Great Guerrieri: Honda-powered racer the winner as #WTCR / #OSCARO season two begins in Morocco

ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver heads team-mate Girolami in Argentine 1-3 *Björk claims debut podium for Cyan Racing Lynk & Co in fine second place *Legends, experts, newcomers and young guns fill #WTCR2019SUPERGRID *Moroccan maestro Bennani out of luck following early Marrakech contact

FIA WTCR AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco: Race 1 report, 6 April
WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO 2019
Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of 30, Circuit Moulay El Hassan, Marrakech, 5-7 April

Esteban Guerrieri scored the first win of the 2019 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO with victory from the DHL Pole Position in Race 1 at WTCR AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco today.

The ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Honda Civic Type R TCR held off a challenge from fellow front row starter Thed Björk at Turn 1, then kept his lead throughout the 18-lap race in Marrakech, as just five seconds separated the top seven by the flag.

Björk’s Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 TCR pulled alongside the Honda at Turn 1 and even nosed ahead, but on the outside line of the long left-hander he was forced to cede.

“It was a nice race and I controlled the pace,” said Guerrieri. “Thed made a good start and we were side by side, but he was a gentleman. I had some yellow lights flash up as an alarm, but after that everything was good. It’s great to start the season like this.”

Behind the top two, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Néstor Girolami couldn’t maintain his third place off the grid and lost out first to Cyan Performance Lynk & Co’s Andy Priaulx and then to Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport’s Jean-Karl Vernay.

Vernay then set after Priaulx and on lap four made his move on the Lynk & Co at Turn 1, nudging the three-time World Touring Car champion out of his third place. Priaulx dropped to sixth behind Girolami and BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini in his Hyundai i30 N TCR.

But Vernay was later handed a five-second penalty for the move. The decision awarded Girolami a podium finish on his first WTCR / OSCARO start and ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport a team one-three. Tarquini was fourth and Priaulx fifth, while KCMG’s Tiago Monteiro grabbed a superb sixth place finish in his Honda Civic Type R TCR as his return from serious injury continues. Vernay was classified seventh following his penalty.

Cyan Performance Lynk & Co’s Yann Ehrlacher added more points for his new team in seventh, ahead of Team Mulsanne’s Kevin Ceccon in his Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR. BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team’s Nicky Catsburg completed the top 10 in his Hyundai.

With points awarded down to P15 this year, there was more to play for beyond the top 10. In P11 was BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s Norbert Michelisz, but only after he had been hit by newcomer PWR Racing’s Mikel Azcona, who was given a five-second penalty for the incident.
SLR VW Motorsport’s Rob Huff claimed P12 in his Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, ahead of BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team’s Augusto Farfus, with Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport’s Gordon Shedden next up followed by Azcona, who claimed the final point in P15. Comtoyou Team Audi Sport’s Frédéric Vervisch was P13 at the flag but a jumped-start penalty dropped him to P17 behind Benjamin Leuchter.

Among those to hit trouble were Tom Coronel and local hero Mehdi Bennani, who clashed on the opening lap. As for Yvan Muller, who had qualified second only to be forced to the back after an engine change, he took the start from the pitlane and finished in P18.

WTCR AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco resumes on Sunday morning with the second qualifying session due to start at 11h00 local time.