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Björk was involved in the multi-car accident in Race 1 on Saturday, his Hyundai i30 N TCR momentarily catching fire and requiring his YMR team to work through the night to repair it for Sunday’s Second Qualifying. Showing no ill effects from the crash, Björk landed the DHL Pole Position for Race 3, which he converted into win number two of 2018.

Homola’s moment in the spotlight came in Race 2. Starting third on the grid aboard a DG Sport Compétition PEUGEOT 308TCR, the Slovak belied his lack of Vila Real track knowledge to defeat Race 1 winner Muller, who waited until the penultimate lap to take his ‘joker’ lap but was unable to stop Homola from sweeping ahead as he re-joined.

Muller’s victory in Race 1 and second place in Race 2 puts him back on top of the WTCR standings heading to Slovakia next month. Touring car racing’s most successful driver heads Gabriele Tarquini and Yann Ehrlacher, who are joint second, with Björk and Jean-Karl Vernay next up.

Tarquini, who finished second in Race 3 ahead of Hyundai-powered BRC Racing Team team-mate Norbert Michelisz, battled the effects of a fever, while Michelisz was nursing an injured right hand, sustained in the Race 1 accident.

Pepe Oriol impressed with podiums in Race 1 and Race 2 and a strong fourth in Race 3 for Team OSCARO by Campos Racing. The Cupra-driving Spaniard scored 50 points across the sun-drenched Vila Real weekend to earn TAG Heuer Most Valuable Driver status as Björk took the TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy.

Esteban Guerrieri finished second in Race 1 for ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport after the German squad won a race against time to repair the Argentine’s Honda, which suffered extensive damage in the multi-car accident. Team-mates Yann Ehrlacher and James Thompson were also caught up in the incident with Thompson’s car too badly damaged to continue. Ehrlacher made it through to the DHL Pole Position shootout on Sunday morning following through-the-night repairs but two sevenths were as good as it would get for the erstwhile championship leader.

Gordon Shedden started the reverse-grid Race 2 from first place but a track limits infringement earned the Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team driver a five-second penalty and dropped him to sixth. Comtoyou Racing’s Frédéric Vervisch was one of a number of drivers to gain from the ‘joker’ lap, taking sixth on the final lap of Race 3 having started P21. Vila Real resident Edgar Florindo made the most of his wildcard opportunity to finish as the top Portuguese in P12 in Race 3.