Dominating a street track is a high feat when one does not start from the pole position, considering how few overtaking opportunities arise. Mehdi Bennani and Sébastien Loeb Racing nevertheless achieved this high feat over the weekend, during the fifth event of the World Touring Car Championship held in Vila Real, Portugal. Fourth on the Opening Race starting grid, the Moroccan driver managed to slither through from the start in order to finish the first lap ahead. Controlling this advantage to the end, he earned his second victory of the year with panache. He later completed this success by climbing onto the third step of the WTCC Trophy podium after the Main Race. But the Soultz-sous-Forêts team’s performance was a group effort. With fourth and sixth positions, which twice granted him second place in the WTCC Trophy, Tom Chilton showed textbook regularity and proved once more that he is a strong contender for the independent drivers’ title. John Filippi’s two top-ten finishes confirmed the unceasing progress that he has achieved with his Alsatian Citroën C-Elysée.
“When a weekend ends in a victory, as well as big points, that means it wasn’t far from perfect!” enthused Mehdi Bennani. “I’d like to thank the team for the work they put in: they entrusted me with a Citroën C-Elysée which allowed me not only to get a very good start in the Opening Race, but also to attack right from the beginning to increase the distance with my opponents, and from there to negotiate the Joker lap, which had been introduced in this event, without any issues.”
“I signed a good first race, but Mehdi did even better, which the team deserved since they haven’t stopped working to give us the best possible conditions!” Tom Chilton explained. “With some solid points scored, my weekend was very positive. During the second race, I again performed a very good start, and I managed to avoid the car that had stalled in front of me! I only regret making a small error which allowed Huff to overtake me, without which I’d have been in the lead for the WTCC Trophy, but that’s motorsports for you!”
“Considering the speeds you reach, and how close the walls are, the Vila Real circuit is one of the most beautiful of the calendar, but also one of the most demanding,” confided John Filippi. “By finishing eleventh of the qualifying heats, I barely missed out on a pole position in the Opening Race, which could have allowed me to do even better. Still, I did pretty well by managing to finish each race in the tenth position, which gives me eight more points for the WTCC Trophy.”
“With eighty kilograms of compensation weight, our Citroën C-Elysée wasn’t a favourite on paper, against an opposition who didn’t have to deal with similar penalties,” analysed Dominique Heintz, co-founder of Sébastien Loeb Racing along with Sébastien Loeb. “Nevertheless, our team again did their utmost so our drivers could use the car to its refined best on this atypical track. Mehdi’s victory is a proper reward! It confirms that we’d worked well ahead of the race, as do Tom’s and John’s honourable positions. With two of our drivers poised to win the WTCC Trophy, and since we’re far ahead in the Teams’ Trophy, we can start the second half of the season with confidence.”
The next step for Sébastien Loeb Racing’s WTCC team comes from the 14th to the 16th of July, in Argentina.
RESULTS & STANDINGS :
Opening Race: 1. M. Bennani (1st WTCC Trophy), 2. T. Monteiro, 3. T. Bjork, 4. T. Chilton (2nd WTCC Trophy) … 10. J. Filippi (5th WTCC Trophy), etc.
Main Race: 1. N. Michelisz, 2. T. Bjork, 3. T. Monteiro … 6. T. Chilton (2nd WTCC Trophy), 7. M. Bennani (3rd WTCC Trophy)… 10. J. Filippi (5th WTCC Trophy), etc.
Drivers’ World Championship: 1. T. Monteiro 164 pts, 2. T. Björk 160, 3. N. Catsburg 154 … 5. M. Bennani 133, 6. T. Chilton 128 … 12. J. Filippi 11, etc.
WTCC Drivers’ Trophy: 1. R. Huff 79 pts, 2. T. Chilton 75, 3. M. Bennani 71 … 7. J. Filippi 26, etc.
WTCC Teams’ Trophy: 1. Sébastien Loeb Racing 92 pts, 2. Münnich Motorsport 72, 3. Campos Racing 57, etc.