Lopez gets home crowd cheering

The opening race of the World Touring Car Championship at the Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina was really something, as Citroën continued to dominate proceedings. Five of the six possible podium places went to the French team. The first race was won by local driver Jose-Maria Lopez. Sebastien Loeb secured victory in the second race.

Hunting down the DHL Pole Position 

Qualifying was hotly contested in Argentina. The well-fancied Citroën drivers initially held back a touch in the battle for the DHL pole position in the two opening races of the season but then went on the offensive in the second segment, securing four of the five places in Q3.

Jose-Maria Lopez, Yvan Muller, Sebastien Loeb, Ma Qing Hua and Tiago Monteiro battled it out for pole position in Q3. The reigning world champion was again unbeatable in his homeland, taking P1 with a lead of 1.3 seconds on second place and five championship points.

Thrilling opening races

The first race of the 2015 season produced many exciting scraps, especially in the midfield. While Lopez, Muller and Loeb Citroën secured a triple victory, drivers fought tooth and nail for the positions behind them. A number of drivers, including Rob Huff in the new Lada Vesta came off the worst for wear in the fray. He was hit by Mehdi Bennani in the battle for seventh position, breaking the British driver’s suspension and forcing him out of contention. Norbert Michelisz put on a strong show, moving up the field from 17th on the grid to P6.

Pole position in the second race did not bring James Thompson much luck. A technical problem caused the Lada driver to fall far behind the field right at the start and retire early. The race excitement continued after a brief safety car phase. Tarquini, Monteiro, Bennani, Michelisz and Ma were all still in with a chance of securing third place on the podium. In the end, it was Monteiro who took the first podium of the season for Honda behind Loeb and Lopez.

Coronel out of luck in Argentina

The first race weekend sporting the new DHL livery did not go as hoped for Tom Coronel. Everything went according to plan in qualifying. Coronel secured ninth position for the first race and P2 on the grid for the second race.

However, the Dutchman was unlucky in the races. He was forced to retire due to a problem with the turbocharger in the first race. The second race also ended all too soon when Coronel damaged the front splitter while going off track. The ROAL Motorsport driver finished the season opener out of the points.

“Argentina is a beautiful country, but earlier this year in the Dakar rally and now in the FIA WTCC, I’m not particularly lucky. It was not the start of the season that we had hoped for, but at least we know that we can challenge for good positions,” said Coronel. 

You can relive the best moments from Tom’s race weekend in this race highlights video.