ISSUEISSUE 04 01 / /2019 2019 TCR racing has landed down under TCR Europe raced TCR Asia & TCR China A wet beginning in Hungary and Germany together at Zhuhai for TCR Japan COLOPHON THE TCR SNAPSHOT Editor in chief Fabio Ravaioli ([email protected]) Editors Alfredo Filippone ([email protected]) Mark James ([email protected]) Contributors Actualfoto, Joakim Åström, @World, Dominique Bondar, Milan Bydžovský, Antonio Caruccio, Cheng Yuan, Clovis Chooi, DPPI, Arnold Eugenio, Fabiola Forchini, Jake Galstad, Daphne Gengler, Grigoriy Golyshev, Gruppe C Photography, Bengt-Åce Gustavsson, Sean Henshelwood, Laura Hernández, Josef Hora, Neil Hudson, Jakob Ebrey Photography, Daniel Kalisz, Patrik Koziolek, Who’s the intruder? Fiammetta La Guidara, Stu Lane, Where: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course LAT Images, Lee Mun Yee, What: Find out who has sneaked in the line of TCR cars Robbie Montinola, Vadim Nikishev, Jamie O’Leary, Andy Petersel, Photo 4, Grant Rowley, Oliver Runschke, Evgeny Safronov, Nate Siebens, Philip Sutherland, Gen Suzuki, What’s next Salvatore Tarantino, Ying Ching Heng in the world of TCR Published by WSC 31 May/1 June Super Taikyu 24H Fuji Speedway World Sporting Consulting Ltd 1/2 June TCR Asia / China Shanghai International Circuit 22 Eastcheap, 2nd Floor, 1/2 June TCR Scandinavia Anderstorp Raceway London EC3M 1EU, 1/2 June Canadian Touring Car Championship Calabogie Motorsports Park United Kingdom 7/8 June TCR DSG Endurance Misano Circuit M. Simoncelli 7/9 June TCR Europe / Benelux Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 7/9 June ADAC TCR Germany Red Bull Ring Designed by 7/9 June TCR Australia Phillip Island Circuit Inpagina s.r.l., via Giambologna 2, 7/9 June TC America Sonoma Raceway 14/15 June TCR Scandinavia Skellefteå Drivecenter Arena 40138 Bologna, Italy 15/16 June Coppa Italia Turismo Monza ENI Circuit [email protected] 20/22 June FIA WTCR Nürburgring Nordschleife 21/23 June ADAC 24H Rennen Nürburgring Nordschleife 21/23 June TCR Italy Imola Circuito E. e D. Ferrari 21/23 June TCR Russia Smolensk Ring Reproduction in whole 22/23 June Campeonato de España Resistencia Circuit Valencia R. Tormo or part is prohibited without 22/23 June TCR UK Donington Park the publisher’s permission 22/23 June TCR Japan Sugo Sportsland 2 SPOTLIGHT 822 TCR racing cars and counting! That is the stunning figure that from its success. Not only have nearly Marcello Lotti had the idea to use it as measures the success of TCR, a 250 León TCR cars been built, but SEAT the base to develop a new Touring Car category that has re-shaped Touring Sport (now CUPRA Racing) has also category and he created the TCR world. Car competition on a global level as been given the task of building the The fact that it was possible to use the never before. racing cars of the Group’s other brands, very same car for racing everywhere From the beginning convinced the of 2015 – when the Volkswagen Group to TCR International develop three Series launched the different TCR models concept – 14 brands – CUPRA, VW Golf have built and and Audi RS 3 LMS – developed TCR cars, each one having its directly or through own design, but all engineering sharing common companies. mechanics,” explains Their efforts have CUPRA Racing resulted in 822 cars director Jaime Puig. that have been “Thanks to TCR, we built and sold all now have racing over the world. customers in every The growth of the part of the world and movement in the this has resulted in last five years, starting from the some Volkswagen and Audi, in its factory at CUPRA cars winning races in countries thirty cars built in 2015, totals to Martorell, together with marketing the where the brand is not yet present in around 2400 per cent. spare parts. the market.” Even more impressive is the sales value “Everything started from the León we TCR: a global success, which is bound that has been generated. Considering had built for our one-make trophy. to grow further in the years to come. an average of €115,000 per car, the total amount is close to €95 million, without taking into account the spare parts and tyres that have been sold to get the cars running. Marcello Lotti, the mastermind of TCR is obviously delighted. “We expected success, but frankly this exceeded even our rosiest expectations. For this, we have to be grateful to the stakeholders and the promoters of the different TCR series who have trusted our project and continue to support it. Thanks to their efforts, a global TCR community has been established, providing the platform needed to enable the cars to race everywhere in the world. Now, I’m extremely curious to know when will the 1000th TCR car be delivered and who will buy it. We will monitor the production, because we intend to organise a media ceremony to celebrate the event.” The brand that first believed in the TCR concept was SEAT (now CUPRA), which has also benefited the most 3 WTCR Six different winners in nine races GUERRIERI LEADS THE STANDINGS AFTER ZANDVOORT 4 5 WTCR Six different drivers have won the nine races held over the last, intense month in which WTCR visited Hungary, Slovakia and the Netherlands in quick succession. The three events provided a few surprises in the standings of the FIA World Touring Car Cup. After Zandvoort, thanks to victory in Race 2 in front of more than 50.000 spectators, Esteban Guerrieri became the new leader with 161 points. The Argentine ousted his own teammate and fellow countryman Néstor Girolami from the top of the standings; he struggled during the Dutch weekend after scoring three wins between Hungary and Slovakia, and eventually dropped to third, 25 points behind. The man who made the most out of the Zandvoort event was Lynk&Co’s Thed Björk who claimed one pole position and two race wins and so climbed to second in the standings, 11 points off the leader. Björk had already led briefly after the season opener at Marrakech and remains the spearhead of the Chinese manufacturers’ assault on the world title, as was demonstrated by the team order that forced Yann Ehrlacher to let him through in the third race. 6 HUNGARORING - ROUND 4, SATURDAY 27 APRIL 2019 DRIVER CAR TEAM 1 Néstor Girolami Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 12 laps, 23:19.369 2 Yvan Muller Lynk&Co 03 TCR Cyan Racing Lynk&Co 0.475 3 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 0.926 4 Jean-Karl Vernay Audi RS 3 LMS Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport 1.846 5 Aurélien Panis CUPRA TCR Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA 2.265 6 Frédéric Vervisch Audi RS 3 LMS Comtoyou Team Audi Sport 2.851 7 Thed Björk Lynk&Co 03 TCR Cyan Racing Lynk&Co 3.446 8 Johan Kristoffersson Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 4.038 9 Augusto Farfus Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Racing 4.907 10 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse 5.259 Fastest lap: Frédéric Vervisch, 1:55.613, average 136.40 kph, lap 6 HUNGARORING - ROUND 5, SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2019 DRIVER CAR TEAM 1 Néstor Girolami Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 12 laps, 23:46.542 2 Jean-Karl Vernay Audi RS 3 LMS Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport 2.529 3 Daniel Haglöf CUPRA TCR PWR Racing 3.507 4 Mikel Azcona CUPRA TCR PWR Racing 5.260 5 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 12.822 Behind the leading trio, and still 6 Yvan Muller Lynk&Co 03 TCR Cyan Racing Lynk&Co 14.721 waiting for his maiden win this 7 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 15.245 year, Norbert Michelisz was on the 8 Attila Tassi Honda Civic FK7 TCR KCMG 15.766 podium in all three events, 9 Augusto Farfus Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Racing 18.979 finishing second in both his ‘home’ rounds, Hungaroring and 10 Nicky Catsburg Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Racing 19.522 Slovakiaring, where a huge Magyar Fastest lap: Attila Tassi, 1:55.933, average 136.00 kph, lap 12 crowd came to support its idol, and third in Zandvoort, courtesy of HUNGARORING - ROUND 6, SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2019 Augusto Farfus who handed him the position. The Hyundai driver is DRIVER CAR TEAM currently fourth, 31 points from 1 Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse 17 laps in 34:52.476 Guerrieri and ten ahead of Mikel 2 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse 0.739 Azcona. 3 Yann Ehrlacher Lynk&Co 03 TCR Cyan Performance Lynk&Co 1.535 The 2018 TCR Europe champion, 4 Mikel Azcona CUPRA TCR PWR Racing 1.785 after an amazing debut with third in Marrakech’s Race 3, claimed 5 Thed Björk Lynk&Co 03 TCR Cyan Racing Lynk&Co 2.112 another podium finish at 6 Néstor Girolami Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 2.862 Zandvoort; the young Spaniard has 7 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 3.051 shown a natural affinity for speed, 8 Augusto Farfus Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Racing 3.721 but he is wisely focusing very much on consistency. Very few insiders 9 Nicky Catsburg Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Racing 5.770 would have bet on him making the 10 Jean-Karl Vernay Audi RS 3 LMS Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport 6.582 top five after 40 percent of the season.