The second WTCC challenge, which took place this weekend on the Puebla Circuit, Mexico, was an historical event for SEAT, after taking two victories and occupying the first six positions in the second race. Jordi Gené won the first leg, followed by Rickard Rydell, while Tiago Monteiro won the second race followed by every one of his Repsol teammates: the five SEAT León TDI drivers.
What is more, by the end of the two races disputed in Puebla, the Repsol drivers occupy the top positions in the general classification.
1st Race
Gené took off from the pole position he managed last Saturday, and right from the start led the race, ahead of the Chevrolets. With Gené dominating the race, the excitement concentrated on the struggle for the intermediate places, as Rydell climbed to second position after overtaking two Chevrolets and Coronel, securing a second podium position for the Spanish team. Further back, Tarquini, Muller and Monteiro struggled with Menu and Huff’s Chevrolets, and with Farfus’ BMW, which was gradually left behind by its competitors. The Repsol drivers finally prevailed over their rivals, helped by a mistake by Menu during the last laps.
2nd Race
Tiago Monteiro got off to an excellent start from his first position on the grid, taking the lead by the first curve. Alain Menu endured the persecution by the SEAT drivers until halfway through the race, when they started overtaking him: first Tarquini, then Rydell, and finally, after the Chevrolet driver skidded off the track, the rest of the Repsol drivers. Halfway through the race, a small error by Tarquini paved the way for Rydell’s second position, and until the end the Repsol drivers tried not to make any mistakes that might compromise an historical result, which ended in a victory for Monteiro in the WTCC, and with all his SEAT Sport teammates right up behind him. The next WTCC event will take place in Valencia, on 17th and 18th May.
Jordi Gené
“It was a very positive weekend, starting with the free sessions on Friday, followed by the pole position, and finishing with an unbeatable result in the race. I won the first race very comfortably, and in the second race I started in eighth position and finished fifth. It’s a success and the car has given a fantastic performance”.
Yvan Muller
“The overall result isn’t that bad if we bear in mind that I didn’t get off to a good start at the weekend. The first race went OK, and the second one could have been better, but I made a mistake at the start which was difficult to recover from. It could have gone better for me, but the most important thing is that it was very good for SEAT”.
Gabriele Tarquini
“I’m very satisfied because the team has had some extraordinary results this weekend. This is important, as we couldn’t have imagined it just a few days ago. As to my own race, I made it to the podium with a very heavy car, so that is also quite a positive aspect”.
Rickard Rydell
“Making it to the podium twice in the same day is fantastic. I was slightly faster than Gabriele and managed an excellent second position with which I’m very satisfied. Things went well during the race for the SEAT cars, and the team has scored some very valuable points”.
Tiago Monteiro
“I’m very happy. Today I won my first victory thanks to a car that adapted to the track beautifully, and also thanks to some great team work. We’ve scored a good few points for SEAT and I feel very satisfied”.
Results 1st race
1. J.Gené (SEAT León TDI)
2. R.Rydell (SEAT León TDI), + 0415
3. N.Larini (Chevrolet), + 3285
4. T.Coronel (SEAT León WTCC), + 5674
5. G.Tarquini (SEAT León TDI), + 8963
6. Y.Muller (SEAT León TDI), + 10129
7. T.Monteiro (SEAT León TDI), + 10349
8. A.Menu (Chevrolet) + 13603
Results 2nd race
1. T.Monteiro (SEAT León TDI)
2. R.Rydell (SEAT León TDI), + 4425
3. G.Tarquini (SEAT León TDI), + 5275
4. Y.Muller (SEAT León TDI), + 6013
5. J.Gené (SEAT León TDI), + 8915
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
Drivers
1. R.Rydell (SEAT), 26
2. G.Tarquini (SEAT), 24
3. Y.Muller (SEAT), 21
4. J.Gené (SEAT), 15
5. Andy Priaulx (BMW), 14
6.T.Monteiro (SEAT), 11
Manufacturers
1. SEAT, 69
2. BMW, 40
3. Chevrolet, 28
