The 2009 FIA WTCC Race of France was the fourth round of the 2009 World Touring Car Championship season and the fifth running of the FIA WTCC Race of France. It was held on 17 May 2009 at the temporary Circuit de Pau street circuit in Pau, France. It was the headline event of the 2009 Pau Grand Prix. Both races were won by Chevrolet with Robert Huff winning race one and Alain Menu winning race two. The second race was notable for a collision between race leader Franz Engstler and the safety car at the end of the first lap.
Background Yvan Muller had established an outright lead in the drivers' championship after the previous round in Morocco, twelve points clear of SEAT Sport teammate Gabriele Tarquini. Félix Porteiro was leading the Yokohama Independents' Trophy.
SUNRED Engineering expanded to three cars for the Pau event, Tom Coronel was joined by Tom Boardman who returned after missing the previous round and former European Touring Car Championship driver Éric Cayrolle. With both George Tanev and Vito Postiglione being forced to miss the round, Scuderia Proteam Motorsport ran just one car for independents' championship leader Porteiro. Local French GT Championship regular Laurent Cazenave joined Wiechers-Sport for the weekend alongside full-time driver Stefano D'Aste.
Report Free practice Jörg Müller was fastest in the first practice session, Augusto Farfus was second and Yvan Muller was third. Alain Menu was the fastest Chevrolet driver in sixth. The petrol SEAT cars were mainly faster than the SEAT Sport run diesel cars. Marin Čolak, Coronel and Boardman finished the session seventh, eighth and ninth ahead of Jordi Gené, Tiago Monteiro and Rickard Rydell.
BMW were quickest once again in free practice two, Andy Priaulx was quickest for BMW Team UK. He was ahead of morning pacesetters Müller and Farfus while Coronel in fourth was the fastest independent. Menu was fifth for Chevrolet and the fastest factory SEAT was Rydell fourteenth, one place behind the Lada of Jaap van Lagen.
Qualifying Priaulx claimed his first pole position since the 2006 Guia Race of Macau. The BMW Team UK man was among the front runners during both practice sessions and qualifying and put in a time of 1:22.462 in Q2. He demoted BMW teammate Farfus by just 11 thousandths of a second. Coronel defied odds in taking part in Q2 after the front of his car was severely damaged in Q1. However, attention from his team and he lined up in third place.
While it was a BMW at the top of the timesheet for the majority of the Q1, on the last lap Huff and Chevrolet stormed through with a 1:22.900 stealing the quickest time away from Priaulx by 0.042 of a second. Jörg Müller (1:22.960) and Farfus (1:23.201) went into Q2 as third and fourth best. Coronel was sitting fifth at the end of Q1. However, at this time his team was repairing his car for Q2 after he incurred damage with seven minutes remaining. Leading man Huff's teammates Larini and Menu both made the cut after claiming the sixth and seventh best times. Independent drivers Porteiro and Engstler along with Sergio Hernández made up the top ten, narrowly denying Alessandro Zanardi and D’Aste progression into Q2. All the five SEAT Sport turbodiesel cars remained out of the Q2 for the first time.
In Q2, Coronel was the man to beat for the opening half of the session after he clocked a 1:22.917. However, Farfus knocked the Dutchman off provisional pole by a sturdy four tenths of a second. The Brazilian's time of 1:22.473 seemed good enough to set him up at the front for Race 1 until Priaulx bettered it by just 0.011 seconds. Coronel's time secured third place on the grid alongside Jörg Müller. A trio of Chevrolets followed from fifth to seventh; Huff (1:23.097), Menu (1:23.128) and Larini (1:23.282).http://www.fiawtcc.com/2009/uploadedFiles/PDF/RP.4.200951795641.pdf Qualifying Report
Warm-Up Pole sitter Farfus was fastest in the warm–up session on Sunday morning with Jörg Müller second and Priaulx third.
Race One Huff took his second win in three races for Chevrolet. The Briton got a great start from third and overtook Farfus who hit some oil and went wide at Pont Oscar on lap 2. Huff led the pack for the remaining 17 laps with Farfus and Jörg Müller having to settle for second and third despite applying constant pressure on the front man. Perseverance paid out for Priaulx who crossed the line fourth, having passed Menu on lap 12.
Spaniard Hernández made good progress in the second half of the race to secure fifth place overall with fellow countryman Porteiro winning the independent category in sixth overall, however he was eventually excluded by the stewards for hitting Coronel. Engstler inherited the independents’ victory and sixth place, while Menu came home eighth to start race two on pole.http://www.fiawtcc.com/2009/uploadedFiles/PDF/RP.4.2009517225639.pdf Race Report
Race Two Chevrolet achieved their fourth consecutive win and this time it was Menu on the top podium spot. He was joined by teammate Huff who crossed the line third and Farfus from BMW Team Germany took second place just as in race one. The race was suspended when Engstler collided with the safety car. During the first lap Porteiro hit Hernández with the later not being able to rejoin. Porteiro was given a drive-through penalty.
Jörg Müller and Priaulx also made contact with each other in lap one. While Priaulx continued and crossed the line fourth, Müller received a drive-through penalty for pitting during the suspension of the race and finished 18th. Zanardi stormed through the pack to achieve fifth place and SEAT Sport men Gabriele Tarquini and Yvan Muller scored points in sixth and seventh. The race ended under the red flags with one lap remaining after Cayrolle and Larini, who were battling for eighth spot, were involved in a collision.
Results Qualifying Name Team Car Q1 Q2 1 8 Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1:23.201 1:22.473 2 7 Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1:22.960 1:23:051 3 25 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320siY 1:23.625 1:24.442 4 11 Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:22.900 excluded 5 6 Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 1:22:942 excluded 6 21 Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 1:23.375 excluded 7 14 Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:23.425 excluded 8 12 Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:23.516 excluded 9 23 Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320siY 1:23.577 excluded 10 10 Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 1:23.768 excluded 11 9 Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 1:23.806 12 28 Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 1:23.815 13 30 Mehdi Bennani Exagon Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 1:23.929 14 3 Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.118 15 27 Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320siY 1:24.196 16 4 Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.284 17 2 Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.506 18 33 Laurent Cazenave Wiechers-Sport BMW 320siY 1:24.621 19 29 Éric Cayrolle SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 1:24.742 20 5 Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.874 21 1 Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.894 22 18 Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 1:24.925 23 26 Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320siY 1:25.280 24 22 Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 1:25.299 25 19 Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 1:25.457 26 20 Viktor Shapovalov LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 1:26.054
— Robert Huff, Andy Priaulx, Tom Coronel, Nicola Larini, Alain Menu, Félix Porteiro and Sergio Hernández had all their times in Q2 deleted for exceeding the engine rev limit on their cars.
— Stefano D'Aste had his four fastest lap times in Q1 deleted for exceeding the engine rev limit on his car.
— Yvan Muller had his fastest lap time in Q1 deleted for exceeding the engine rev limit and the maximum supercharged air pressure on his car.
Race 1 Name Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 11 Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 19 27:10.540 4 10 2 8 Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 19 +0.261 1 8 3 7 Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 19 +0.892 2 6 4 6 Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 19 +1.105 5 5 5 10 Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 19 +1.943 10 4 6 25 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320siY 19 +9.544 3 3 7 12 Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 19 +9.550 8 2 8 21 Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 19 +11.050 6 1 9 22 Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 19 +23.983 22 10 29 Éric Cayrolle SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 19 +31.504 17 11 1 Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 19 +32.037 19 12 2 Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 19 +32.485 15 13 3 Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 19 +33.322 14 14 5 Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 19 +34.067 18 15 26 Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320siY 19 +34.823 21 16 4 Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 19 +36.815 25 17 20 Viktor Shapovalov LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 19 +54.020 26 18 30 Mehdi Bennani Exagon Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 19 +54.870 13 19 28 Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 18 +1 Lap 12 Ret 18 Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 13 Power steering 20 Ret 27 Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320siY 12 Race incident 24 NC 9 Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 12 +7 Laps 11 Ret 33 Laurent Cazenave Wiechers-Sport BMW 320siY 4 Clutch 16 NC 14 Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 2 +17 Laps 7 Ret 19 Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 0 Race incident 23 DSQ 23 Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320siY 19 Disqualified 9 Bold denotes Fastest lap.
Race 2 Name Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 12 Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 18 52:22.260 1 10 2 8 Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 18 +0.351 7 8 3 11 Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 18 +3.066 8 6 4 6 Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 18 +3.325 5 5 5 9 Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 18 +16.153 20 4 6 2 Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 18 +17.728 12 3 7 1 Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 18 +19.686 11 2 8 29 Éric Cayrolle SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 18 +22.425 10 1 9 14 Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 18 +22.581 21 10 26 Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320siY 18 +23.297 15 11 5 Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 18 +28.247 14 12 4 Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 18 +29.778 16 13 18 Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 18 +34.095 24 14 33 Laurent Cazenave Wiechers-Sport BMW 320siY 18 +38.990 23 15 20 Viktor Shapovalov LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 18 +44.402 17 16 28 Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 18 +52.439 19 17 23 Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320siY 17 +1 Lap 3 18 7 Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 17 +1 Lap 6 19 21 Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 15 +3 Laps 26 Ret 30 Mehdi Bennani Exagon Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 11 Race incident 18 Ret 3 Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 10 Race incident 13 Ret 19 Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 9 Driveshaft 25 Ret 25 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320siY 1 Race incident 2 Ret 22 Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSIY 1 Race incident 9 Ret 10 Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 0 Race incident 4 DNS 27 Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320siY 0 Did not start 22 Bold denotes Fastest lap.
Standings after the event
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Yvan Muller 45 3 2 Augusto Farfus 39 1 3 Gabriele Tarquini 34 2 4 Robert Huff 32 2 5 Rickard Rydell 30
Yokohama Independents' Trophy standings Pos Driver Points 1 1 Franz Engstler 71 1 2 Félix Porteiro 68 3 Tom Coronel 56 4 Stefano D'Aste 25 1 5 Tom Boardman 23
Manufacturers' Championship standings