KCMG’s Tiago Monteiro claimed an emotional first win since his return to racing in the FIA World Touring Car Cup, taking victory at his home circuit in Vila Real ahead of Lynk & Co duo Yvan Muller and Yann Ehrlacher.
Pole-sitter Attila Tassi initially led at the start ahead of Monteiro, but there was only one racing lap before a brief safety car period came due to contact between Nicky Catsburg and Esteban Guerrieri in the lower ranks of the top ten.
Catsburg had sought to go around the outside of Guerrieri’s Honda at Turn 6, but the pair made contact, breaking the front-right on Catsburg’s Hyundai and the left-rear on Guerrieri’s Honda.
When racing resumed on lap three, Monteiro passed team-mate Tassi at the end of the lap, with Cyan Racing’s Muller following through into third.
It quickly became clear that Tassi had a problem with his Honda, and the young Hungarian retired to the pits three laps later.
PWR Racing’s race two victor Mikel Azcona ran in third in the mid-stage of the race, the Spaniard catching Muller, but then unable to find a way past.
With Ehrlacher immediately behind Azcona and having already taken his joker lap, Azcona ultimately lost out when he took the joker on lap eight, rejoining in fourth behind Ehrlacher.
The latter stages of the race saw Ehrlacher keeping close to his uncle ahead, but unable to find a place on the circuit to mount a serious passing move.
Jean-Karl Vernay took fifth for the second consecutive race, the only Audi in the points, ahead of SLR’s Rob Huff in sixth.
Münnich Motorsport’s Néstor Girolami was seventh, passing the Lynk & Co of Thed Björk with his use of the joker lap, leaving the Cyan driver to take eighth.
Team Mulsanne’s Ma Qing Hua and BRC racing’s Norbert Michelisz completed the top ten, the latter as the top Hyundai driver.
Guerrieri’s retirement and Michelisz’s points mean that the Hungarian has edged closer in the championship battle, with Guerrieri on 231 points leaving Portugal and Michelisz on 206.
The next round takes place at Ningbo in China on 13 – 15 September.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 14 | 14 LAPS | 2:02.910 | 2 |
| 2 | 100 | Yvan MULLER |  |
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 14 | 2.295 | 2:02.696 | 4 |
| 3 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
Cyan Performance Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 14 | 2.647 | 2:02.730 | 3 |
| 4 | 96 | Mikel AZCONA |  |
PWR Racing | CUPRA TCR | 14 | 2.959 | 2:02.423 | 8 |
| 5 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 14 | 6.816 | 2:02.805 | 6 |
| 6 | 12 | Rob HUFF |  |
SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 14 | 6.999 | 2:02.840 | 5 |
| 7 | 29 | Néstor GIROLAMI |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 14 | 10.041 | 2:02.789 | 11 |
| 8 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK |  |
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 14 | 12.507 | 2:02.688 | 15 |
| 9 | 55 | Ma QING HUA |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 14 | 22.317 | 2:03.627 | 10 |
| 10 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 14 | 22.596 | 2:03.413 | 16 |
| 11 | 14 | Johan KRISTOFFERSSON | |
SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 14 | 23.570 | 2:03.135 | 14 |
| 12 | 21 | Aurélien PANIS | |
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing | CUPRA TCR | 14 | 24.108 | 2:03.355 | 19 |
| 13 | 31 | Kevin CECCON |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 14 | 24.900 | 2:03.487 | 12 |
| 14 | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 14 | 24.916 | 2:03.541 | 23 |
| 15 | 1 | Gabriele TARQUINI | |
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 14 | 25.258 | 2:03.574 | 17 |
| 16 | 10 | Niels LANGEVELD |  |
Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 14 | 26.028 | 2:03.549 | 26 |
| 17 | 50 | Tom CORONEL | |
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing | CUPRA TCR | 14 | 26.602 | 2:03.675 | 24 |
| 18 | 33 | Benjamin LEUCHTER |  |
SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 14 | 37.092 | 2:04.375 | 22 |
| 19 | 111 | Andy PRIAULX | |
Cyan Performance Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 14 | 1:44.342 | 2:03.465 | 18 |
| R | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH |  |
Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 12 | DNF | 2:03.246 | 13 |
| R | 37 | Daniel HAGLÖF | |
PWR Racing | CUPRA TCR | 7 | DNF | 2:03.657 | 25 |
| R | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 7 | DNF | 2:05.067 | 1 |
| R | 8 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 6 | DNF | 2:04.258 | 20 |
| R | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 1 | DNF | N/A | 21 |
| R | 88 | Nicky CATSBURG | |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 7 |
| R | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 9 |
