2011 FIA WTCC Race of Germany

The 2011 FIA WTCC Race of Germany was the eighth round of the 2011 World Touring Car Championship season and the seventh running of the FIA WTCC Race of Germany. It was held on 31 July 2011 at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in Oschersleben, Germany.

Germany 2011 FIA WTCC Race of Germany
Race details
Date31 July, 2011
LocationOschersleben, Germany
CourseMotorsport Arena Oschersleben
3.696 kilometres (2.297 mi)
Race One
Laps 14
Pole position
Driver France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML
Time 1:33.712
Podium
First France Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML
Second United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet RML
Third Italy Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil-SUNRED
Fastest Lap
Driver United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet RML
Time 1:49.734
Race Two
Laps 15
Podium
First Germany Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler
Second Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet RML
Third Italy Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil-SUNRED
Fastest Lap
Driver Netherlands Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport
Time 1:36.185

The first race was won by Yvan Muller of Chevrolet RML and the second race was won by Franz Engstler of Liqui Moly Team Engstler who took his and the team's first victory in the World Touring Car Championship.

Background

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After the previous round, Robert Huff was leading the world drivers' championship. Norbert Michelisz was leading the Yokohama drivers' trophy by two points over Kristian Poulsen.

Ibrahim Okyay and Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport returned to the championship having last competed in the Race of Italy. Stefano D'Aste returned to Wiechers-Sport having been forced to miss the Race of UK due to commitments in the GT4 European Cup.[1]

Poulsen would get a five–place grid penalty for race one after he was deemed responsible for the collision with Michelisz at Donington Park.[2] Muller would be driving under a two race three–place suspended grid penalty after a controversial pass on Huff at the previous round.[3]

Report

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Free practice

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Muller led the first practice session which took place in wet conditions. Alain Menu was second and Gabriele Tarquini was third, championship leader Huff was fourth. Aleksei Dudukalo ended his session on his first lap when the front splitter on his SUNRED León broke and he beached it in the gravel. Yukinori Taniguchi also went through the gravel but was able to return to the track after assistance from the marshals. He returned to the pits but was black flagged when he left the pits again after repairs. The session was stopped just over half way through when Fabio Fabiani spun and put his Proteam Racing BMW 320si into the tyre wall at the first corner.[4]

Huff topped the second practice session with Muller second fastest and Robert Dahlgren in the Volvo C30 third.[5]

Qualifying

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Muller secured pole position for race one with Dahlgren joining him on the front row. Dahlgren was quickest in Q1, while Engstler set his best time late on to end up tenth and get through to the second session, also securing him the pole position for race two.

When the top ten shootout began, Dahlgren looked to be on pole for a while before Muller set his best time. Huff lined up on the second row alongside Tarquini while Tom Coronel shared the third row with Menu. Michelisz was the leading independent driver in seventh. Race two pole sitter would start ninth for race one.[6]

Warm-Up

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Huff led a Chevrolet 1–2 in the wet warm–up session on Sunday morning, pole sitter Muller was second while Polestar Racing's Dahlgren was third.[7]

Race One

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The weather hadn't improved much since the warm–up session and the first race took place in wet conditions. The race was started at the third attempt of the rolling start as the cars failed line up through the grid slots correctly. Muller led away from the start as Dahlgren dropped down to fifth before turn one, dropped down even further when he collided with Menu's Chevrolet. Huff was now in second and stayed close to Muller for the first few laps until he lost ground on lap four having run wide. Huff narrowly stayed ahead of Tarquini and began closing in on team–mate Muller but was unable to pass on the final lap. Dudukalo and Engstler meanwhile made contact, the BMW driver spinning and dropping down the order as a result. Muller won the race with Huff second and Tarquini a distant third. Dahlgren recovered to fourth with Menu fifth and Yokohama Trophy winner D'Aste sixth. Michel Nykjær, Pepe Oriola, Dudukalo and Coronel completed the top ten.[8]

Race Two

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Engstler started from pole position but lost his position at the start to Michelisz while Mehdi Bennani and Poulsen collided further back, their cars crashing into the pit wall. The safety car was brought out while the debris was cleared from the track, Michelisz kept his lead the restart. He spun out of the lead on lap four and dropped to fourth, handing the lead of the race back to Engstler. Muller was making his way up from ninth on the grid and was running fourth at one point. Coronel and Michelisz clashed with the Zengő-Dension Team driver ending his race in the tyre wall at the first corner. Muller then got sideways and this allowed Coronel to re–pass the Chevrolet. Engstler took the win and ended eleven consecutive wins for Chevrolet with Menu second having been close behind since the restart. Tarquini was third, Coronel fourth and Muller fifth. Huff saw his championship reduced further by finishing behind Muller in sixth.[9]

Results

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2
1 1   Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:35.075 1:33.712
2 30   Robert Dahlgren Polestar Racing Volvo C30 Drive 1:34.886 1:34.215
3 2   Robert Huff Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:35.417 1:34.290
4 3   Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T 1:35.424 1:34.519
5 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 1:35.281 1:34.635
6 8   Alain Menu Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:35.459 1:34.673
7 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő-Dension Team BMW 320 TC Y 1:35.556 1:34.884
8 17   Michel Nykjær SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 1:35.522 1:35.260
9 12   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:35.621 1:35.370
10 18   Tiago Monteiro SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T 1:35.610 1:35.501
11 9   Darryl O'Young bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:35.633
12 26   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 1:35.656
13 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:35.724
14 11   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 1:35.730
15 74   Pepe Oriola SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 1:35.903
16 7   Fredy Barth SEAT Swiss Racing by SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 1:35.932
17 20   Javier Villa Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 1:36.071
18 10   Yukinori Taniguchi bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 1:36.657
19 4   Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 1:36.666
20 13   Ibrahim Okyay Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW 320si Y 1:38.113
107% time: 1:41.528
21   Fabio Fabiani Proteam Racing BMW 320si Y 1:41.754
  • 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 1   Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 25:54.624 1 25
2 2   Robert Huff Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 +0.289 3 18
3 3   Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T 14 +13.810 4 15
4 30   Robert Dahlgren Polestar Racing Volvo C30 Drive 14 +14.665 2 12
5 8   Alain Menu Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 14 +18.578 6 10
6 26   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 14 +25.058 12 8
7 17   Michel Nykjær SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 14 +33.795 8 6
8 74   Pepe Oriola SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 14 +34.362 14 4
9 4   Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 14 +43.187 18 2
10 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 14 +45.665 5 1
11 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 14 +46.105 13
12 20   Javier Villa Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 14 +46.328 16
13 11   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 14 +46.627 19
14 9   Darryl O'Young bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 14 +46.919 11
15 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő-Dension Team BMW 320 TC Y 14 +47.560 7
16 12   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 14 +55.237 9
17 10   Yukinori Taniguchi bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 14 +1:29.885 17
18 13   Ibrahim Okyay Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW 320si Y 14 +1:52.554 20
19 21   Fabio Fabiani Proteam Racing BMW 320si Y 13 +1 Lap 21
Ret 18   Tiago Monteiro SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T 7 Puncture 10
Ret 7   Fredy Barth SEAT Swiss Racing by SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 5 Alternator 15
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 12   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 15 25:05.708 1 25
2 8   Alain Menu Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 15 +0.750 5 18
3 3   Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T 15 +2.361 6 15
4 15   Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320 TC 15 +2.392 8 12
5 1   Yvan Muller Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 15 +3.117 9 10
6 2   Robert Huff Chevrolet RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 15 +3.816 7 8
7 30   Robert Dahlgren Polestar Racing Volvo C30 Drive 15 +4.310 10 6
8 18   Tiago Monteiro SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T 15 +8.762 2 4
9 26   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC Y 15 +9.286 12 2
10 20   Javier Villa Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 15 +12.352 17 1
11 9   Darryl O'Young bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 15 +15.585 11
12 74   Pepe Oriola SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 15 +17.167 15
13 13   Ibrahim Okyay Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW 320si Y 15 +44.757 20
14 10   Yukinori Taniguchi bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T Y 15 +47.098 18
15 4   Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil-SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 15 +1:04.582 19
16 21   Fabio Fabiani Proteam Racing BMW 320si Y 15 +1:30.934 21
17 17   Michel Nykjær SUNRED Engineering SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 11 +4 Laps 4
Ret 5   Norbert Michelisz Zengő-Dension Team BMW 320 TC Y 10 Race incident 3
Ret 7   Fredy Barth SEAT Swiss Racing by SUNRED SUNRED SR León 1.6T Y 7 Race incident 16
Ret 25   Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC Y 0 Race incident 13
Ret 11   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC Y 0 Race incident 14
  • 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. ^ Abbott, Andrew (21 July 2011). "D'Aste and Ibrahim return in Germany". Touring-Cars.net. Andrew Abbott. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  2. ^ Hudson, Neil (17 July 2011). "Poulsen punished for clash with Michelisz". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  3. ^ Hudson, Neil (17 July 2011). "Suspended penalty for Yvan Muller". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  4. ^ Hudson, Neil (30 July 2011). "Yvan Muller leads wet Oschersleben practice". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  5. ^ Tremayne, Sam (30 July 2011). "Huff pips Muller in second WTCC practice at Oschersleben". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  6. ^ Abbott, Andrew (30 July 2011). "Muller on pole, Dahlgren takes second". Touring-Cars.net. Andrew Abbott. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  7. ^ Hudson, Neil (31 July 2011). "Rob Huff quickest in wet warm-up". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  8. ^ Allen, Peter (31 July 2011). "Muller Holds Off Huff's Late Charge To Win Wet First Race". The Checkered Flag. BlackEagleMedia Network. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  9. ^ Allen, Peter (31 July 2011). "Engstler Takes First WTCC Win At Home To End Chevrolet Run". The Checkered Flag. BlackEagleMedia Network. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
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World Touring Car Championship
Previous race:
2011 FIA WTCC Race of UK
2011 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2011 FIA WTCC Race of Spain
Previous race:
2010 FIA WTCC Race of Germany
FIA WTCC Race of Germany Next race:
2015 FIA WTCC Race of Germany