Sébastien Loeb and José María Lopéz claimed a victory apiece as the from KW presented and supported 2015 FIA World Touring Car Championship got off to a spectacular start with two action-packed races in Argentina.

Lopéz, the national hero and reigning WTCC champion, triumphed in race one to the delight of the 40,000-strong crowd at a sun-drenched Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaDfMj6sv5A

However, the 31-year-old was unable to prevent his Citroën team-mate Loeb from claiming top spot in the second event, which was punctuated by a safety car period to allow trackside marshals to clear debris from the track following a handful of early clashes.

Yvan Muller finished second in race one following a first-corner bump with Lopéz as Loeb made it a Citroën podium lockout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQqER2ObyFo

Honda driver Tiago Monteiro completed the podium in race two with second place for Lopéz – plus the five points he scored for claiming pole position for race one – helping the Argentine to a five-point championship lead over Loeb.

Norbert Michelisz charged through from the back of the grid to win the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy in race one with Mehdi Bennani taking the class laurels in the second counter, despite contact with Muller sending him into a spin. It was an incident-filled start to 2015 for LADA drivers Rob Huff and James Thompson who both showed promise but were ultimately out of luck in the searing heat.

Photos FIA WTCC