Gabriele Tarquini fastest in first Moscow test

Gabriele Tarquini pipped Yvan Muller to the top spot in the first test of the FIA World Touring Car Championship weekend in Moscow, Russia. The Honda driver lapped the circuit in 1:38.460 and was a mere 0.043 seconds faster than the Citroën driver.

Tiago Monteiro gave a possible hint of a strong Honda weekend by setting the third fastest time overall, just over half a second behind team mate Tarquini in the top.

Reigning champion José María López was close to eight tenths of a second off pace in fourth position with Citroën team mates Ma Qing Hua and Sébastien Loeb right behind him in positions five and six.

The fastest Lada driver was Rob Huff in seventh position, just below one second from the top time, with top independent runner Norbert Michelisz in eighth position for Zengo Motorsport.

The fastest of the Chevrolet drivers was Hugo Valente in tenth position, 1.232 seconds from Tarquini’s top time.

The bad luck continued for Rickard Rydell who makes his return to the championship this weekend after being forced to sit out all races since the season start due to an illness. The Swede had to watch the test session from the pits as the team trailer has been stuck in customs for four days.

The test was held in dry conditions albeit with a light rain starting at the end of the session. Next up for the WTCC field is the first free practice session, starting at 08:30 local time tomorrow.