2014 FIA WTCC Race of Japan

The 2014 FIA WTCC Race of Japan (formally the 2014 FIA WTCC JVC Kenwood Race of Japan) was the eleventh round of the 2014 World Touring Car Championship season and the seventh running of the FIA WTCC Race of Japan. It was held on 26 October 2014 at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka City, Japan. This was the first time the race was held on the full Grand Prix layout.

Japan 2014 FIA WTCC Race of Japan
Race details
Date26 October, 2014
LocationSuzuka City, Japan
CourseSuzuka Circuit
5.807 kilometres (3.608 mi)
Race One
Laps 11
Pole position
Driver Argentina José María López Citroën Total WTCC
Time 2:05.439
Podium
First Argentina José María López Citroën Total WTCC
Second United Kingdom Tom Chilton ROAL Motorsport
Third France Sébastien Loeb Citroën Total WTCC
Fastest Lap
Driver Argentina José María López Citroën Total WTCC
Time 2:09.279
Race Two
Laps 11
Podium
First Italy Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda Team
Second Serbia Dušan Borković Campos Racing
Third Hungary Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport
Fastest Lap
Driver Italy Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda Team
Time 2:09.063

Race one was won by José María López for Citroën Total WTCC and race two was won by Gabriele Tarquini for the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team. López secured his first World Touring Car Championship drivers' title in race one, becoming the first Argentine driver to win a world drivers' championship since Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957.

Background

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Citroën celebrates the 2014 world championship title which secured at the previous round.

López led the drivers' championship coming into the round, ninety–three points ahead of teammate Yvan Muller. Franz Engstler had secured the Yokohama Trophy title at the previous race in Shanghai.

Campos Racing put another different driver in their second TC2 SEAT with Henry Kwong replacing William Lok. Citroën Total WTCC reduced to three cars with Ma Qing Hua not participating in the Japanese round.[1]

When the compensation weights were revised after the previous round; the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC retained the maximum ballast to keep their weight at 1,160 kilograms (2,557 lb). The Honda Civic WTCCs gained 10 kilograms (22 lb) of ballast to weigh–in at 1,130 kilograms (2,491 lb) and the Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1s lost 10 kilograms (22 lb) to equal their weight to the Hondas on 1,130 kilograms (2,491 lb). The Lada Granta 1.6Ts remained at the base weight of 1,100 kilograms (2,425 lb).[2]

Report

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Testing and free practice

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López set the pace in Friday testing, the session had been stopped briefly following an off for Kwong which left gravel scattered across the track.[3]

Muller was at the top of timing pages in first free practice on Saturday morning, López was second and Gabriele Tarquini's Honda was third.[4]

Muller was quickest ahead of Gianni Morbidelli in free practice two. Dušan Borković hit trouble early on, oversteering into the trackside barriers at turn eight and causing considerable damage to his Chevrolet.[5]

Qualifying

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Muller was quickest in the first part of qualifying. The session was interrupted at the halfway stage when Felipe De Souza spun off and beached his Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW in the gravel. After a brief delay the session resumed with ten minutes remaining, Tom Chilton was quickest early on before López and Muller set their first competitive times. The Ladas waited in the pit lane before going out with Robert Huff in twelfth place in the times. In the final few minutes of the session Norbert Michelisz moved into eleventh place, bumping Huff down and out of a place in Q2.

Muller was quickest once again in the second session ahead of López and Sébastien Loeb, Chilton and Hugo Valente were fourth and fifth. All four Honda drivers missed out on progressing to Q3 but Gabriele Tarquini finished tenth which would put him on pole for race two, Dušan Borković would share the front row with him.

In Q3 López took pole with Muller and Loeb helping Citroën fill the top three places. Chilton and Valente completed the Q3 results.[6]

Race One

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López won the Race 1 and the drivers' championship title.

López led Muller in the open stages of the race, behind them the battle for third was being contested between Chilton, Valente and Loeb. On lap seven Muller suffered a left-rear puncture and crawled back to the pits to retire, promoting Valente to second. Chilton passed Valente to take second at Spoon Curve on lap ten, Valente then ran wide at 130R which allowed Loeb through and Michelisz ran through the Casio Chicane while he also tried to pass the slow Chevrolet of Valente. After leading every lap, López won the race and secured the drivers' championship title in his first full season. Franz Engstler was the winner in the TC2 class.[7]

Race Two

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Muller hits Valente on lap 5.

Tarquini led Borković away from the start, at the end of the first lap Michelisz tapped the back of Borković forcing the Serbian driver to cut the chicane. On the second lap López had a moment at 130R and ran wide as he ran in the slipstream of his Citroën teammates, Loeb ahead of him did the same on the following lap. On lap five Loeb braked too late into the hairpin, at the same time Muller ran into the back of Valente who suffered rear suspension failure in the collision and slowed. As Muller and Loeb slowed, López was able to catch and pass Loeb to move up to sixth place. Borković began to close in on Tarquini in the last few laps but Tarquini held on to take the win with Borković leading Michelisz across the line. John Filippi was the Yokohama Trophy winner for then first time in 2014.[8]

Results

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2 Q3 Points
1 37   José María López Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 2:06.277 2:05.605 2:05.439 5
2 1   Yvan Muller Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 2:06.115 2:05.512 2:05.514 4
3 9   Sébastien Loeb Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 2:06.854 2:05.761 2:05.590 3
4 3   Tom Chilton ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 2:06.790 2:06.035 2:06.321 2
5 7   Hugo Valente Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 2:07.716 2:06.745 2:06.703 1
6 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC TC1 2:07.803 2:06.865
7 10   Gianni Morbidelli ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 2:07.251 2:06.906
8 4   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 2:07.343 2:06.993
9 98   Dušan Borković Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 2:07.523 2:07.132
10 2   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC TC1 2:07.041 2:07.305
11 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC TC1 2:07.650 2:07.715
12 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing Honda Civic WTCC TC1 2:07.851 2:08.140
13 12   Robert Huff Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 2:08.241
14 11   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 2:08.677
15 14   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 2:09.472
16 77   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 2:10.014
17 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC TC2T 2:13.585
18 27   John Filippi Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC TC2T 2:13.892
19 26   Felipe De Souza Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC TC2T A 2:16.951
107% time: 2:22.935 (TC2T)
19   Henry Kwong Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC TC2T A no time set
  • 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 37   José María López Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 11 23:54.343 1 25
2 3   Tom Chilton ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +8.473 4 18
3 9   Sébastien Loeb Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 11 +9.693 3 15
4 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC TC1 11 +10.414 6 12
5 7   Hugo Valente Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +12.153 5 10
6 2   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC TC1 11 +12.707 10 8
7 4   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +13.514 8 6
8 98   Dušan Borković Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +14.340 9 4
9 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC TC1 11 +16.507 11 2
10 10   Gianni Morbidelli ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +17.846 7 1
11 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing Honda Civic WTCC TC1 11 +20.907 12
12 12   Robert Huff Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 11 +21.696 13
13 11   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 11 +22.802 14
14 14   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 11 +32.602 15
15 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC TC2T 11 +1:16.593 17
16 27   John Filippi Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC TC2T 11 +1:19.083 18
17 19   Henry Kwong Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC TC2T A 11 2:15.944 20
Ret 1   Yvan Muller Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 7 Puncture 2
NC 77   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 7 +4 Laps 16
Ret 26   Felipe De Souza Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC TC2T A 2 Retired 19

Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 2   Gabriele Tarquini Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC TC1 11 23:55.783 1 25
2 98   Dušan Borković Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +1.725 2 18
3 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő Motorsport Honda Civic WTCC TC1 11 +4.360 5 15
4 4   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +5.497 3 12
5 1   Yvan Muller Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 11 +6.116 9 10
6 37   José María López Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 11 +6.346 10 8
7 9   Sébastien Loeb Citroën Total WTCC Citroën C-Elysée WTCC TC1 11 +6.665 8 6
8 10   Gianni Morbidelli ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +14.062 4 4
9 18   Tiago Monteiro Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Honda Civic WTCC TC1 11 +14.791 11 2
10 3   Tom Chilton ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 +15.104 7 1
11 12   Robert Huff Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 11 +16.916 13
12 11   James Thompson Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 11 +18.818 14
13 14   Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lukoil Lada Sport Lada Granta 1.6T TC1 11 +26.036 15
14 27   John Filippi Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC TC2T 11 +1:26.585 18
15 26   Felipe De Souza Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC TC2T A 11 +1:50.307 20
16 77   René Münnich ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 11 2:21.310 16
Ret 7   Hugo Valente Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 TC1 5 Race incident 6
NC 19   Henry Kwong Campos Racing SEAT León WTCC TC2T A 5 +6 Laps 19
Ret 6   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC TC2T 4 Driveshaft 17
Ret 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing Honda Civic WTCC TC1 0 Technical 12

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. ^ "ENTRY LIST" (PDF). World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Chevrolet and Honda to run on equal weight". www.fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Testing - López in a league of his own". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Practice 1 – Tarquini chases Muller and López". World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 25 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  5. ^ Casillo, Pietro (25 October 2014). "Yvan Muller confirms strong form in Free Practice 2". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  6. ^ Mills, Peter (25 October 2014). "Suzuka WTCC: Jose Maria Lopez closes on 2014 title with pole". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  7. ^ Mills, Peter (26 October 2014). "Suzuka WTCC: Jose Maria Lopez wins and becomes 2014 champion". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  8. ^ Casillo, Pietro (26 October 2014). "Gabriele Tarquini takes first win of the season in Japan". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
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World Touring Car Championship
Previous race:
2014 FIA WTCC Race of China, Shanghai
2014 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2014 Guia Race of Macau
Previous race:
2013 FIA WTCC Race of Japan
FIA WTCC Race of Japan Next race:
2015 FIA WTCC Race of Japan