Yvan Muller headed team-mate Thed Björk in a 1-2 finish for his YMR team in the first FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, as Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Rob Huff held on to third.
Muller got the jump on pole-sitter Björk at the start, moving in to the lead of the race at the first corner as Björk fought to keep BRC Racing’s Norbert Michelisz at bay for second.
Huff then passed Michelisz for the final podium slot at the end of the Grand Prix circuit on the opening lap, and despite the best efforts of the Hungarian was able to hold on to the position for the rest of the race.
At the front Muller and Björk were barely separated by more than half a second for the entire race, but the Swede was ultimately unable to re-pass the experienced Frenchman for the win.
“It was a perfect day – I didn’t expect to be that fast on this track, which I haven’t driven on for two years,” said Muller, who takes his first win since the WTCC race in Japan in 2016. “I gave everything I had and even more.”
Victory moves Muller up to second in the points standings, 14 behind leader Gabriele Tarquini. The Italian failed to score in the race after crashing out at Tiergarten at the end of the first lap, making an unforced error whilst trying to keep Frédéric Vervisch at bay.
Michelisz took the chequered flag in fourth, ahead of the leading Audi of Leopard Lukoil’s Jean-Karl Vernay in fifth.
Despite starting the race from 15th on the grid, experienced Nordschleife racer and wildcard entry René Rast was able to come through to finish sixth, ahead of the third WRT-run Audi of Gordon Shedden in seventh, who similarly made up positions after a grid penalty after qualifying, having started in 17th.
Campos Racing’s Pepe Oriola was eighth, with the Spaniard benefitting when Vervisch pulled off the circuit on the second lap with smoke billowing from under the bonnet of his Audi.
Boutsen Ginion Racing pair Tom Coronel and Benjamin Lessennes completed the top ten and were the leading Honda racers.
Münnich Motorsport’s Esteban Guerrieri failed to finish the race, with the Argentine having been turned around by Tarquini at the exit of the second corner on the opening lap whilst duelling for sixth.
The first corner also saw contact between Lessennes, who started in 11th, and Münnich Motorsport’s Yann Ehrlacher, who started eighth, resulting in the latter dropping down the order from where he could only secure a 19th place finish.
The WTCR is next in action on Friday, when qualifying for the final two races takes place at 17:35 CEST (16:35 BST), ahead of race two and race three on Saturday morning.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 48 | Yvan MULLER |  |
YMR | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 3 | 27:08.139 | 9:02.799 | 2 |
| 2 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK |  |
YMR | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 3 | 0.331 | 9:02.963 | 1 |
| 3 | 12 | Rob HUFF |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 3 | 0.853 | 9:02.749 | 5 |
| 4 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 3 | 1.288 | 9:02.660 | 3 |
| 5 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 8.112 | 9:04.223 | 9 |
| 6 | 33 | René RAST |  |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 8.581 | 9:03.705 | 15 |
| 7 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 13.468 | 9:02.981 | 17 |
| 8 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Team Oscaro by Campos Racing | CUPRA TCR | 3 | 18.134 | 9:05.195 | 10 |
| 9 | 9 | Tom CORONEL |  |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 3 | 18.573 | 9:06.914 | 7 |
| 10 | 63 | Benjamin LESSENNES |  |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 3 | 18.672 | 9:06.132 | 11 |
| 11 | 21 | Aurélien PANIS | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 19.343 | 9:05.916 | 16 |
| 12 | 20 | Denis DUPONT | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 25.367 | 9:08.126 | 14 |
| 13 | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 3 | 25.816 | 9:08.425 | 19 |
| 14 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Peugeot 308 TCR | 3 | 26.205 | 9:10.136 | 12 |
| 15 | 88 | Fabrizio GIOVANARDI |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 3 | 31.087 | 9:10.846 | 22 |
| 16 | 27 | John FILIPPI | |
Team Oscaro by Campos Racing | CUPRA TCR | 3 | 31.916 | 9:06.613 | 24 |
| 17 | 94 | Kris RICHARD |  |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 3 | 32.728 | 9:09.287 | 21 |
| 18 | 7 | Aurélien COMTE | |
DG Sport Compétition | Peugeot 308 TCR | 3 | 33.750 | 9:07.698 | 18 |
| 19 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 3 | 34.286 | 9:07.592 | 8 |
| 20 | 23 | Nathanaël BERTHON | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 35.420 | 9:07.028 | 20 |
| 21 | 8 | Norbert NAGY | |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA TCR | 3 | 51.677 | 9:14.323 | 25 |
| 22 | 15 | James THOMPSON | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 3 | 52.428 | 9:15.336 | 26 |
| R | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI | |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 2 | + 1 LAP | 14:31.986 | 23 |
| R | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH | |
Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS | 1 | DNF | 9:08.652 | 13 |
| R | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 1 | DNF | N/A | 4 |
| R | 30 | Gabriele TARQUINI | |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 6 |
| NS | 66 | Zsolt Dávid SZABÓ | |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA TCR | – | DNS | N/A | 27 |