The Argentinian round of the WTCC, the 6th meeting of the season which takes place on the Termas de Río Hondo’s circuit, is always a key moment of the global agenda, with its audience following the beats of the motor sport. Six weeks after their last appearance behind the wheels of the Citroën C-Elysée, the drivers of the Sébastien Loeb Racing were eager to fight. Qualified to be on the first line of Race 1, Tom Chilton demonstrated his great knowledge of the race and fighting spirit by finishing first on the track. Unfortunately, a five-seconds-penalty brought him back to the 4th position. Disappointed to have lost these few points, the English driver caught up in the next race by finishing 3rd, an important move for the WTCC Trophy. Mehdi Bennani was also fighting for the “Trophy” title and scored well at the weekend. Whether it was about testing or racing, Mehdi showed a lot of confidence behind the wheel of the C-Elysée – belonging to the Alsatian team – and could therefore finish twice 2nd and catch up with Chilton in the provisional classification. After a promising 8th position during the 1st meeting, John Filippi went on his way in the hierarchy of the WTCC Trophy with a classy 7th position in Race 2, allowing him to collect precious points. These are first hand results for the Sébastien Loeb Racing which continues to set the pace in the team classification.
“This weekend, we went for an offensive strategy with the engineers of the Sébastien Loeb Racing, to win the first line of Race 1,” explains Tom Chilton. “I started great, but unfortunately, the officials decided to sanction me for a contact, which sent me directly to the bottom of the podium. For Race 2, I decided to go for the big points, but an opponent pushed me in the grass at the start of the race, thus damaging the geometry of my frame. From this moment, I had to deal with a premature tire wear. I am a bit disappointed, but we know our strengths well enough to be efficient in China from the very first wheel rotations.”
“I am very satisfied with our results this weekend,” says Mehdi Bennani. “Like always, the technical staff of Sébastien Loeb Racing perfectly prepared the C-Elysée and we were able to go fast during the whole weekend. I obviously confirmed this performance level during the race, but I then preferred to guarantee great points to the WTCC with my two second places. This success augurs well for the rest of the season.”
“After a first testing session disturbed by the fog, we all decided to focus our efforts on tire management and on an aggressive set-up in order for me to go on with my great results obtained during the last four meetings”, confides John Filippi. “I made a good start in Race 1, so I could score big points. In the following race, despite a nice velocity peak, I couldn’t figure out the flaw of the driver ahead of me. I learned a lot more about the C-Elysée this weekend, I can’t wait to meet up with the team again for the Asian races in two months.”
“Tom, Mehdi and John managed to identify the challenging conditions of the first day to then increase in power during the whole weekend,” reviews Dominique Heintz, co-founder of the Sébastien Loeb Racing with Sébastien Loeb. “Tom and Mehdi never gave up and demonstrated strong pugnacity to confirm that they are indeed the tough men of the WTCC Trophy. As for John, he continues to show significant progress which will prove useful for the upcoming meetings. We’re leading the two championships, it is now our job to maintain this leadership during the next races in October.”
Whether it is in the WTCC, the French Rally Championship or the Porsche Carrera Cup France, the Sébastien Loeb Racing plays with success on all fronts. The men of the Alsatian team can now enjoy their well-deserved summer break before getting back to business with the Mont-Blanc Rally (31st of August – 2nd of September), then the Porsche Carrera Cup France at Magny-Cours and the Hill Climb Turckheim-3 Épis, the weekend after.
RESULTS & STANDINGS :
RACE 1: 1. Y. Ehrlacher, 2. M. Bennani (2e WTCC Trophy), 3.E. Guerrieri, 4. T. Chilton (4e WTCC Trophy)… 8. J. Filippi (6e WTCC Trophy), etc.
RACE 2: 1. N. Michelisz, 2. T. Monteiro, 3. T. Bjork … 5. M. Bennani (2e WTCC Trophy)… 7. T. Chilton (3e WTCC Trophy)… 10. J. Filippi (7e WTCC Trophy), etc.
DRIVERS’ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. T. Monteiro 200 pts, 2. T. Björk 188, 3. N. Michelisz 171, 5. M. Bennani 164… 6. T. Chilton 147 … 12. J. Filippi 15, etc.
WTCC DRIVERS’ TROPHY: 1. M. Bennani 87 pts, 2. T. Chilton 87, 3. R. Huff 87… 7. J. Filippi 31, etc.
WTCC TEAMS’ TROPHY: 1. Sébastien Loeb Racing 108 pts, 2. Münnich Motorsport 82, 3. Campos Racing 73, etc.