WTCC ; Race 1: Muller takes first triumph / Race 2 : Loeb back on top

Yvan Muller has won the opening WTCC Race of Slovakia following a dominant lights-to-flag performance in his Citroën C-Elysée WTCC.

The Frenchman, a four-time winner of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, blasted away from pole position and was never headed, claiming his fourth win of the campaign.

His victory means he edges closer to team-mate and reigning world champion José María López in the title chase. López finished second with Sébastien Loeb completing Citroën’s podium monopoly in third.

Rob Huff was fourth for LADA with Hugo Valente bagging Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy honours in fifth in his privateer Chevrolet.

Gabriele Tarquini was the leading Honda finisher in sixth with Tom Chilton seventh and Tiago Monteiro eighth after charging through from P17 on the grid. Tom Coronel took ninth with Néstor Girolami 10^th on his WTCC debut having started in P18 in his Honda. Local hero Mato Homola finished in P13 behind Stefano D’Aste and John Filippi.

Sébastien Loeb scored win number two of the 2015 FIA World Touring Car Championship season by hunting down and passing Gabriele Tarquini for victory in the second WTCC Race of Slovakia.

Loeb, who hasn’t won in the WTCC since the opening weekend of the season in Argentina, was eighth on the grid in his factory Citroën but a strong start meant he was challenging Honda driver Tarquini before the end of the opening lap.

Tarquini held on for the next tour but was unable to prevent Loeb from passing at the second turn on lap three to claim his second win in Slovakia in as many seasons. And it would get worse for Tarquini when championship leader José María López and race one winner Yvan Muller also moved ahead, demoting the former champion to fourth.

While Loeb was able to pull clear out front, López and Muller battled for second with López taking the runner-up spot.

Hugo Valente made it back-to-back Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy wins in fifth behind Tarquini with Jaap van Lagen, who started the reverse grid race from pole, in sixth for LADA.