a pass on Bennani at the final corner, the move did not stick and it allowed Bennani and Muller who had been close behind to get in front of the SEAT. At the end of lap eleven, Huff made another attempt to pass Bennani and pulled it off when Bennani spun on the exit of the corner, dropping the Proteam Racing driver to fourteenth. Nykjær held on to win ahead of Muller and Huff.[12]

Results

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2 Points
1 12   Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:43.296 1:43.335 5
2 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 1:42.966 1:43.405 4
3 1   Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 1:43.705 1:43.466 3
4 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 1:43.829 1:43.772 2
5 3   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 1:43.759 1:43.840 1
6 10   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1:43.481 1:43.982
7 74   Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team SEAT León WTCC 1:43.450 1:43.992
8 17   Michel Nykjær NIKA Racing Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:43.669 1:44.157
9 7   Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:43.740 1:44.421
10 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:43.674 1:44.438
11 14   James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:43.699 1:45.119
12 23   Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:43.262 1:45.240
13 73   Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 1:43.850
14 55   Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.060
15 38   Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 1:44.150
16 9   Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:44.193
17 26   Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.265
18 8   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1:44.435
19 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.476
20 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 1:44.610
21 37   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 1:44.685
107% time: 1:50.173
EX1 19   Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y Excluded
EX2 21   Nikolay Karamyshev Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y Excluded
  • Bold denotes Pole position for second race.
^1  — Monje had his times removed when his car failed the scrutineering checks.[8]
^2  — Karamyshev had his times deleted when he didn't stop to have his car weighed after qualifying.[8]

Race 1

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 12   Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 15 51:37.955 1 25
2 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 15 +0.511 2 18
3 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 15 +5.327 4 15
4 1   Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 15 +6.685 3 12
5 10   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 15 +10.549 6 10
6 3   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 15 +10.718 5 8
7 17   Michel Nykjær NIKA Racing Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 15 +11.053 8 6
8 14   James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 15 +15.047 11 4
9 23   Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 15 +15.420 12 2
10 26   Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 15 +15.571 17 1
11 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 15 +16.111 10
12 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 15 +18.257 21
13 9   Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 15 +20.716 16
14 8   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 15 +29.113 18
15 19   Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 15 +29.269 22
16 37   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 15 +31.673 20
17 74   Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team SEAT León WTCC 15 +44.252 7
18 38   Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 15 +49.996 15
19 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 13 +2 Laps 19
20 55   Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 12 +3 Laps 14
21 21   Nikolay Karamyshev Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 12 +3 Laps 23
Ret 73   Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 0 Race incident 13
Ret 7   Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 0 Race incident 9
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

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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 22:53.698 2 25
2 12   Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 13 +0.379 9 18
3 1   Robert Huff ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 13 +6.418 7 15
4 74   Pepe Oriola Tuenti Racing Team SEAT León WTCC 13 +7.494 3 12
5 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC 13 +8.075 6 10
6 23   Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 13 +8.682 11 8
7 3   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 13 +9.537 5 6
8 26   Stefano D'Aste PB Racing BMW 320 TC Y 13 +10.306 15 4
9 55   Darryl O'Young ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 13 +13.427 12 2
10 14   James Nash bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 +14.223 10 1
11 9   Alex MacDowall bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 +16.581 14
12 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC 13 +17.560 18
13 38   Marc Basseng ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC 13 +18.776 13
14 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 13 +20.716 8
15 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 13 +21.031 17
16 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 13 +22.834 1
17 21   Nikolay Karamyshev Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 13 +23.852 21
18 19   Fernando Monje Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC Y 13 +24.400 20
19 37   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT León WTCC Y 11 +2 Laps 19
Ret 8   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 7 16
Ret 10   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 4 Race incident 4
Ret 7   Charles Ng Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1 Suspension 22
DNS 73   Fredy Barth Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC 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. ^ Hudson, Neil (31 May 2013). "SEAT get weight break for Moscow Raceway". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  2. ^ "KARAMYSHEV FACES WTCC DEBUT". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 24 May 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  3. ^ Abbott, Andrew (7 June 2013). "Muller on top in Friday testing". Touring-Cars.net. Andrew Abbott. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  4. ^ "PRACTICE 1 – CORONEL IS FASTEST". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  5. ^ Hudson, Neil (8 June 2013). "Yvan Muller leads RML 1-2 in final practice in Russia". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  6. ^ Tremayne, Sam (8 June 2013). "Moscow WTCC: Yvan Muller on pole for series' Russian debut". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  7. ^ "PENALTIES FOR CAMPOS RACING". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "ENGINE CHANGE FOR MONTEIRO". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  9. ^ Hudson, Neil (9 June 2013). "James Thompson tops Moscow warm up". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  10. ^ Hudson, Neil (9 June 2013). "Yvan Muller wins disrupted first race at Moscow Raceway". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  11. ^ "PENALTY FOR ORIOLA, BASSENG AND KARAMYSHEV". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  12. ^ Tremayne, Sam (9 June 2013). "Nykjaer denies Muller in race two". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
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World Touring Car Championship
Previous race:
2013 FIA WTCC Race of Austria
2013 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2013 FIA WTCC Race of Portugal
Previous race:
none
FIA WTCC Race of Russia Next race:
2014 FIA WTCC Race of Russia