Race 2 started with controversy, as Gabriele Tarquini in second on the grid and Mehdi Bennani from tenth made clear jump starts. Nevertheless, Michel Nykjaer led the pack into the first chicane followed by Chevrolets Yvan Muller, who shot from fifth to second.
Tarquini did briefly get past Muller but was then called in for his Drive Through Penalty for the jump start, and retired later on in the race. Bennani was also called, losing him his lead in the Independents Trophy. He eventually ended up finishing in eighteenth.
As Nykjaer continued to creep ahead of the rest field, Fredy Barth, who was running well in third, ran wide into the Parabolica 5 laps from the end and dropped well back.
In the midfield, Race 1 winner Andy Priaulx was having a quiet race in sixth, Rob Huff and Augusto Farfus were harassing each other over fifth. Jordi Gene, who disappeared out of contention early on in Race 1, and Tiago Monteiro were scrapping for eighth.
Coming into the final lap Nykjaer had stretched his lead to just over a second over Muller and Coronel, when disaster struck. After exiting the second chicane for the final time, his front left developed a puncture, allowing Muller to streak past to take the win and the championship lead, followed by Tom Coronel with Rob Huff completing the podium.
Sadly for Nykjaer he couldn't nurse it across the line and pulled over onto the grass.
Team mates Augusto Farfus and Andy Priaulx came in fourth and fifth followed by Gene, Monteiro,top rookie Michelisz, and Gene with Leonel Pernia rounding out the Top 10.
Winner of the Independents Trophy was Stephano D'Aste coming in eleventh.
In an amendment to Race 1, Mehdi Bennani was striped of the Independents Trophy after being handed a 30 second penalty for cutting the first chicane on lap 1 and gaining an unfair advantage.
Alain Menu was also handed a 5 place grid penalty that is suspended for 3 races, for nudging Norbert Michelisz into the first chicane. The penalty will be handed out if he repeats the same offence.
