Photo: WTCC Media

Defiant Tom Coronel takes the fight to Citroën and wins

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Despite only just having his car repaired for this weekend after a monster crash at Marrakech, Tom Coronel showed he was still ready to race, holding off four-time WTCC champion Yvan Muller for 14 laps at the Hungaroring on Sunday to claim fourth place, and allow Gianni Morbidelli, Tiago Monteiro and Hugo Valente to escape up ahead, with Morbidelli claiming the first win for the new Chevrolet Cruze.

The 42-year-old Dutchman had started third but had fallen to fourth at the first corner when he was passed by the Honda Civic of Tiago Monteiro. Straight away he found Yvan Muller’s Citroën C-Elysée in his rear-view mirrors, but managed to hold him off on every lap into Turn 1, the key passing point at the track.

“In the first two laps when I saw him trying some moves, I thought OK, I’ll just take the corner and see how he reacts,” said Coronel to TouringCarTimes. “At that stage I also could see he was keeping me alive a little bit, from my point of view I think he had some chances, but from his point of view maybe he thought they were too much of a risk.

“Also, on this type of circuit it was possible (to stay in front). On another circuit I would probably have let them pass by as it would be stupid not to as they would pass me anyway, but I thought here there is a chance (to keep them behind).

“I took a lot of risk, but it was fun. I was locking a lot of wheels, I was braking stupidly late a few times but that was my only chance.”

Unlike in recent years, where Coronel was a master of the race two reversed grid start, thanks to his rear-wheel drive BMW 320 TC, the Dutchman is finding the standing starts harder this year, not helped by the fact that the Honda and Citroën cars are starting more strongly.

“70% of the race is the start, and the Honda and the CItroëns have rocket starts,” said Coronel. “So we know what we have to work on. From my point of view, the car is fast, the basics are good, but we need to find more traction, and if we can find that solution then we can fight.”