Photo: WTCC Media

Tiago Monteiro wins at home and reclaims second in the championship

Tiago Monteiro took his second win of the season at his home race at Vila Real in Portugal in front of a passionate home crowd, and grabs back second in the drivers’ championship heading into the mid-season break.

The Honda driver led the race throughout from pole position in the Honda Civic ahead of the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC of Yvan Muller, with the Frenchman unable to find a way past the Portuguese driver, just as be predicted after qualifying.

The race echoed the first in terms of racing action, with almost no passing moves made at the tight street circuit outside of the start despite some close battles.

Nicky Catsburg was the driver who made the most from the start, jumping from ninth to seventh, while his Lada team-mate Hugo Valente was up to ninth from 13th on the grid, but the two drivers made no further progress throughout the race.

Monteiro maintained a short lead of a second over Yvan Muller throughout the race, while the two Hondas of Norbert Michelisz and Rob Huff fell back during the final stages as they battled each other, after championship leader José María López followed up his podiumless Moscow weekend with another in Portugal, finishing fifth after backing off late which a potential issue in the race to finish 16 seconds behind the race winner.

Thed Björk picked up points for Polestar Cyan Racing with sixth in the Volvo S60, while team-mate Robert Dahlgren retired on lap two with an overheating issue.

Monteiro’s win moves him back to second in the drivers’ standings, which was lost after Honda’s exclusion from Marrakech earlier in the month, and is now 101 points adrift of López heading to the Argentinian’s home race at Termas de Río Hondo in August.