Björk and Muller finish 1-2 for Lynk&Co
Thed Björk and Yvan Muller converted their front row starting positions into a 1-2 finish for Cyan Racing and Lynk&Co in WTCR’s Race 1 at Zandvoort, while Mikel Azcona drove his PWR Racing CUPRA to another podium result.
Björk sprinted from the pole position and took the lead from Muller, while Priaulx made a poor start and dropped behind Azcona, although he managed to keep Johan Kristoffersson at bay and retained the fourth place.
The race was mostly processional, with the cars in a single line, split by small gaps. Soon Mehdi Bennani, in sixth position, managed to chase Kristoffersson, preventing him from attacking Priaulx. However, the TCR Scandinavia reigning champion did not give up and eventually stole fourth from Priaulx on the penultimate lap.
Yann Ehrlacher, who had been dropped from fourth to ninth on the grid, following a penalty for impending Augusto Farfus in Qualifying, advanced to seventh, which is where he finished, with Benjamin Leuchter, Frédéric Vervisch and Nicky Catsburg rounding off the top ten.
Gabriele Tarquini cruised in 18th position and was given a 5-second time penalty for jumping the start, while the Münnich Motorsport pair of Néstor Girolami and Esteban Guerrieri collected only a handful of points as they finished 15th and 12th respectively. They remained on top of the standings, with Girolami leading by one point over his teammate.
Track action will resume tomorrow morning at 8:00 with the Qualifying for Race 2 and Race 3.
Race 1
1. Thed Björk (Cyan Racing, Lynk&Co 03), 12 laps
2. Yvan Muller (Cyan Racing, Lynk&Co 03), 0.704
3. Mikel Azcona (PWR Racing, CUPRA), 1.270
4. Johan Kristoffersson (Sébastien Loeb Racing, Volkswagen Golf GTI), 3.062
5. Andy Priaulx (Cyan Performance, Lynk&Co 03), 3.631
Championship points
1. Girolami 127 pts; 2. Guerrieri 126; 3. Björk 117
