Motegi, Test: Honda off to a flying start in Japan

Tarquini on top for Honda at Motegi

By Franck Drui

11 September 2015 - 07:05
Motegi, Test: Honda off to a flying

Gabriele Tarquini has got Honda’s home round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship off to the perfect start by setting the pace in testing in his Yokohama-shod Civic WTCC at Twin Ring Motegi today.

And in a further boost for the Japanese manufacturer, Norbert Michelisz was second quickest in another Civic, topping the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy classification for Zengő Motorsport.

World champion José María López was third fastest for Citroën with Tiago Monteiro fourth in the second Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team entry. Nicky Catsburg was the top LADA driver in fifth with Mehdi Bennani sixth, Sébastien Loeb seventh, Rob Huff eighth, Yvan Muller ninth and Ma Qing Hua completing the top 10.

Elsewhere, Nicolas Lapierre marked his WTCC debut in P12, one place behind Tom Coronel, who has won WTCC Race of Japan more times than any of his rivals with three victories to his name.

The 30-minute session, which took place in ambient temperatures of 27 degrees centigrade, gave the majority of the WTCC drivers the chance to try out the 4.801-kilometre circuit for the first time. The next track activity during the JVC KENWOOD WTCC Race of Japan weekend is Free Practice 1 at 09h30 on Saturday.

Pos. Driver Team Car Time
1 Gabriele Tarquini Honda Racing Team JAS Honda 1:57.146
2 Norbert Michelisz Zengo Motorsport Honda 1:57.659
3 Jose Maria Lopez Citroen Total WTCC Citroen 1:57.669
4 Tiago Monteiro Honda Racing Team JAS Honda 1:57.792
5 Nicky Catsburg LADA Sport Rosneft Lada 1:58.075
6 Mehdi Bennani Sebastien Loeb Racing Citroen 1:58.152
7 Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WTCC Citroen 1:58.169
8 Robert Huff LADA Sport Rosneft Lada 1:58.714
9 Yvan Muller Citroen Total WTCC Citroen 1:58.852
10 Ma Qing Hua Citroen Total WTCC Citroen 1:58.966
11 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet 1:59.077
12 Nicolas Lapierre LADA Sport Rosneft Lada 1:59.358
13 John Filippi Campos Racing Chevrolet 1:59.371
14 Stefano D’Aste Munnich Motorsport Chevrolet 1:59.711
15 Hugo Valente Campos Racing Chevrolet 2:00.104
16 Tom Chilton ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet 2:00.228
17 Grégoire Demoustier Craft-Bamboo Racing Chevrolet 2:01.419

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