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2011 FIA WTCC Race of Spain

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Spain 2011 FIA WTCC Race of Spain
Race details
Date4 September, 2011
LocationValencia, Spain
CourseCircuit Ricardo Tormo
4.005 kilometres (2.489 mi)
Race One
Laps 14
Pole position
Driver France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML
Time 1:42.649
Podium
First France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML
Second Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet RML
Third Netherlands Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport
Fastest Lap
Driver France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML
Time 1:45.130
Race Two
Laps 13
Podium
First France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML
Second United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet RML
Third Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet RML
Fastest Lap
Driver France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML
Time 1:44.683

The 2011 FIA WTCC Race of Spain was the ninth round of the 2011 World Touring Car Championship season and the seventh running of the FIA WTCC Race of Spain. It was held on 4 September 2011 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.

Both races were won by Yvan Muller of Chevrolet RML who took the championship lead from teammate Robert Huff.

Background

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Chevrolet driver Robert Huff was the championship leader coming into the round, six points ahead of Yvan Muller. Norbert Michelisz was leading the Yokohama Independents' Trophy.

Russian driver David Sigachev joined Engstler Motorsport for the event, running under the DeTeam KK Motorsport banner which had been in the championship at the start of the season.[1]

Report

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Free practice

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Muller set the pace in the first free practice session with Alain Menu second and Huff third. Robert Dahlgren, Franz Engstler and Gabriele Tarquini were all caught out by the gravel trap at turn one, however Engstler went on to be the quickest independent driver by finishing eighth. bamboo-engineering's Darryl O'Young missed the session due to a fuel pump problem. Stefano D'Aste was fined €1,500 for ignoring yellow flags.[2]

Muller was quickest again in the second practice session. The red flags came out early on when Proteam Racing's Fabio Fabiani crashed into the barriers at the first corner, the session was stopped for 20 minutes while repairs were made. Fabiani's teammate Mehdi Bennani had earlier beached his BMW 320 TC in the gravel at turn fourteen on his first flying lap, he tried to return to the track later on but was not allowed by the race officials as he had received outside assistance.[3]

Qualifying

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After leading both practice sessions, Muller set his third consecutive pole position in qualifying. He lined up for race one alongside title rival Huff. Tarquini topped the first part of qualifying with Menu second, Engstler was tenth in and would take the reversed grid pole position for race two for the second round in a row. Local driver Pepe Oriola looked set to make it through into the second session but dropped to eleventh at the last minute thanks to a quick lap from Michel Nykjær. Dahlgren was 17th having had little track time due to various problems,

The final part of qualifying was led by Muller throughout, Tarquini had initially been second until a late lap from Huff locked out the front row for Chevrolet. Tiago Monteiro would start on the second row was the fastest BMW driver in fifth, Menu was the last of the factory Chevrolet trio in sixth. Michelisz was the fastest independent driver, the Zengő-Dension Team driver having jumped up the timesheet at the expense of Javier Villa in the final moments of the session. Engstler and Nykjær completed the top ten.[4]

Warm-Up

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Having so far had a disappointing weekend, Polestar Racing driver Dahlgren topped the times in Sunday morning's warm–up session. Aleksei Dudukalo was having set up issues on his Lukoil-SUNRED SEAT, locking up frequently before depositing his car in the gravel at the first corner on his third lap.[5]

Race One

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Muller started on pole but he lost his lead almost immediately as Tarquini made a good getaway from third to pass the leading Chevrolet pair. Further round the lap, Monteiro tapped Menu then bumped into Huff who had been challenging for second place. Tarquini led until lap four when Muller made a successful pass for the lead at the second corner. Tarquini was succumbing to engine problems and he was passed by Menu before retiring with a misfire. Monteiro was running third before dropping down the order, Coronel took the final podium spot. At the chequered flag, Muller led a Chevrolet 1–2 to take the championship lead with Coronel third and Kristian Poulsen fourth taking the independent victory. Huff ended up fifth ahead of Villa, Michelisz and Monteiro. Dahlgren recovered from his disappointing grid spot to finish ninth and Stefano D'Aste was the last points scorer in tenth.[6]

Race Two

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Engstler started on pole position but made a slow start and Coronel took the lead, followed by Villa and Michelisz. The BMW trio led the race until four laps from the end when Villa made an attempt to take the lead, the Proteam driver made a move at turn two but Coronel defended and went up over the side of Villa's car. Villa ended up in the gravel, Coronel dropped down the order and Michelisz was unaffected by Muller passed the Zengő driver to take the lead. Michelisz was close behind until Huff made a last lap pass and Michelisz spun on the exit of the final corner. Muller won the second race of the day with Huff second and Menu third, Tarquini was fourth ahead of Poulsen who scored his second independent victory of the day.[7]

Results

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2
1 1 France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:44.155 1:42.649
2 2 United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:44.060 1:43.105
3 3 Italy Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T 1:43.907 1:43.182
4 18 Portugal Tiago Monteiro SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T 1:44.086 1:43.269
5 15 Netherlands Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 1:44.565 1:43.367
6 8 Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:43.992 1:43.387
7 5 Hungary Norbert Michelisz Zengő-Dension Team BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.047 1:43.731
8 20 Spain Javier Villa Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.395 1:43.759
9 12 Germany Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.577 1:44.077
10 17 Denmark Michel Nykjær SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 1:44.461 1:44.836
11 74 Spain Pepe Oriola SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 1:44.614
12 11 Denmark Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.734
13 9 Hong Kong Darryl O'Young bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:44.741
14 64 Russia David Sigachev DeTeam KK Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.768
15 7 Switzerland Fredy Barth SEAT Swiss Racing by SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 1:44.849
16 26 Italy Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 1:44.905
17 30 Sweden Robert Dahlgren Polestar Racing Volvo C30 Drive 1:45.082
18 10 Japan Yukinori Taniguchi bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:45.096
19 4 Russia Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 1:45.113
107% time: 1:51.180
21 Italy Fabio Fabiani Proteam Racing BMW 320si Y 2:04.283
25 Morocco Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 12:24.555
  • Bold denotes Pole position for second race.

Race 1

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 25:39.052 1 25
2 8 Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 +1.103 6 18
3 15 Netherlands Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 14 +6.345 5 15
4 11 Denmark Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 14 +9.961 12 12
5 2 United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 +15.404 2 10
6 20 Spain Javier Villa Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 14 +15.630 8 8
7 5 Hungary Norbert Michelisz Zengő-Dension Team BMW 320 TC Y 14 +16.206 7 6
8 18 Portugal Tiago Monteiro SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T 14 +16.665 4 4
9 30 Sweden Robert Dahlgren Polestar Racing Volvo C30 Drive 14 +16.777 17 2
10 26 Italy Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 14 +17.139 16 1
11 17 Denmark Michel Nykjær SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 14 +18.962 10
12 74 Spain Pepe Oriola SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 14 +23.362 11
13 4 Russia Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 14 +26.603 19
14 10 Japan Yukinori Taniguchi bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 14 +28.955 18
15 9 Hong Kong Darryl O'Young bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 14 +44.967 13
16 21 Italy Fabio Fabiani Proteam Racing BMW 320si Y 14 +1:37.597 20
17 3 Italy Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T 10 +4 Laps 3
18 64 Russia David Sigachev DeTeam KK Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 10 +4 Laps 14
19 7 Switzerland Fredy Barth SEAT Swiss Racing by SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 10 +4 Laps 15
NC 12 Germany Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 9 +5 Laps 9
Ret 25 Morocco Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 4 Race incident 21
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 13 23:14.296 5 25
2 2 United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 13 +0.434 7 18
3 8 Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 13 +1.143 9 15
4 3 Italy Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T 13 +2.966 10 12
5 11 Denmark Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 13 +5.560 12 10
6 5 Hungary Norbert Michelisz Zengő-Dension Team BMW 320 TC Y 13 +9.201 8 8
7 15 Netherlands Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 13 +12.184 2 6
8 74 Spain Pepe Oriola SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 13 +15.651 11 4
9 30 Sweden Robert Dahlgren Polestar Racing Volvo C30 Drive 13 +17.952 16 2
10 12 Germany Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 13 +19.055 1 1
11 26 Italy Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 13 +22.493 15
12 25 Morocco Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 13 +24.806 21
13 64 Russia David Sigachev DeTeam KK Motorsport BMW 320 TC Y 13 +29.091 20
14 9 Hong Kong Darryl O'Young bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 +30.030 13
15 17 Denmark Michel Nykjær SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 13 +30.488 3
16 10 Japan Yukinori Taniguchi bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 13 +40.370 17
17 21 Italy Fabio Fabiani Proteam Racing BMW 320si Y 13 +1:41.824 19
18 7 Switzerland Fredy Barth SEAT Swiss Racing by SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 11 +2 Laps 14
19 20 Spain Javier Villa Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 9 +4 Laps 4
Ret 4 Russia Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 4 Race incident 18
Ret 18 Portugal Tiago Monteiro SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T 1 Race incident 6
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Standings after the event

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of drivers' standings.

References

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  1. ^ Allen, Peter (19 August 2011). "Russian Racer Sigachev Joins WTCC At Valencia". The Checkered Flag. BlackEagleMedia Network. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  2. ^ Hudson, Neil (3 September 2011). "Yvan Muller fastest in first Valencia practice". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  3. ^ Hudson, Neil (3 September 2011). "Muller quickest in red flag interrupted FP2". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  4. ^ Abbott, Andrew (3 September 2011). "Muller takes third straight pole in Valencia". Touring-Cars.net. Andrew Abbott. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  5. ^ Hudson, Neil (4 September 2011). "Robert Dahlgren fastest in Valencia warm-up". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  6. ^ Allen, Peter (4 September 2011). "Muller Wins First Valencia Race To Take Championship Lead". The Checkered Flag. BlackEagleMedia Network. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  7. ^ Allen, Peter (4 September 2011). "BMW 1-2-3 Ends Up As A Chevrolet 1-2-3 As Muller Doubles Up". The Checkered Flag. BlackEagleMedia Network. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
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World Touring Car Championship
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2011 FIA WTCC Race of Germany
2011 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2011 FIA WTCC Race of Japan
Previous race:
2010 FIA WTCC Race of Spain
FIA WTCC Race of Spain Next race:
2012 FIA WTCC Race of Spain