Huff wins as Chevrolet drivers collide

Rob Huff won the first race at Monza as the Chevrolet drivers battled against each other. The drama was on the final lap as Alain Menu was spun out of second place by team-mate Yvan Muller.

The three Chevrolet drivers held formation at the start, with Yvan Muller maintaining second place with Alain Menu third, but Rob Huff led into the first corner and held position for the whole race.

At the end of lap one, Muller tried to pass Huff on the outside into Parabolica, but left the inside undefended allowing Menu into second place at the first corner.

Tom Coronel made good progress at the start as Darryl O’Young slid back in the Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet.

SUNRED’s Tiago Monteiro also made a great start in the SEAT León, moving into fourth ahead of Norbert Michelisz’s BMW.

Gabriele Tarquini made good progress in the early stages, working his way up to seventh place but started to fall back with a mechanical problem and headed into the pits at the end of lap four.

In the final few laps, Alain Menu put on a charge against team-mate Huff, fighting around the outside into the first corner but was unable to pass. The two made contact at the first Lesmo corner, with minor damage to the back of Huff’s car, with both continuing.

On the final lap, Muller made a dive down the inside of Alain Menu’s Chevrolet before the Lesmos to try and take second place. The Swiss driver defended by closing the door but the two made contact with Menu’s Chevrolet spinning into retirement.

Also on the final lap, Tiago Monteiro was passed for what was then fourth place by Norbert Michelisz’s BMW, but the Portuguese driver got a great run on the Hungarian through the Parabolica and outdragged the BMW to the finish line to claim the final position on the podium at the chequered flag after Menu’s retirement.

The second race takes place at 15:15 CET with Monteiro set to start from pole position.