Kevin Ceccon takes dominant first win for Alfa Romeo in Japan

Kevin Ceccon has taken his first World Touring Car Cup victory in the first race of the weekend at Suzuka for Team Mulsanne, overtaking the pole-sitter Aurélien Comte on lap two and sailing to victory in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR.

Comte led the way into the first corner, but the DG Sport Peugeot driver was unable to hold back the Alfa Romeo which had superior top speed in the final sector, with Ceccon blasting past and taking the lead at the end of the second lap at the Casio Triangle.

Comte quickly fell back and found himself defending against the YMR Hyundai i30 N TCR of Yvan Muller.

Last year’s WTCC champion Thed Björk retired from the race on lap three after he hit the tyre stack at the chicane after battling with the Team WRT Audi of Gordon Shedden.

The safety car was deployed as the tyre stack was replaced, and the race resumed though Rob Huff, who had got up to 13th in his Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen, was in the pits with left-rear damage after contact with Münnich Honda Yann Ehrlacher, who had been running into trouble since the start of the race.

Ceccon continued to pull away when the race resumed, but the safety car was out again on lap eight after Yann Ehrlacher was out at 130R following an incident with Shedden’s Audi.

In a two-lap dash for the line, there was nothing anyone could do about Ceccon, who won the race, setting the fastest lap by nearly half a second over Muller’s best time, with Comte having to settle for second and Muller third.

Esteban Guerrieri had a quiet run to fourth in his Honda Civic TCR, with Mehdi Bennani the best-placed Volkswagen in fifth.

Yvan Muller has now moved into the joint-championship lead with Gabriele Tarquini, with Thed Björk falling to 17 points behind.

The next race is scheduled for 11:05 JST on Sunday morning, with Campos Racing’s Pepe Oriola starting from pole.