2014 WTCC: Citroen wins 1-2 in Slovakia before rain cancels Race 2

Continuous rainfall cancelled Race 2 of the 2014 World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) at the Slovakia Ring, right after Citroen's Sebastian Loeb and Jose Maria Lopez finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the soaked Race 1.

Norbert Michelisz got the third spot on the podium, while Yvan Muller ended in 10th when he was given a drive-through penalty for jumping the start.

“I took a better start than Pechito and then it was a matter of staying on the track and using the advantage of better visibility. It was really raining a lot and conditions were changing from lap to lap in almost every corner. I think it was a good decision to stop the race, as it was becoming really wet and risky and we would have probably lost three quarters of the grid before the finish,” Loeb said.

This is the first time in 10 years, and after 211 races, that a WTCC race has been cancelled since the championship was revived in 2005.

The sunny qualifying session, though, showed no sign of the impending deluge on Sunday with a dry track. Citroen finished 1-2-3 here with Lopez on top, followed by Loeb and Yvan Muller.

Honda’s Michelisz qualified 4th, while Chevrolet’s Gianni Morbidelli, Tom Chilton and Tom Coronel took 5th, 6th and 7th, respectively. Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini, Chevrolet’s Hugo Valente and Honda’s Tiago Monteiro finish up the top 10.

The C-Elysee drivers take the top three spots in the drivers’ championship, with Lopez in the lead, followed by Loeb and Muller. Monteiro stands at 4th place, while Tarquini is at 5th and Valente at 6th. Morbidelli and Chilton are 7th and 8th, respectively, in the ranks, while Michelisz and Coronel get 9th and 10th.

The French team further extends its manufacturers’ championship lead over Honda with 323 points, while Lada still sits at the bottom with 131 points.