Mehdi Bennani led all the way to claim victory in the Opening Race at WTCC Race of Macau as FIA World Touring Car Championship title contender Norbert Michelisz was involved a crash that stopped the exciting action early on the tight Guia street track.

Sébastien Loeb Racing-run Bennani made a perfect start from his reverse-grid DHL Pole Position and was never challenged in his Citroën C-Elysée WTCC, as Macau veteran Tom Coronel consolidated his second place on the grid with the runner-up spot for ROAL Motorsport.

“It’s very special to win here in Macau,” said a delighted Bennani, whose win was his third of 2017 and the sixth of his WTCC career. “It’s such a challenging circuit and it’s great to put my name with the likes of Schumacher and Senna as a winner at Macau! Thanks to everybody!"

The race around the 6.120-kilometre track came to an early end after Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver Michelisz clipped a wall. His Honda Civic WTCC blocked the track, leaving Esteban Guerrieri, Rob Huff, Tom Chilton and the rest of the field with no way to pass.

There was no option but to red flag the race and results were called after five of the scheduled eight laps.

Behind Bennani – who also won the WTCC Trophy for independent racers – and Coronel, Ryo Michigami claimed a maiden podium, the first in the WTCC by a Japanese driver, with third place in his Honda Racing Team JAS Civic.

He finished ahead of Thed Björk, who restored his 16.5-point championship lead in his Polestar Cyan Racing Volvo S60, having dropped two points to Michelisz in qualifying on Friday.

Björk’s main title rival Michelisz was still classified fifth from eighth on the grid despite his accident. Honda team-mate Esteban Guerrieri was sixth ahead of Main Race DHL Pole Position setter Rob Huff. The Briton and eight-time Suncity Group Guia Race winner started ninth and overtook RC Motorsport’s Kevin Gleason to make progress on a circuit where it is famously difficult to pass.

Fellow Briton Tom Chilton was eighth in his Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën, while Nicky Catsburg took ninth in his Polestar Cyan Racing Volvo.

The Dutchman holds third in the standings but is now 1.5 points ahead of Bennani, who moves up to fourth overall. Gleason rounded out the top 10 with John Filippi and Yann Ehrlacher next up.

Néstor Girolami finished P13 for Polestar Cyan Racing, Ma Qing Hua took P14 on his WTCC return having crashed in qualifying. Dániel Nagy and Zsolt Dávid Szabó were P15 and P16 respectively in their Zengő Motorsport Hondas.

Macau-based Mak Ka Lok (RC Motorsport) finished P17 on his first WTCC start since 2014. Newcomer Po Wah Wong completed the finishers in a Campos Racing Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1.

The Main Race at WTCC JVCKENWOOD Race of Macau takes place on Sunday at 10h45 local time. New regulations for the event will effectively allow teams unlimited OSCARO Repair Time to ready their cars for the event’s 12-lap finale.

Mehdi Bennani (Opening Race winner): “Friday was very tricky for me and I didn’t manage one lap in Q2 but it was enough to be P10 and I was very lucky to be on pole for the Opening Race and now I am very happy."

"I think I have the best win in my career because to win in Macau is something very special and to win in front of drivers like Tom Coronel and Rob Huff is also very, very special because they are very talented and experienced drivers here in Macau."

"Congratulations to Tom and also to Michigami who starts to do some podiums and everybody who starts to make podiums in the WTCC doesn’t stop because it’s a big challenge to make podiums in the WTCC.”

HONDA BEATS VOLVO POLESTAR TO MACAU WTCC MAC3 SUCCESS

The Honda World Touring Car Team secured a comfortable victory in the Manufacturers Against the Clock team time trial at WTCC Race of Macau ahead of a hobbled Polestar Cyan Racing team. Norbert Michelisz led the charge of Honda Civic WTCCs off the line at the start of the team's run, with Esteban Guerrieri and Ryo Michigami slotting in behind the title hopeful.

The trio completed their two-lap run of the Circuito da Guia in a time of 5m04.465s, which ended up comfortably faster than the Volvo S60s that ran second. The results of WTCC MAC3 and qualifying means Volvo Polestar’s lead in the battle to win the FIA World Touring Car Championship for Manufacturers has been cut to 40.5 points heading into the first of two races tomorrow (Saturday).

“I’m pretty happy with today’s results,” said Honda Team Principal Alessandro Mariani.

“We’ve been inside the top two in every session and have shown excellent speed and consistency. Norbi’s front-row grid spot and our MAC3 win are both good for the championship.”

After Néstor Girolami and Nicky Catsburg were both caught up in incidents during qualifying, all three Volvo drivers - led by Thed Björk - cruised around the circuit and brought their cars home safely in a time of 8m48.108s.

“Looking at how the race weekend has progressed so far with all incidents and the amount of points that we have scored at the end of the day, I must say that this is a result to be pleased with,” said Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Motorsport at Polestar..

“We must continue to push hard in the races to score as many points as possible.” He cocluded

Honda World Touring Car Team's Norbert Michelisz remained on top in Free Practice 2 at WTCC Race of Macau as times fell dramatically ahead of qualifying on the Guia street circuit.

Norbert Michelisz was fastest early on in the session and returned to the top of the times with five minutes remaining, dragging his Honda Civic WTCC to a best time of 2m25.156s – an improvement of almost 2.7s on his session-best time in Thursday's Free Practice 1 and under Rob Huff’s qualifying lap record.

“The grip was better than yesterday, we we are still competitive and I’m confident for qualifying,” said Michelisz, currently second in the world championship standings.

“I started to have the Macau feeling back when you start to push you start to be more confident because you have the grip and the speed. If the track continues to improves like it is it will be a really interesting and exciting qualifying session.”

Sébastien Loeb Racing's Mehdi Bennani led the chasing pack in second practice and ended up three tenths slower than Michelisz in his Citroën C-Elysée, while eight-time Suncity Group Macau Guia Race winner Huff separated the Moroccan from team-mate Tom Chilton in the order.

Nicky Catsburg headed Polestar Cyan Racing team-mate and championship leader Thed Björk to claim fifth with Björk ending up as the fastest Macau rookie.

The returning Ma Qing Hua was eighth in his SLR Citroën C-Elysée, splitting Michelisz's team-mates Esteban Guerrieri and Ryo Michigami, but electing to save his new tyres for qualifying.

John Filippi completed the top 10 ahead of Tom Coronel, the RC Motorsport entries of Yann Ehrlacher and Kevin Gleason and Zsolt Dávid Szabó, who turned 22 on Thursday.

Szabó's Zengő Motorsport team-mate Dániel Nagy experienced another electrical issue at the start of the session and stopped while exiting the pitlane, but got going again and made it back to the pits under a red flag.

He returned to the track later on and finished up P15, ahead of the third RC Motorpsort car of local racer Mak Ka Lok and Hong Kong driver Po Wah Wong from Campos Racing. Fellow WTCC newcomer Kin Pong Clerebold Chan has unfortunately been forced to withdraw from the event due to illness.

Néstor Girolami did not set a time in the third factory Volvo Polestar car after stopping out on track at Fishermen's Bend, and will have his engine changed before qualifying this afternoon, which will hand the Argentine a grid penalty for the Opening Race on Saturday. Qualifying is up next, starting at 1325 local time.

Rob Huff has claimed a sensational provisional pole position at WTCC Race of Macau with a new lap record of the famous Guia street circuit in his ALL-INKL.com Münnich Motorsport Citroën C-Elysée.

Briton Huff ran last in the top-five qualifying shootout and recorded a fastest lap of 2m23.995s, beating José María López's previous best time of 2m24.294s by three tenths of a second.

“It was awesome, I’d been saving a little bit but that was the most dare-devil lap I’ve ever done here,” said Huff. “I thought I was going to crash at every corner, it was mad with some huge saves. I’m very happy.”

Norbert Michelisz was the man deposed by Huff's fastest time, the Hungarian title contender instead settling for second in his Honda Civic WTCC but cutting Thed Björk's championship lead to 14.5 points after the Swede had to make do with fourth place after he made it out of Q2 on last lap.

Tom Chilton claimed a fine third in his Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën C-Elysée, beating Björk, the leading Volvo Polestar driver and best rookie, and Michelisz's Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team stablemate Esteban Guerrieri.

A WTCC career-best sixth was Kevin Gleason's reward for steering clear of the barriers around the 6.120-kilometre track, the American out-qualifying the third factory Honda Civic WTCC of Ryo Michigami and Tom Coronel.

John Filippi was classified ninth in the second part of qualifying but did not record a flying lap after clouting the wall on the exit of the final corner, while Néstor Girolami and Mehdi Bennani were both caught up at Police Bend and also failed to set meaningful times. Girolami had earlier received a grid penalty for an engine change following a troubled Free Practice 2.

The third Volvo of Nicky Catsburg set the early pace in the first part of qualifying but his fortune unravelled thereafter as he hit a wall exiting Fishermen's bend near the end of the lap. The Dutchman was not allowed to take part in Q2 after his car was recovered to the pits. Yann Ehrlacher missed out on the second part of qualifying and will start Sunday's Main Race from P13 ahead of Zengő Motorsport pair Zsolt Dávid Szabó and Dániel Nagy, with Macau’s Mak Ka Lok next up.

Returning two-time race winner Ma Qing Hua crashed on his first flying lap, while WTCC debutant Po Wah Wong also hit a wall in his Campos Racing entry.

Saturday’s eight-lap Opening Race is due at 14h15 local time with the Main Race on Sunday from 10h45 over 11 laps

Norbert Michelisz has gone fastest in Free Practice 1 at WTCC Race of Macau as the FIA World Touring Car Championship returned to the iconic street track.

Driving a Honda Civic WTCC for the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, Michelisz lapped the challenging 6.120-kilometre Circuito da Guia in a best time of 2m27.802s, some eight tenths shy of Rob Huff’s qualifying lap record from 2014.

“It was difficult, not because it was hot but because the overall grip level was very poor and I don’t remember to have this feeling before in Macau,” said Michelisz, currently second in the WTCC standings, 16.5 points off the lead.

“Of course I’m happy to be in front and I did enjoy being back here with the extra adrenalin rush, but nobody should overestimate the results from today.”

Huff, the eight-time winner of the Suncity Group Macau Guia Race, was second fastest, 0.352s adrift of Michelisz with Tom Chilton snatching third from Sébastien Loeb Racing team-mate Mehdi Bennani on his final lap of the 45-minute session, which took place in ambient temperatures of 26 degrees centigrade.

Bennani’s Free Practice 1 ended in dramatic fashion when he clattered the barriers braking downhill for the Melco hairpin. The Moroccan ended up fourth quickest followed by his Citroën C-Elysée-driving team-mate Ma Qing Hua, who is making his return to the WTCC after a lengthy absence.

Néstor Girolami was the fastest Macau rookie and the best of the three Polestar Cyan Racing drivers in sixth with Ryo Michigami and Esteban Guerrieri next up in their works Hondas, as Nicky Catsburg and championship leader Thed Björk completed the top 10 for the factory Volvo Polestar squad.

Björk, who is also making his first appearance at Macau, said: “It feels good to have done this first session and I like the track. When I was sat in the car at the beginning I felt my heart was beating more because of the anticipation, but I feel my preparations have been really good, I’ve had help from Yvan [Muller] and Nicky and when I rolled out of the pit lane I just focused on my driving, I was feeling relaxed and going faster all the time. It’s a long way to the limit but I just wanted to build up to it, focus on myself and nothing else.”

Elsewhere, Tom Coronel was P11, John Filippi P12 with Yann Ehrlacher and Kevin Gleason P13 and P14 respectively.

Zsolt Dávid Szabó, who turns 22 today, was P15 ahead of local racer Mak Ka Long and Hong Kong-based WTCCnewcomer Po Wah Wong. Dániel Nagy failed to set a time after a technical failure struck shortly after he ventured out onto the track.

Kin Pong Clerebold Chan was also absent from the timesheets in his Campos Racing Chevrolet. Free Practice 2 is up next from 09h15 local time on Friday.