Yvan Muller dominated the second race in China as Gabriele Tarquini took second – the Italian driving an extremely defensive race to keep Rob Huff behind. Colin Turkington took fourth, having passed Tom Coronel on the final lap of the race.
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Having started from Pole Position, Huff lost the lead straight off the line as fellow front row starter, Gabriele Tarquini took the lead in the Lukoil-SUNRED SEAT Leon 1.6T but half way round the opening lap, Huff made his move and found himself bouncing off the barrier after contact and dropping down to fourth, with Muller and Turkington getting ahead.
Huff moved back into P3 on lap two and two laps later, Muller took the lead away from Tarquini, setting about clearing off into the lead . Just two laps later he was almost two seconds out in front.
With Tarquini being the ‘stopper’, Muller cleared off and was extending his advantage by a second a lap, while behind, the train of cars couldn’t be seperated, with Huff trying to find his way ahead of Tarquini, while also defending his position from Huff.
Lap ten saw Turkington drop two positions after locking up at the turn one hairpin, with Coronel and race one winner Menu moving ahead of the Wiechers-Sport driver.
Nine laps later, Turkington was back up into fifth at the expense of Menu, after diving down the inside at turn one, before taking Coronel on the final lap to finish fourth and the win in the Yokohama Independents.
The results mean that, heading to Macau, the outright drivers title will be between Muller and Huff – Menu is now seventy three points behind and out of outright contention but can’t be caught for third. Twenty points separate Muller and Huff with fifty points up for grabs.
Kristian Poulsen has taken a big step towards the Yokohama Independents title after finishing second to Turkington, while his chief rival Norbert Michelisz failed to score. Twenty three points is Poulsen’s advantage heading to Macau, with forty three points up for grabs. As is tradition in Macau double points will be up for grabs in the Independents trophy, leaving the title open to four drivers.
Fabio Fabiani once again secured victory in the Jay-Ten trophy in his final race of the season – he isn’t due to head to Macau. He has provisionally won the 2011 Jay-Ten Trophy, having overhauled Aleksei Dudukalo during the opening race.