Photo: WTCC Media

Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy goes to the wire in Macau

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bamboo-engineering’s James Nash won both races in the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy classification today at Shanghai, but team-mate Alex MacDowall remains in mathematical contention after finishing second and fifth in the class, heading to the double points finale at the Guia Race of Macau.

Nash took the class victory in race one, also grabbing third overall on the final lap from Pepe Oriola’s Tuenti Racing Chevrolet Cruze, with Alex MacDowall following him through to finish fourth, while Nash had a great start in race two, in difference to team-mate MacDowall who had a nightmare start and dropped from sixth to 14th on the first lap.

Nash was running as high as fifth in the early stages, later falling behind the RML Chevrolet of Yvan Muller to sixth, finishing as the top independent driver again in race two, while MacDowall was fifth in class and 13th overall, with the Carlisle-driver running into more bad luck when he got caught up in an incident ahead of him between Wiechers-Sport man Fredy Barth and ROAL Motorsport driver Darryl O’Young’s BMWs.

“Race one was really good, we went for the slick fronts and wet rears and I think our combination was the best”, said MacDowall. “It was hard to get past James (Nash), when it’s your team-mate in front you can’t really nudge them so I just had to stay focussed and keep the car on track as I was under a lot of pressure as well. It was a bit nervous at the back as the race went on but it was OK.”

James Nash was in the centre of the action in both races, fighting Nika’s Rickard Rydell in race one and holding off his team-mate MacDowall, and then was involved in a long battle with four-time champion Yvan Muller in the second race, eventually giving way and finishing sixth, but securing the all-important win in the Yokohama Trophy.

“I had the matter of some very hot competition to contend with,” said Nash. “Keeping last year’s champion Rob Huff’s SEAT, my team-mate Alex MacDowall and Gabriele Tarquini at bay, and the last lap pass on Pepe Oriola were the highlights for me of race one, while fighting this year’s champion Yvan Muller was great fun in race two.

“The independent title is so close now I can feel it,” he added. “I think Alex needs to win both races and set fastest lap in each in Macau without me scoring, or something like that to deprive me now of the title. But, it is Macau we’re talking about for the final event and so I’m taking nothing yet for granted.”

Nash’s lead is now 41 points over MacDowall, with 43 points remaining in the Trophy. Denmark’s Michel Nykjaer remains second in the classification, 37 points behind Nash, but the former Nika Racing driver has missed the last two rounds and will miss Macau as well, meaning the battle is exclusively between the two bamboo team-mates for the title.