Bennani makes history

After qualifying fifth and on pole position for the Yokohama Trophy, the Moroccan driver claimed his best WTCC result in Race 1, finishing fourth behind the Chevrolet trio of Yvan Muller, Rob Huff and Alain Menu.

“It was a tough race, with a lot of fighting at the start with Menu and Huff. Alain and I made contact during the first lap, I had to drive wide on the grass and lost contact with the Chevrolet guys. Then I had to fight with Monteiro for the rest of the race to defend my position,” Bennani commented.

In the second race he did even better, claiming a third position that is the first podium result for a North African driver in a racing world championship.

“I could not imagine finishing on the podium!" he added. "After my result in Race 1 I was thinking I could fight for top five in the second race.

"I had a very good start and managed to follow Michelisz, then for the whole race I found myself fighting with Oriola and Menu for second place. Unfortunately while trying to overtake Oriola I braked too late, and this enabled Menu to win second place for good.

"In the end, it has been a great event for me and the team. We have struggled at the beginning of the season, but now we know we can compete for the top places.”