RML kicked off its first WTCC campaign without the backing of Chevrolet with a double victory at Monza as well as the first 1, 2 finish of the season.
Having locked out the front row of the grid in qualifying, Yvan Muller and Tom Chilton locked out the top two positions in the opening round of the 2013 campaign, despite the weather meaning that the race started behind the Safety Car.
The weather failed to improve for the second race and starting eighth and ninth, Chilton and Muller had a fight on their hands to repeat their race one results.
From ninth on the grid, Muller was 6th by the first corner and it took him four laps to move into the lead, having passed James Nash in the bamboo engineering Cruze, Michel Nykjaer in the Nika Racing Cruze, and Marc Basseng in the ALL-INKL.com SEAT Leon and Darryl O’Young in the ROAL Motorsport BMW 320TC.
He then disposed of former SEAT Sport team-mate Gabriele Tarquini in the Castrol Honda for the team and never looked back as he secured his second victory of the day and maximum points from the weekend.
“That was amazing – I couldn’t see the cars or even the lights in front so it was very, very tough out there. That’s one of the worst conditions I’ve raced in,” explains the triple Champion.
“From three weeks ago not knowing we’d be here to now, with maximum points – I have to say thank you to Lukoil, Aon and RML – they believed in the programme and now we are here, leading the championship.”
Chilton in the #23 Cruze finished fifth having fought his way up from eighth on the grid, and missed out on a second podium finish by seven tenths of a second. His second and fifth places finishes mean he heads to Marrakech in two weeks time second in the drivers’ Championship.
“It’s been an awesome weekend for me, slightly crazy with the weather, but so satisfying and exciting!” added Chilton.
“Race one ran perfectly and I am really happy with that second place – it’s my first podium in the WTCC and have fastest lap also – that’s a great feeling, a real boost.
“Race two was much trickier, visibility was pretty much zero so it’s a guessing game into the first corner. But I worked my way through the field and was hoping to close in on 3rd over those closing laps – I could see Basseng and Tarquini battling ahead and positioned myself so I was ready, just in case, but of course, I didn’t want to get tangled up in anything either. It’s a double point’s finish and I go to Marrakech in a really strong position,” concluded the British driver.