Newcomer impresses in WTCC Race of Morocco Season Opener
10 Apr 2017

The Argentinian Esteban Guerrieri scored his maiden FIA World Touring Car Championship victory with the Opening Race in Marrakech, while the top spot on the main Race, which carries additional Championship points went for the veteran Portuguese Honda driver Tiago Monteiro.  This placed Monteiro at the head of the Championship and a new bid to world title glory following the first weekend of the season. Once again the Championship has the Japanese Tyre manufacturer YOKOHAMA as exclusive tyre supplier.

Guerrieri started the Opening Race second on the grid but capitalised on Tom Coronel’s fading brakes to win ahead of Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk and local hero Mehdi Bennani.  Norbert Michelisz followed his Honda team-mate Monteiro home in the Main Race, which is longer and offers more points this season.

Nestor Girolami took third for the factory Volvo Polestar squad, which is level with Honda in the Manufacturers’ standings heading to the next race in Italy.

With eight potential world champions in action, this season’s world championship is already shaping up to be the most open in nearly a decade, while Guerrieri’s victory points to a bright WTCC future for the talented Argentine, once a rival of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in Formula 3.

Other notable performances came from rookie racer Aurelien Panis and Ryo Michigami, who took their first WTCC point with P10 in the Opening Race and Main Race respectively. After Guerrieri secured the WTCC Trophy laurels in the Opening Race, Tom Chilton secured the Main Race victory when on-the-road winner Bennani received a two-second penalty for a collision with Nicky Catsburg, which dropped him from fourth to sixth overall and from first to second in the classification for privateer racers.

Current Overall Standings

1          MONTEIRO Tiago        Portugal                  43

2          MICHELISZ Norbert    Hungary                  36

3          CATSBURG Nicky       Netherlands            28

4          BENNANI Mehdi        Morocco                  26

5          GUERRIERI Esteban    Argentina                25

The next race will be held in Monza, Italy from 28-30^th April 2017.