Rob Huff took a commanding victory for Chevrolet in the first World Touring Car race in Macau on Sunday, as runner-up finisher Gabriele Tarquini moved a step closer to capturing the drivers' title.
Huff led away cleanly at the rolling start as fellow front-row starter Andy Priaulx hit trouble, falling back into the pack and then clouting the wall at the exit of the first kink as he tried to fight off his rivals. Priaulx's problems allowed Tiago Monteiro to move up to second spot, with Tarquini charging through the order from seventh to third by the time the cars braked into Lisboa Bend.
Huff opened up a cushion over Monteiro until lap eight, when the Portuguese SEAT driver slowed down, handing second place to Tarquini. Third place eventually went to Jordi Gene, who finished ahead of Alain Menu and Yvan Muller – now the only man capable of stopping Tarquini from taking the world title, six points behind.
Monteiro dropped to sixth to give an extra place to fellow ORECA SEAT driver Muller, while the BMWs of Jorg Muller and Augusto Farfus also slowed on the final lap – giving two further places to Muller – to secure the front row of the grid for the day's second race.
Priaulx's accident on the first lap resulted in major damage to the right front of his car, but he was able to return to the pits for repairs – rejoining the action just before the checkered flag.