Néstor Girolami Wins In China As Thed Björk Claims World Championship Lead By Half A Point
October 16, 2017 by Polestar
Néstor Girolami won his maiden WTCC race in very wet conditions at Ningbo International Speedpark in China as Thed Björk has claimed the World Championship lead by a mere half point for Polestar Cyan Racing.
Pouring rain all day meant that the main race was started behind the Volvo V60 Polestar Safety Car and later stopped, with Néstor Girolami crossing the line in first position. The regulations state that half points should be awarded under these finishing conditions.
'It is really strange to claim my first WTCC win like this. But it is nonetheless a victory and the team has done an amazing job all weekend. We proved yesterday that we are fastest of all in the rain by claiming pole. I agree with the decision of the stewards to stop the race early despite that I wanted to race for it, they are responsible for our safety and I respect that,' said Néstor Girolami.
Thed Björk crossed the line in third position to take his seventh podium finish of the season and has claimed the championship lead by 0.5 points.
'This is no doubt one of the most eventful race weekends I have ever experienced. My goal was to claim the World Championship lead and I have done just that. We had some issues that we need to learn from moving forward, but the really positive thing that we bring with us to the next race in Japan is that we finally are on pace in the wet. I am happy with this weekend,' said Thed Björk.
Nicky Catsburg claimed the team's third podium finish of the weekend at Ningbo International Speedpark by crossing the line in third position in the opening race.
'This has been a weekend of ups and downs for me. We didn't get things right for qualifying and we need to work on that. I am happy with the podium finish, the team has scored vital points for both championships and I look forward to the next race in Japan,' said Nicky Catsburg.
The victory and three podiums in the FIA WTCC Race of China has elevated Polestar Cyan Racing to leading both championships, heading Honda by seven points in the manufacturers' championship.
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'We came to China trailing behind in both championships with the objective to lead both when we leave. Mission completed thanks to a super effort from everyone in the team under very tough conditions. We are heading to Japan with the objective to defend our lead,' said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Motorsport at Polestar. The FIA WTCC Race of Japan takes place on October 28-29th: wtcc.polestar.com WTCC Race of China Circuit: Ningbo International Speedpark Length: 4000 m Lap record (WTCC): 2:03.753 (Guerrieri) Results Race 1 – Top 5 1 Esteban Guerrieri Chevrolet Cruze 15 laps 2 Yann Ehrlacher Lada Vesta +2.893 3 Nicky Catsburg Volvo S60 +11.671 4 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +17.409 5 Gabriele Tarquini Honda Civic +17.840 … 13 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +5 laps DNF Néstor Girolami Volvo S60 Race 2 – Top 5 1 Néstor Girolami Volvo S60 2 laps 2 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +0.851 3 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +2.537 4 Gabriele Tarquini Honda Civic +3.347 5 Tom Chilton Citroën C-Elysée +4.562 … 7 Nicky Catsburg Volvo S60 +8.113 Q3 1 Néstor Girolami Volvo S60 1:58.049 2 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +0.320 3 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +0.487 4 Rob Huff Citroën C-Elysée +0.808 5 Gabriele Tarquini Honda Civic +2.991 Q2 – Top 5 1 Gabriele Tarquini Honda Civic 1:58.485 2 Néstor Girolami Volvo S60 +0.023 3 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +0.093 4 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +0.177 5 Rob Huff Citroën C-Elysée +0.209 … 8 Nicky Catsburg Volvo S60 +1.540 Q1 – Top 5 1 Thed Björk Volvo S60 1:58.243 2 Néstor Girolami Volvo S60 +0.352 3 Rob Huff Citroën C-Elysée +0.518 4 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +0.551 5 Gabriele Tarquini Honda Civic +0.612 … 9 Nicky Catsburg Volvo S60 +1.377 Championship Standings Drivers' – Top 5 1 Thed Björk Volvo S60 200,5 pts 2 Tiago Monteiro Honda Civic 200 (-0,5) 3 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic 198,5 (-2) 4 Nicky Catsburg Volvo S60 177,5 (-22,5) 5 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée 164 (-36,5) … 9 Néstor Girolami Volvo S60 88 (-112,5) Manufacturers' 1 Volvo 647,5 pts 2 Honda 640,5 (-7) Compensation weights for China Model – Time difference – Weight Honda Civic – +0.0 sec – +80 kg Volvo S60 Polestar – 0.1 sec – +70 kg Citroën C-Elysée – +0.3 sec – +50 kg Chevrolet Cruze – +1.0 sec – +0 kg Lada Vesta – +1.6 sec – +0 kg TV Schedule https://www.fiawtcc.com/watch-it-on-tv http://www.eurosportplayer.com 2017 FIA World Touring Car Championship Entry List No – Driver – Team – Car 3 – Tom Chilton – GBR – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 5 – Norbert Michelisz – HUN – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC 8 – Aurélien Panis – FRA – Zengő Motorsport – Honda Civic WTCC 9 – Tom Coronel – NED – ROAL Motorsport – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 12 – Rob Huff – GBR – Münnich Motorsport – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 18 – Tiago Monteiro – POR – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC 22 – Manuel Fernandes – POR – RC Motorsport – Lada Vesta WTCC 24 – Kevin Gleason – USA – RC Motorsport – Lada Vesta WTCC 25 – Mehdi Bennani – MOR – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 27 – John Filippi – FRA – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC 34 – Ryo Michigami – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC 61 – Néstor Girolami – ARG – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 TC1 62 – Thed Björk – SWE – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 TC1 63 – Nicky Catsburg – NED – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 TC1 68 – Yann Ehrlacher – FRA – RC Motorsport – Lada Vesta WTCC 86 – Esteban Guerrieri – ARG – Campos Racing – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 99 – Daniel Nagy – HUN – Zengő Motorsport – Honda Civic WTCC ## – Gabriele Tarquini – ITA – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC FIA World Touring Car Championship 2017 Calendar WTCC Race of Morocco (Marrakech): 7-9 April WTCC Race of Italy (Monza): 28-30 April WTCC Race of Hungary (Hungaroring): 12-14 May WTCC Race of Germany (Nürburgring Nordschleife): 25-27 May WTCC Race of Portugal (Vila Real): 23-25 June WTCC Race of Argentina (Termas de Río Hondo): 15-16 July WTCC Race of China (Shanghai Ningbo Circuit): 13-15 October WTCC Race of Japan (Twin Ring Motegi): 27-29 October WTCC Race of Macau (Circuit de Guia): 17-19 November WTCC Race of Qatar (Losail International Circuit): 30 November-1 December
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