Citroen strong at Paul Ricard
21 Apr 2014

Citroen strong at Paul Ricard

The much awaited return to France of the FIA WTCC at Paul Ricard was an eventful one at the weekend.  The expectation among the crowds and French teams in the colourful circuit augured well for the national manufacturer Citroen who displayed an impressive commitment to ensuring that their competition at the World Championship this season is right on top – and especially so at their “home” race.

With star signings such as current FIA WTCC Champion Yvan Muller and Rally legend Sebastien Loeb and the dynamic Argentinian “Jose Pechito Lopez”  on board the well tuned Citroen machinery their presence was overwhelming.

Race 1 took place under the rain and with Loeb and Lopez, penalised for a technical fault and having to go all the way back to the end of the grid despite having achieved the top times in qualifying.  Benefitting from this, Yvan Muller, who needs few chances , dominated race 1 with the mastery and confidence that his skill and experience provide him and naturally his competitive car.

Tarquini battled fiercely trying to keep ahead for Honda and also showing he means business achieving a very good podium place after Muller and Loeb who managed to overtake the Italian veteran in the 14th  lap - 2 laps before the end.  Meanwhile Lopez who had also come back from behind tallied another 12 points in the bag for his 4th place, closely followed by a very inspired Huff on Lada.

Race 2 was also spectacular.  The rain had stopped and the reversal of the grid meant again the Citroen drivers had to come back from far afield.  However “Pechito Lopez did just that”.  With a victory that saw him overtake every other car to speed past the chequered flag to lead the current general driver’s table with Sebastien Loeb already challenging for the title.

After only two race weekends  the top positions are as follows;

Standings in the Drivers' Championship

1.  LÓPEZ José María 85 pt.

2.  LOEB Sébastien 73 pt.

3.  MULLER Yvan 65 pt.

4.  TARQUINI Gabriele 31 pt.

5.  VALENTE Hugo 31 pt.

6.  MONTEIRO Tiago 30 pt.

7.  CHILTON Tom 30 pt.

Yokohama Drivers' Trophy

1.  ENGSTLER Franz 45 pt.

2.  DI SABATINO Pasquale 30 pt.

3.  FILIPPI John 21 pt.