WTCR: China Double-Header at Ningbo and Wuhan
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2018 #9 World and life WTCR: China double-header at Ningbo and Wuhan TCR Europe: Vernay dominates at Monza TCR Germany: Proczyk secures the title TCR Scandinavia: Kristoffersson is champion WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS THE TCR 2018 SNAPSHOT World and life Editor in chief Fabio Ravaioli ([email protected]) Editors Alfredo Filippone ([email protected]) Mark James ([email protected]) Photography Photo 4 ([email protected]) Contributors Andreas Asen, Vitaly Blinushov, Vincent Chen Yu, Clovis Chooi, DPPI, Micke Fransson, Peter Freij, Peter Fryba, Jake Galstad, Heng Ying, Laura Hernández, Daphne Gengler, Grigory Golyshev, Gruppe C Who’s going wrong? Photography, Sean Henshelwood, Jennie Ju, Patrik Koziolek, Where: Autodromo di Monza Kwang Sung Ko, LAT Images, What: Eric Scalvini, Luigi Ferrara and Salvatore Tavano are looking into each other’s eyes Lee Mun Yee, Vadim Nikishev, Jamie O’Leary, Richard Rodgers, Oliver Runschke, Matt Sayle, Ekaterina Sharapova, Nate Siebens, Daniel Sporre, Gen Suzuki, Salvatore Tarantino, Trazando Fino Published by WSC What’s next World Sporting Consulting Ltd 22 Eastcheap, 2nd Floor, in the world of TCR London EC3M 1EU, United Kingdom 20 October VLN Nürburgring 19/21 October TCR Europe & TCR Benelux Barcelona 26/27 October NGK United Arab Emirates Series Abu Dhabi Designed by 26/28 October TCR Thailand Buriram Inpagina s.r.l., via Giambologna 2, 26/28 October California 8H Laguna Seca 40138 Bologna, Italy 27/28 October WTCR Suzuka [email protected] 27/28 October TCR China Shanghai Tianma 27/28 October TCR Portugal Portimão Reproduction in whole 3/4 November TCR Korea Yeongam or part is prohibited without 3/4 November Super Taikyu Okayama the publisher’s permission 3/4 November Campeonato España Resistencia Barcelona 2 PASSION ART [email protected] Découvrez la collection de chronographes AB Racing sur angebarde.com * L’Art de vivre une Passion WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 The triple crown of TCR Russia’s czar Competition in TCR is so close that could be a serious competitor. The more entries and new cars. TAIF winning any title is not an easy task, victory of Roman Golikov’s Volkswagen Motorsport is in contact with Honda and let alone three in a row. And yet, this is Golf in the first event also proved that Hyundai, so possibly we are going to run exactly what Dmitry Bragin has the DSG cars were fast. And I have to two Civic and two i30 N cars. And I know managed to do. remark on Anton Badoev’s progress, he that LADA will improve the Vesta. My From 2016 nobody has been able to improved race after race and in the team principal Timur Shigabutdinov is dethrone TCR Russia’s czar who has just second part of the season was waiting for a proposal from LADA Sport, acheived his triple crown of titles. consistently among the top-six.” so maybe we will use two Vesta cars…” “I haven’t realized yet that I’m Competition was close, with less than The Russian championship is growing champion once again. Right after the one second covering the top 10/15 fast, but RAF regulations only allow championship finale I took part in the drivers in qualifying, but Bragin is drivers with a Russian license to score Akhmat endurance race and in an convinced that points. Bragin autocross event. So I haven’t had the the balance was thinks that this time to think about it!” not always fair. should be However, he considers this season as “Lev Tolkachev changed to the most impressive in his career. “I and Anton attract foreign think the value of this new title is higher Badoev drove drivers. “Should than the previous ones. Of course it was Cupra cars with a drivers and teams not easy, but in 2016 we had only a few sequential from Europe enter strong competitors, then in 2017 there gearbox and the championship, were more participants, but the LADA didn’t have much they will bring Sport team faced a few problems with weight. During technical the new Vesta TCR. Now the LADA cars the season Klim knowledge and are more reliable and fast, while Lukoil Gavrilov switched new challenges. Racing has switched to the Audi RS3 LMS from the Audi to I’m convinced like us; this resulted in fierce and the Golf for the that Touring Car thrilling competition.” same reason. The competition with Bragin has a lot of respect for his rivals. fact is that is we use both the TCR TCR regulations and TCR Russia in “At the beginning of the season the Compensation Weight and the Drivers’ particular is more exciting than the entry list was quite impressive. The success ballast of the Russian current Formula 1. Now we’ve got more Lukoil drivers were good and the LADA Automobile Federation. Altogether it’s a TV coverage and more spectators at the team had been reinforced with Mikhail lot of weight.” events, and I hope that SMP Racing will Grachev. You couldn’t say who would be Bragin is already looking forward to do their best to attract even larger the leaders and the outsiders; everybody next season. “I’m sure that we’ll have crowds.” 4 L’ART DU CHAMPAGNE SINCE 1836. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM 6 STANDINGS WTCR The two faces of China NINGBO AND WUHAN DELIVERED DIFFERENT RESULTS 7 WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM The WTCR’s double-header in China had two faces that made the fight for the Drivers’ title even closer, when two events NINGBO - ROUND 19, SATURDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2018 have left, at Suzuka and Macau. DRIVER CAR TEAM At Ningbo, the Hyundai cars of MRacing- 1 Thed Björk Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 13 laps in 24:27.793 YMR made a clean sweep: Thed Björk set pole positions for races 1 and 3 that he 2 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 4.098 won, while Yvan Muller was victorious in 3 Frédéric Vervisch Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 6.509 Race 2. 4 Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 7.459 One week later the event at Wuhan’s 5 Mehdi Bennani Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 12.512 street circuit was dominated by the Audi cars. Leopard Lukoil teammates Jean-Karl 6 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 12.920 Vernay and Gordon Shedden shared pole 7 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 15.681 positions and victories in Race 1 and Race 8 Yann Ehrlacher Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 18.262 3 respectively, with Frédéric Vervisch and 9 Denis Dupont Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 21.330 Denis Dupont completing an all-Audi 10 Aurélien Panis Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 22.571 podium in the third race. Only Mehdi Bennani and his Sébastien Loeb Racing Fastest lap: Thed Björk, 1:52.317, average 128.50 kph, lap 4 Volkswagen Golf GTI were able to disrupt Audi’s supremacy, with victory in Race 2. NINGBO - ROUND 20, SUNDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2018 The three-race format of the WTCR events and the large amount of points awarded DRIVER CAR TEAM at each of them means that 174 points 1 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 13 laps in 24:32.355 are still at stake, which leaves a 2 Mehdi Bennani Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 2.620 mathematical chance of becoming 3 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 8.569 champion to 15 drivers. Though – just to make an example – is highly unlikely 4 Denis Dupont Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 9.965 th0at the 15th-placed Dupont will be able 5 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 12.526 to recover his 172-point gap. 6 Frédéric Vervisch Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 12.629 Looking at the standings, only the top- 7 Thed Björk Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 12.796 eight have reasonable chances to stay in 8 Nathanaël Berthon Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 12.961 contention. Gabriele Tarquini has kept the leadership with 241 points despite he 9 Pepe Oriola Cupra TCR Campos Racing 15.337 remained scoreless in Wuhan, but his 10 Aurélien Panis Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 18.019 margin has been reduced to seven points over the pair of his Hyundai colleagues Fastest lap: Yvan Muller, 1:52.356, average 128.40 kph, lap 3 Björk and Muller. Pepe Oriola, Vernay, Esteban Guerrieri and Vervisch had closed NINGBO - ROUND 21, SUNDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2018 their gaps from the leader to 34, 36, 42 DRIVER CAR TEAM and 49 points respectively, while Norbert 1 Thed Björk Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 18 laps in 54:20.993 Michelisz has dropped from fourth to 2 Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 1.928 seventh, 46 points behind his own teammate. 3 Denis Dupont Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 4.020 Yann Ehrlacher and Rob Huff, who were 4 Frédéric Vervisch Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 7.235 among the most credible contenders 5 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 8.855 before the trip to China, have dropped to 6 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 10.572 ninth and tenth, their chances nearly 7 Pepe Oriola Cupra TCR Campos Racing 11.061 faded.