WTCC: Monteiro battles to Slovakia win

A late-race lunge earned Honda driver Tiago Monteiro victory in the opening World Touring Car Championship race at the Slovakia Ring ahead of Sebastien Loeb Racing's Mehdi Bennani.

Monteiro and teammate Rob Huff had trailed the Moroccan for much of the race, but Monteiro made a crucial pass at the Turn 8 hairpin on lap nine to claim the lead, and with it his first win since last September.

Bennani shot into the lead at the start after beating polesitter Hugo Valente off the line, and was followed through by Monteiro and eventually Huff, who tapped Valente at the first corner before being squeezed by the Frenchman as he took the position.

Satellite Citroen driver Bennani was never able to build a lead, but looked comfortable in the opening few laps as the top three broke away from fourth-placed Gabriele Tarquini, who profited from Lada team-mate Valente dropping down the order.

Track temperatures and the significance of the 80 kilograms of ballast aboard Bennani's C-Elysee began to take their toll in the second half of the race, though, as Monteiro drew close on a number of occasions onto the start/finish straight.

The Portuguese was never quite able to pull out of Bennani's draft, but with three laps to run he pounced through the infield section with a dive up the inside at Turn 8, blocking his rival's exit off the corner to secure the position.

Monteiro was able to nurture his advantage from there, eventually finishing 2.526 seconds clear of Bennani, who claimed second in the opening race for a second race event in succession, having held off Huff to the finish.

Tarquini survived a late attack from Citroen's Jose Maria Lopez to cling on to fourth, but their squabbling allowed the third Honda of Norbert Michelisz to nip up the inside of Yvan Muller for sixth on the final lap.

Thed Bjork was eighth for Polestar having himself succumbed to a move from Michelisz, while Tom Chilton and Fredrik Ekblom – who advanced from 16th on the grid – completed the points.

James Thompson was 16th in his first race in the championship in almost a year, while debutant Ferenc Ficza retired his Zengo Motorsport Honda Civic with three laps remaining after smoke began to billow from his car.

RESULTS - 11 LAPS:

Originally on Autosport.com