Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Tom Chilton scored his first-ever double podium results in the World Touring Car Championship races at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, finishing second in the Opening Race and third in the Main Race.
Although Chilton lost out to the works Citroëns of Yvan Muller and José María López at the very start of the Opening Race, a mistake for team-mate Mehdi Bennani and the retirement of Polestar’s Thed Björk meant that he ended the opening lap in fourth position.
When Monteiro and Muller crashed out on the final lap of the race, it left the Brit trailing López and he ultimately finishing second and took his second podium of the year for his new team.
The Main Race saw Chilton start from third and he ultimately finished in that position, unable to challenge the leading duo of López or Norbert Michelisz.
The results are not only the first double-podium score in Chilton’s five-year WTCC career to-date, but also mark two wins in the Independent Trophy.
“This circuit is the greatest racetrack in the world and words can’t tell you how amazing it is to sit here and to be second and third and win both the Independents’ [class] of the WTCC trophy,” said Chilton. “The car was amazing but it wasn’t easy. Yes, I got the fastest lap and here’s my beautiful TAG Heuer watch, but I tell you what, every corner I thought I was going to crash and die so as fast as I was it wasn’t easy to be fast.
“I tell you what, that was not easy, it was really really hard. Every corner pretty much nearly had an accident, you can ask Rob Huff in the last race.
“I had oversteer several times; actually I think at a corner where Tom Coronel had a puncture I went through at about a 45-degree angle and almost flattened sixth gear because I was that slow. So while Tom’s drifting off with a puncture I’m understeering. Every corner was just very hard on all the drivers, it was very hard on the car and the tyres.”
Chitlon also praised López, who he came second to in the Opening Race, for being in a different class to the rest of the field.
“I was driving very well, but López I can only describe as Ayrton Senna reincarnated,” added Chilton. “He is Ayrton Senna of the touring cars. And as well as I was driving, and [Yvan] Muller and everybody else on the circuit, I think López even finds a way to back off even on the limit to protect his car in case he needs to protect his tyres and pull away again.
“He’s a very special driver and it’s a pleasure to race with him and learn from him. I’m getting better each race meeting as you can see and it’s great to learn off these two legends.”