WTCR RACE 1 : MICHELISZ WINS IN VILA REAL
Norbert Michelisz dramatically closed the gap to WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup by OSCARO points leader Esteban Guerrieri with a convincing Race 1 victory in Vila Real.
The BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse driver led all the way from the DHL Pole Position to claim his second win of the season and close the gap to Guerrieri to just 15 points on the #RoadToMalaysia.
Although Michelisz had the pace to win on merit, he was also aided in his quest by Augusto Farfus in the sister BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team entry. The Brazilian, who had qualified second, held back the pair’s nearest challengers, Yann Ehrlacher and Rob Huff, to allow Michelisz to open up a gap at the front following a clean start.
“After qualifying I knew I had the car to win,” said Michelisz. “But I have to thank Augusto who helped in a nice and clever way. Then I just had to manage the gap. I’m happy with the win and, of course, the points.”
Michelisz, Farfus and Huff took their joker laps – a feature unique to the 4.785-kilometre Circuito Internacional de Vila Real in WTCR / OSCARO – as early as possible at the end of lap three, but Ehrlacher waited a lap later – and it enabled the Frenchman to jump Farfus to claim second place.
But with Michelisz already clear in the lead, the Cyan Performance Lynk & Co driver had no chance to challenge for victory and finished second, 2.291s behind. Farfus completed the podium, with Huff in fourth for SLR VW Motorsport.
As Farfus had ahead of him, team-mate Nicky Catsburg held up the rest of the field in the opening stages while running fifth. He maintained his position after the joker laps had played out to secure more points for the Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team.
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing’s Aurélien Panis finished sixth ahead of SLR Volkswagen’s Johan Kristoffersson, who used his experience from the FIA World Rallycross Championship to take his joker later in the race than his rivals. On this occasion it didn’t work out for the Swede, who neither gained nor lost a position and he finished seventh, just ahead of Thed Björk. Yvan Muller and Jean-Karl Vernay completed the top 10 at WTCR Race of Portugal.
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Néstor Girolami finished in P11, just ahead of Andy Priaulx, PWR Racing’s Mikel Azcona and Team Mulsanne’s Ma Qinghua, who made a slow start from fifth on the grid and immediately dropped down the order in his Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR. Comtoyou Team Audi Sport’s Niels Langeveld was the final points scorer in P15.
The race proved an unhappy one for #RoadToMalaysia points leader Guerrieri. The ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver only started P16 after a sensor problem in qualifying, then endured a misfire in the race – allowing Michelisz to close that gap to 15 points from 45.
Home hero Tiago Monteiro was in a points-paying position when a collision with Gabriele Tarquini – who was rejoining the track at the time after completing his ‘joker’ lap – put him out on lap four.
RACE 2 : AZCONA USES 'JOKER' LAP TO SNATCH FIRST WIN FOR PWR
Mikel Azcona played a brilliant ‘joker’ lap strategy to claim his first WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO victory in the reverse-grid Race 2 at WTCR Race of Portugal in Vila Real.
The Spaniard started third in his PWR Racing Cupra TCR, but used the joker – a unique feature at the 4.785-kilometre Circuito Internacional de Vila Real – to pass both Esteban Guerrieri and DHL Pole Position starter Ma Qinghua. The win is also PWR’s first in WTCR / OSCARO and the first for the CUPRA brand this season.
“At the beginning of the weekend this race was very difficult for us because it’s our first time at this track,” said Azcona, who is the 10thrace winner of the season. “But we improved the car over the weekend and I was able to do a good lap this morning in qualifying, and I was more confident too. It’s unbelievable to win here. My family and my people are here, and to overtake two cars with the joker is amazing. It’s crazy.”
The result has also lifted Azcona to fifth in the standings on the #RoadToMalaysia. “We have a chance of the championship,” he said. “The championship is very long, so we will see where we end up.”
Team Mulsanne’s Ma made a clean start after his clutch problems in Race 1 to lead in his Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR, from fellow front-row starter and title leader Guerrieri, with Azcona running ahead of Nicky Catsburg, Jean-Karl Vernay, Rob Huff and Yvan Muller.
But the ‘joker’ lap changed the complexion of the race at the front. Guerrieri was the first to take it at the end of lap three, as Vernay, Muller, Yann Ehrlacher and Tiago Monteiro followed him. Azcona took his joker at the end of lap four, jumping Guerrieri who was now running behind Catsburg.
Ma waited until lap six, but the strategy backfired as Azcona, who had already closed in on the Alfa, swept into a lead he would hold until the flag. Ma finished second ahead of Guerrieri, who added to his points lead.
Vernay finished fourth having gained a place on Catsburg with his joker, the Dutchman having left it late to take his alternative route. Muller was sixth after overtaking Huff with his joker, followed by Ehrlacher, Néstor Girolami and local hero Tiago Monteiro.
Race 3 DHL Pole Position starer Attila Tassi was in P11, ahead of Frédéric Vervisch, Thed Björk, Johan Kristoffersson and Andy Priaulx in P15.
Race 1 winner and title contender Norbert Michelisz failed to finish after incurring damage following contact with Kevin Ceccon’s Alfa Romeo.
WTCR RACE 3 : MONTEIRO SCORES EMOTIONAL HOME WIN
Tiago Monteiro scorched to a dream home victory at WTCR Race of Portugal after seeing off a challenge from Yvan Muller in Race 3 in Vila Real.
The KCMG driver, who has returned to racing this year after coming back from serious injuries incurred in a testing accident in 2017, was in tears on his slowing down lap after becoming the 11th different winner of the FIA World Touring Car Cup by OSCARO season.
“God knows how much we worked for this,” said Monteiro. “The accident two years ago – you’ve no idea how hard we worked to come back. I always dreamed of this, but to actually do this… it’s unbelievable.
“I’m so sad for Attila who could have had his first win, but someone was watching out for me, just as they were in hospital. I lost focus in the last two laps – they were probably the hardest of my career.”
KCMG team-mate Attila Tassi led away from the DHL Pole Position, with Monteiro slotting in behind him as Muller passed his nephew Yann Ehrlacher on lap one to lead the Lynk & Co challenge behind the two Hondas.
Tassi lost his lead on lap four when he began to slow, the teenager eventually pulling in to retire. Muller played his ‘joker’ lap having just passed Tassi, with Monteiro following suit a lap later. The Honda just emerged ahead of the Lynk & Co, but it was close. From there, Monteiro pulled a gap to secure a dream victory in front of a joyful Portuguese crowd.
As Muller fell back from the leader, Ehrlacher closed up, the pair both coming under pressure from Race 2 winner Mikel Azcona in his PWR Racing CUPRA TCR. It seemed Muller was holding up the pair, but he held on to lead home a Lynk & Co two-three, with Azcona capping a great first weekend in Vila Real with a fourth to go with his earlier win.
Jean-Karl Vernay beat Rob Huff in a race-long duel for fifth, the Audi having beaten the Volkswagen off the grid.
Néstor Girolami claimed seventh for ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, but his team-mate Esteban Guerrieri was out of luck. The WTCR OSCARO points leader was forced to retire after a first-lap collision with BRC Hyundai driver Nicky Catsburg, denting his advantage at the top of the table.
Thed Björk added to Lynk & Co’s haul with eighth, ahead of Ma Qinghua who just held off Race 1 winner and Guerrieri’s closest title rival Norbert Michelisz.
The other points finishers were led by Johan Kristoffersson in P11, from Aurélien Panis, Kevin Ceccon – paying back Team Mulsanne for repairing his Alfa Romeo after his big qualifying accident on Sunday morning – Mehdi Bennani and Gabriele Tarquini.
There was bad luck for Comtoyou Team Audi Sport’s Frédéric Vervisch, who retired from P11 with a suspension failure with just two laps to run.
via www.fiawtcr.com
