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WTCC races of 2017 recap part two

The 2017 FIA World Touring Car Championship produced action and excitement aplenty. He's a recap of the closing five events of an epic season.

WTCC Race of Argentina: Yann Ehrlacher scored a breakthrough WTCC win, converting a career-first standing start pole into victory number one for him and the privateer RC Motorsport team. The 21-year-old nephew of four-time WTCC champion Yvan Muller led away from the line only for contact with Tom Chilton to drop him to second. However, event officials deemed that the Sébastien Loeb Racing driver had gained an unfair advantage and handed Chilton a five-second time penalty, which dropped him from first to fourth at the finish of the Opening Race. Norbert Michelisz took the Main Race honoursafter Nicky Catsburg suffered a puncture while leading.

WTCC Race of China: Esteban Guerrieri was the star at the all-new Ningbo International Speedpark with a virtuoso performance in the Opening Race, before heavy rain forced the Main Race to be stopped on the fourth lap. Néstor Girolami was leading at the time and took his maiden WTCC win, while his Volvo Polestar team-mate Thed Björk capitalised on Tiago Monteiro's absence through injury to move to the top of the title standings by half a point. Guerrieri and Tom Chilton were the winners in the WTCC Trophy with Guerrieri claiming the TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy for his effort in the Opening Race.

WTCC Race of Japan: Norbert Michelisz bagged a vital home win for Honda to remain firmly in contention for the WTCC crown following two rain-hit races at Twin Ring Motegi. Tom Chilton maintained his advantage at the top of the WTCC Trophy table - plus an outside shot at the overall crown - by winning the Opening Race outright. Yann Ehrlacher and Esteban Guerrieri - Tiago Monteiro's stand-in at Honda - completed the Opening Race podium, as Catsburg and Néstor Girolami joined Michelisz in the Main Race top three. While the rain made for difficult driving conditions, it contributed to an action-packed Opening Race, which marked Kevin Gleason's first reverse-grid pole.

WTCC Race of Macau: Rob Huff made it 10 different winners in WTCC 2017 with his record-breaking ninth triumph in Macau, as Norbert Michelisz slashed Thed Björk's title lead to 6.5 points with second place in the Main Race. Mehdi Bennani began the weekend in style with the Opening Race victory but by trailing team-mate Tom Chilton in Sunday's rain-hit Main Race, the Moroccan is half a point behind the Briton in the WTCC Trophy standings with just the Qatar finale remaining. Elsewhere, a maiden WTCC podium for Ryo Michigami helped Honda to trim Volvo Polestar's advantage in the Manufacturers' table to 12.5 points.

WTCC Race of Qatar: Tom Chilton and Esteban Guerrieri shared the wins but it was Thed Björk who took the title in tense showdown (pictured). Norbert Michelisz arrived in Qatar 6.5 points behind Björk but a brake issue in qualifying left the Honda driver out of contention as Björk drove without fault to the crown. Volvo Polestar won the makes' prize with Nicky Catsburg and Yvan Muller - on a one-off WTCC return. Tom Chilton beat Rob Huff and his Sébastien Loeb Racing team-mate Mehdi Bennani to the WTCC Trophy. Kevin Gleason claimed his first WTCC podium in the Opening Race, a first for an American.

Zdroj: fiawtcc.com