Photo: WTCC Media

José María López takes sensational home win in Argentina

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José María López has made history in the World Touring Car Championship, becoming the first Argentinian driver to win in the WTCC on his first appearance in the championship with Wiechers-Sport, winning the second race from pole position whilst points leader Yvan Muller finished out of the points in 13th.

López started from pole position in the rear-wheel drive BMW 320 TC and got away well at the start whilst Michel Nykjaer bogged down on the front row and was passed by Tiago Monteiro’s Honda who’d started fourth on the grid.

Race one winner Yvan Muller was on a charge in his RML Chevrolet Cruze, and was up to third by the end of lap two courtest in part due to a late run on Nykjaer from Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini. Though both didn’t make contact they went wide and allowed Muller straight through and on to the tail of Monteiro.

The two began to close in on López’s BMW, who had a two second lead after his quick start, but on lap five Muller tried to switch to the outside of Monteiro’s Honda late heading into Turn 5 and clipped the rear of Monteiro’s Civic, knocking him into the gravel. The Portuguese driver was able to get back on track but it wasn’t long until Muller was handed a drive through penalty by the stewards which dropped him down to 18th place to which he was able to recover to 13th but outside of the points.

Gabriele Tarquini was able to rescue the race for Honda recovering to second ahead of Tuenti Racing’s Pepe Oriola who finished as the top placed Chevrolet.

There were two incidents under investigation after Campos Racing’s Hugo Valente spun ROAL Motorsport’s Darryl O’Young out of ninth place on lap nine, and O’Young’s team-mate Tom Coronel is also under investigation for spinning Münnich Motorsport’s Marc Basseng out on lap six, also at Turn 5.

Yvan Muller’s lead in the standings is now reduced after race one to 132 points ahead of Michel Nykjaer, heading to the next round of the Championship at Sonoma where the Frenchman can theoretically wrap up the 2013 drivers’ title.