Jean-Karl Vernay put on a lights-to-flag display at Wuhan to win the first race of the weekend, launching himself back into championship contention as the top four championship leading Hyundais all finished outside of the points.

Vernay started from pole position in his Team WRT Audi RS 3 LMS and got away well ahead of the Cupra TCR of Oriola, while the two Comtoyou Racing Audis of Nathanael Berthon and Denis Dupont behind came together at Turn 3 and dropped down the order, promoting the fast-starting Münnich Honda of Yann Ehrlacher to third, followed by the Audis of Gordon Shedden and Frédéric Vervisch.

The race was soon suspended behind the safety car when Tom Coronel’s Boutsen Ginion Honda clambered into the back of Fabrizio Giovanardi’s Mulsanne Alfa Romeo as the two drivers battled over 22nd place, with Giovanardi’s car losing its rear wheel.

When the race resumed, Vernay and Oriola began to pull away, while Ehrlacher was left to defend against the two fast Audis behind him.

Lap after lap Shedden tried to find a way by, eventually making his move on lap 12, outdragging the Honda down the straight.

Shedden the closed up on Oriola’s Cupra before the finish but ran out of time to make a challenge, finishing third, his first podium of the 2018 World Touring Car Cup season.

Ehrlacher finished fourth ahead of Vervisch’s Audi, with Aurélien Comte finishing in sixth in his DG Sport Peugeot with Kevin Ceccon just behind in the sole remaining Alfa Romeo.

Münnich Honda driver Esteban Guerrieri fended off the advances of Nathanael Berthon in the Comtoyou Audi to finish eighth, with Aurélien Panis completing the top ten.

The Hyundais had a race to forget, their worst since Zandvoort, as they struggled with the change in compensation weight. Twice a winner last week Thed Björk was the best-placed for YMR in 13th, with Yvan Muller 16th, and Gabriele Tarquini finishing 18th, the last car on the road, with seven cars failing to make the finish.

Vernay now makes the most gains in the championship, and is now fifth overall, just two points behind Norbert Michelisz’s Hyundai, moving ahead of Honda’s Yann Ehrlacher, with Pepe Oriola moving up to seventh ahead of Esteban Guerrieri in the standings.

Qualifying for tomorrow’s races follows on Sunday morning at 09:00 CST (03:00 CEST).