WTCC: Tarquini gives Lada Vesta first win

Gabriele Tarquini scored a memorable first World Touring Car Championship win since his switch to Lada, leading team-mate Nicky Catsburg home in a one-two finish at Moscow Raceway.

Tarquini started ninth but sliced his way through the field after rain forced a delayed start and, having caught and passed early leader Yvan Muller at the end of lap five, raced clear over the final 10 laps to secure his 21st WTCC win and the first for Lada's Vesta model.

All 17 cars headed on to the formation lap with dry tyres, but a sharp shower before the field had made its way round to the grid forced the start to be delayed by 15 minutes.

Polesitter Tiago Monteiro initially held his lead when the race did finally start but, with the rain having intensified, he was soon swallowed up by the fast-starting Muller, Mehdi Bennani, Jose Maria Lopez and Tarquini.

Tarquini backed up Lada's qualifying pace by hounding Lopez and with far superior traction off the final corner, bumped into the rear of the Citroen driver before making the pass stick into Turn 1. The Italian then repeated a similar move on Mehdi Bennani before hunting down Muller with a pair of fastest laps.

The pair were together by the start of lap five and Tarquini grabbed the lead on the following lap, before pulling away for his and Lada's first victory since 2014.

"I had a great start, I think it was the key of the win," said Tarquini, who joined Lada for 2016 after losing his Honda seat. "I pushed for the initial part, I was much faster.

"I used all my effort to overtake and fortunately when I overtook Yvan I was then able to back off a bit."

Catsburg was unable to catch his teammate, but did cap the one-two with a pair of fantastic overtakes on the Citroen factory drivers.

The Dutchman went around the outside of Lopez at Turn 3 on the third lap with a better exit off the previous corner, and then made second safe after a lap-long fight with Muller with a pass at the Turn 12 hairpin.

Muller completed the podium following his strong start, comfortably clear of the third Lada of Hugo Valente, who nevertheless secured his best finish since his switch to the team.

Lopez was fifth having survived a late scare from the resurgent Hondas, with Monteiro and teammate Rob Huff coming back at the Argentinian as the track dried out.

James Thompson was the highest independent driver and finished eighth, right on the tail of the scrap in front, with Mehdi Bennani ninth and Norbert Michelisz 10th in the third Honda Civic having served a drive-through penalty for an out-of-position start.

RESULTS - 15 LAPS:

Originally on Autosport.com