2011. September 5. 07:37  author: Viktor Adorján

Zengő Dension Team’s Norbert Michelisz took back to back 7th places on the 2011 WTCC Race of Spain. The Hungarian driver managed to complete Race 1 in traffic in a tight competition while he was set to take a podium finish on Race 2 before he spun his BMW 320 TC just meters ahead of the checkered flag.

Valencia and the 2011 Race of Spain marked the end of the five week long summer holiday in the WTCC season. Everybody was eager to get back to the track at the beginning of September for the last of this year’s European rounds before the whole field gets shipped to the Far East. 

Following the start of Race 1 on Sunday, Norbert Michelisz was keen to stay on the inside line to avoid any potential dangers but the jam of cars ahead of him enabled Kristian Poulsen and Javier Villa to pass the Hungarian driver at the beginning of the race.  

At the end of Lap 1 the Zengő Dension Team driver was running 8th by moving a place ahead following Robert Huff’s incident. The British driver later retook his position from Michelisz who managed to overtake Tiago Monteiro and benefited from Gabriele Tarquini’s retirement too.

Eventually Michelisz finished 7th, the same as his starting position which meant a third place for him in the classification of the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy. Yvan Muller took overall victory on Race 1 ahead his team mate Alain Menu and Tom Coronel.

Another podium in sights

Race 1 brought limited success for Michelisz who stated that he was satisfied to return to scoring points again and looked forward to another standing start from the midfield. Though he was far from the first rows, his spectacular starts often give him the upper hand when it comes to compete in the first few hundred meters. This time it was no different. Michelisz broke into the group of leaders in Valencia.

Starting from 8th on the grid Michelisz performed an impressive start and took 3rd in Turn 1 and even managed to make a step forward following the collision between Javier Villa and Tom Coronel. The confusion caused by the collision allowed Yvan Muller to take the lead but Michelisz was still set for a podium finish on Race 2 of Spain right until the ultimate corner in which he spun with his BMW 320 TC and dropped down to 7th.

At the beginning of the last lap Michelisz started to attack eventual race winner Yvan Muller but in the ultimate corner he was overtaken by Robert Huff just before he spun with his BMW 320 TC a few hundred meters away from the checkered flag. This cost Michelisz four places and meant that he finished 7th again in the overall classification.

“I’m really sorry for what happened, it would have been a huge boost for the whole team if I can get to the podium. Though it was bad to return to the pit, I can only take the positives from this race; it is unforgettable,” he said.

“To be there at the front and keeping up with Yvan Muller’s pace was a feeling that I have imagined for myself and recently it started to get blurred. These 13 laps were the laps of my life; I was smiling all the way in the car. The mistake in the last corner was down to being inexperienced. Of course I will do my best to avoid them in the future but I feel that I still have a lot to learn. ”

WTCC is about to leave Europe for the rest of 2011 with the championship is set for three Asian races beginning with Japan at the end of October.