SUNRED Engineering driver Pepe Oriola and Arena Motorsport’s Tom Chilton were both given 30 second penalties for overspeeding during the rolling start procedure in race one.
Pepe Oriola and Tom Chilton were both judged to have exceeded the maximum speed before the red lights went out at the start of race one, and were given a 30-second penalty in lieu of a drive-through penalty in accordance with Article 143 A. of the Sporting Regulations:
Article 143 A.
The organiser’s official leading car will pull off at the end of the formation lap. The cars will continue on their own with the pole position leading and will drive at a minimum speed of 70 kph and a aximum of 90 kph.
Any divergence from the prescribed speed (between 70 and 90 kph) before the start is given will result in a drive-through penalty.
The penalty drops Tom Chilton from 16th to 18th in the classification, but has a more significant impact on former independents’ points leader Pepe Oriola, who had originally finished in tenth place and fifth in the independents’ category.
Oriola’s penalty drops him to 16th in the overall classification and also out of the points positions in the independents’ trophy – meaning the 18-year-old scores no points this weekend for the trophy and is now five points behind Norbert Michelisz.
Oriola’s team-mate Fernando Monje benefits from the penalty and is promoted to tenth place, picking up points in only his second race weekend in the WTCC.
WTCC Independents’ Trophy Standings after Brazil
