Photo: WTCC Media

Hugo Valente slams “ridiculous” penalties in Belgium

Campos Racing’s Hugo Valente is unhappy with the stewards of the Spa-Francorchamps race weekend after he was handed a drive-through penalty in race one for exceeding the track limits at La Source on the first lap, while incidents with which he feels he was the victim in the second race went unpunished.

The 21-year-old Frenchman went wide after contact with Gabriele Tarquini’s Honda Civic at the first corner hairpin La Source, after the two drivers started fourth and fifth on the grid behind the three factory Citroëns. Valente had gone wide on the exit of the corner, before making a run to hold the position next to Tarquini heading up through Raidillon, a move which put the Italian off-line and saw him plummet down the order to eighth.

“It’s just ridiculous, there’s no other word,” said Valente to TouringCarTimes. “He touched me at the hairpin that’s why I went wide, but he was never in front of me anyway even when I was wide, so I got a penalty for overtaking him outside of the track limits. He said he doesn’t understand why I got a penalty either, but he thinks my move in Raidillon was dangerous, but you know it’s WTCC racing.”

Valente was upset to have lost out on an opportunity to score strong points after a difficult few races, with fourth definitely possible in race one, and after running up in sixth at the start of the second race.

“I knew I was not going to overtake the Citroëns as they were way to fast in the second sector, but anything could have happened to them, they could have had trouble, but even fourth would have been a good result, but the penalty was just ridiculous.

“Then in race two I had a good start, but then (José María) López just didn’t brake, he got the rear of my car and I went sideways, just like Tiago did to Tom Chilton in Moscow, and Monteiro got a penalty, but as it’s ‘Pechito’ and he’s a Citroën and it’s WTCC, he doesn’t get anything.

“Then I caught up, but then I got sideways with Tarquini, who’d also put me off track and no penalty there again. So I get a penalty for no absolute reason, and then I get pushed off twice and they don’t get anything, it’s a bit ridiculous but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Championship leader López believed Valente was at fault for the contact at Les Combes, which López ultimately benefitted from as well as Citroën team-mate Yvan Muller.

“I arrived to Les Combes and we were all together and it was very difficult moment. I was outside Valente and he pushed me a little bit outside so I went off the line, so when I arrived he closed the door,” said López after the race.

Tarquini believed Valente’s move at Raidillon was dangerous, ultimately more concerned by how the Campos Chevrolet driver returned to the track rather than the fact that he was off of it, which was why he was awarded the penalty.

“I had a very good start, but the manoeuvre from Valente was a real kamikaze manoeuvre,” said Tarquini to TouringCarTimes. “First he was very wide, but that’s not my problem, that’s the stewards problem, but when he came back on the track he rejoined right next to me and I was completely off track to save my car and I lost four positions there, and recovery with our car is always very difficult, as the lack of top speed we have mean it’s very difficult to overtake.”

Valente’s points haul of the weekend was just four points following the penalty, which at least moves him ahead of Proteam’s Mehdi Bennani for tenth in the standings on 53 points, but sees him to continue to lose touch with the leading pack of Chevrolet drivers, with Tom Coronel now on 99 and Gianni Morbidelli on 84.