Maintained World Championship lead with double podium in tough Portuguese races

Thed Björk secured a double podium in the FIA WTCC Race of Portugal on the challenging street circuit Vila Real, enabling Polestar Cyan Racing to maintain the World Championship lead for manufacturers.

The four-time STCC champion has moved up to second in the drivers’ championship, just four points from the top spot. Björk finished third in the opening race and challenged race leader Norbert Michelisz in the main race for the victory, despite carrying 30 kilos more, to finish second.

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Polestar Cyan Racing gear up to defend double championship lead on the fast streets of Vila Real

The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) reaches its half way point on the fast street circuit of Vila Real in Portugal this weekend, with just eight points separating the top three and a new “Joker Lap” being introduced.

Polestar Cyan Racing driver Nicky Catsburg heads the standings, with team-mate Thed Björk third, following their historic double win at the Nürburgring Nordschleife a month ago.

Citroën Total out for revenge at the Vila Real street circuit

After a challenging weekend in Russia, the Citroën Total team is going into the Portuguese round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship with revenge on their minds. José María López and Yvan Muller will want to preserve the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC’s unbeaten record on the Vila Real street circuit.

With the summer break fast approaching, this weekend’s FIA WTCC race at the Vila Real circuit will mark the last European meeting of the 2016 season. The season will resume in Argentina in early August, before moving on to Asia and the Middle East.

The Portuguese round is also the first of the second half of the season. In the first six meetings, the Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs have notched up five pole positions, seven race wins and four one-two finishes.

López and Qing Hua, the true kings of Real

The European leg of the FIA WTCC season ended in triumph for the Citroën Total team, which scored two one-two finishes in the streets of Vila Real. In race one, José María López and Sébastien Loeb built on their qualifying form to take an uncontested one-two finish. Marked by a multitude of incidents, race two brought a smile to Ma Qing Hua. The Chinese driver won his second ever race in the FIA WTCC ahead of Yvan Muller. The four Citroën drivers retain the top four places in the World Championship: José María López (322 pts) ahead of Yvan Muller (267), Sébastien Loeb (230) and Ma Qing Hua (146).