Photo: WTCR

Gabriele Tarquini retakes the points lead with Slovakia Race 2 victory

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Gabriele Tarquini has retaken the lead of the World Touring Car Cup drivers’ standings after winning the second race of the weekend, finishing ahead of the Zengo Cupra TCR of Norbert Nagy, with Yvan Muller completing the podium in his YMR Hyundai.

The race was delayed after a last-minute controversy, with three of the Hondas excluded after qualifying due to a boost violation, but all were reinstated when the teams Boutsen Ginion Racing and Münnich Motorsport filed an appeal.

The race started with the Hondas of Esteban Guerrieri, Tom Coronel and Benjamin Lessennes starting as they qualified, although Tom Coronel’s car was wheeled off the grid before the start with a damper failure.

Nagy and Tarquini went head-to-head at the start, with the Hungarian pole-sitter having to settle into second behind the Italian’s Hyundai at Turn 3, while Yvan Muller made a successful start and launched from seventh to third in the order in his YMR-run Hyundai.

Race 1 winner Pepe Oriola quickly passed Frédéric Vervisch’s Audi and was up to fourth in his Campos Cupra TCR, while Benjamin Lessennes in the Honda made his way past his rival Belgian’s Audi on the following lap.

Jean-Karl Vernay’s race ended on lap four as the Frenchman ran off with an apparent brake issue at Turn 3 in his WRT Audi RS 3 LMS while running in 13th place.

Vervisch continued to drop down the order, as he was passed by John Filippi’s Cupra and then Norbert Michelisz in the BRC Hyundai, but was able to hold off the two Münnich Hondas of Esteban Guerrieri and Yann Ehrlacher to finish eighth.

Thed Björk put on a valiant charge in his YMR Hyundai from 19th on the grid, but finished just outside of the points in 11th.

Tarquini won the race by two seconds over Norbert Nagy, who scored Zengo Motorsport’s first podium in an FIA World event since Qatar 2015, when Norbert Michelisz finished on the podium, with Muller securing his eighth podium of the season.

Tarquini’s win moves him up to the lead of the standings, three points clear of Yvan Muller, with Ehrlacher falling behind, 31 points away in third, five ahead of WRT’s Jean-Karl Vernay.

The results of the race remain provisional subject to the appeal of Boutsen Ginion and Münnich Motorsport, which could see Lessennes lose his fifth-place finish and Guerrieri ninth.

The third and final race of the weekend takes place at 11:45 CEST tomorrow, with Norbert Michelisz starting on pole position.