2018 #3 World and life Borković makes a clean sweep in TCR Europe opening WTCR in Hungary and Germany TCR Germany: Fulín’s home win at Most TCR Scandinavia started in Knutstorp WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM 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 Tom Blatter, Marat Daminov, DPPI, Lars Ericsson, Micke Fransson, Grigory Golyshev, Patrik Koziolek, Damian Meaden, Andreas Münzel, The one-man show Vadim Nikishev, Richard Rodgers, Oliver Runschke, Matt Sayle, in TCR Europe Nate Siebens, Daniel Sporre, Where: Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet Gen Suzuki, Salvatore Tarantino What: Stefano Comini recovered on the damp track, from 25th to second in two laps! Published by WSC World Sporting Consulting Ltd What’s next 22 Eastcheap, 2nd Floor, London EC3M 1EU, in the world of TCR United Kingdom 19/20 May TCR China Zhuhai 19/20 May Campeonato España Resistencia Alcañiz Designed by 19/21 May WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup Zandvoort Inpagina s.r.l., via Giambologna 2, 19/21 May TCR Europe & TCR Benelux & TCR Swiss Le Castellet 40138 Bologna, Italy 25/27 May 24H TCE Series 12H Imola [email protected] 26/27 May TCR Portugal Braga 26/27 May Pirelli World Challenge Lime Rock 1/3 June TCR Russia Nizhniy Novgorod 2/3 June TCR Asia & TCR Thailand Buriram 2/3 June TCR UK Brands Hatch 1/3 June Super Taikyu 24H Fuji Reproduction in whole 8/10 June TCR Europe & TCR Benelux Spa-Francorchamps or part is prohibited without 9/10 June ADAC TCR Germany & TCR Swiss Red Bull Ring the publisher’s permission 9/10 June Campeonato España Resistencia Navarra 2 STANDINGS SPOTLIGHT Alfa Romeo, twelve years on… The double victory claimed by Luigi 2000 of Antonelli Sport to win the Ferrara’s wins at Imola were also a well Ferrara and V-Action Racing in the second race in the season opener at deserved reward for the Romeo Ferraris opening round of the TCR Italy Monza. That was the last in a long engineering team that has designed, Championship at Imola ended string of successes that began more developed and built the Giulietta TCR, a twelve-year drought for Alfa Romeo in than half-a-century ago and produced a starting in 2015, with the aim of Italian Touring Car racing. mass of titles won by the likes of the producing a competitive car that could In fact, the last victory for the ‘Biscione’ Giulietta Sprint, Giulia Ti and GT, revive the brand’s glorious tradition in dated back to 2006, when Alessandro Alfetta GTV, 75 Turbo, 155, 156 and Touring Car racing. Balzan drove the Alfa 156 GTA Super 147. The Giulietta TCR had already scored three wins in the 2017 TCR International Series, but victory on the home soil has a different taste! “We are over the moon for this winning debut in TCR Italy,” said Michela Cerruti, Romeo Ferraris Operations Manager. “We began supporting the V- Action Racing programme last year when they made a couple of appearances in TCR Germany and TCR Italy. They have worked very hard during the winter and the Imola results have been the reward for their and our joint efforts. We expected the Giulietta to be competitive at Imola, because the track layout suits its technical characteristics, however the results exceeded the expectations and are a big boost for our motivations to further develop the car.” 3 WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM The game is wide open SIX RACE WINNERS BETWEEN HUNGARY AND GERMANY 4 STANDINGS WTCR 5 WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM The WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup There’s no doubt, though, that he has certainly started off on the right will be able to correct the situation foot! After three of the ten events, in the forthcoming rounds and also some trends are taking shape and the that his team mate Norbert Michelisz, battle at the top is already very hot. currently lying fourth in the The Hyundai i30 N has shone as the standings, will soon open his acount most successful car in this initial part of 2018 victories, having already of the season with five wins out of brushed with P1 in his home track in nine races, but the rival car models Budapest. are closing the gap and the battle is The “Grüne Hölle”, on the contrary, fierce even within the camp of teams brought good news for M Racing YMR, running the Korean car. Gabriele the other squad entering Hyundai Tarquini, proving once again that age cars, which left Germany as the new is only a date on an ID card, won points leader in both the Drivers’ and three races over the two first events, Teams’ standings. Yvan Muller, another becoming a strong early leader in the ‘evergreen’ in great shape, took on the standings after Marrakesh and the Nordschleife to record his first win Hungaroring. Nevertheless, a black since his comeback to active racing. weekend at the Nürburgring, where This, together with more valuable he did not score a single point, points, put him at the helm of the deprived him of the provisional lead. standings as the series heads for the The BRC Racing Team driver reckoned fourth event in Zandvoort. His that he is not a great fan of the teammate, the 2017 WTCC champion Nordschleife. “I do not think it makes Thed Björk, who proved to be the a lot of sense to make sprint races fastest man on the ‘Ring by twice here”, he commented after paying a taking the pole position, also netted heavy price from the two accidents his first WTCR win in Race 3, climbing he suffered in Race 1 and Race 2. to P3 in the overall standings. 6 STANDINGS WTCR 7 WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM 8 STANDINGS WTCR The Honda Civic has also proved to be HUNGARORING - ROUND 4, SATURDAY 28 APRIL 2018 quite competitive, clinching wins in DRIVER CAR TEAM Race 2 in both Hungary and Germany thanks to the All-Inkl.Com Münnich 1 Yann Ehrlacher Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 12 laps in 23:08.602 Motorsport cars. Young gun Yann 2 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 0.692 Ehrlacher, who keeps progressing 3 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 5.942 steadily, imposed himself at Budapest, 4 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing - YMR 7.290 with Esteban Guerrieri doing the same 5 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 9.117 on the ‘Ring, to the delight of his fans back home in Argentina. Boutsen 6 Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 9.856 Ginion drivers Tom Coronel and 7 Dániel Nagy Hyundai i30 N TCR M1RA 11.096 Benjamin Lessennes also had some 8 Jean-Karl Vernay Audi RS3 LMS Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil 15.403 decent outings and both are expected 9 Thed Björk Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing - YMR 16.202 to do well on Benelux soil next weekend. 10 Mehdi Bennani Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 21.537 The track nested in the dunes of the Fastest lap: Esteban Guerrieri, 1:54.691, average 137.50 kph, lap 3 North Sea will also have some kind of ‘home event’ feel for the two Belgian squads flying the Audi colours, HUNGARORING - ROUND 5, SUNDAY 29 APRIL 2018 Leopard Lukoil Team and Comtoyou DRIVER CAR TEAM Racing. The RS3 LMS hasn’t added 1 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 12 laps in 23:11.390 another win to the one recorded by 2 Dániel Nagy Hyundai i30 N TCR M1RA 0.562 Jean-Karl Vernay in Morocco, but is 3 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing - YMR 2.200 always among the front-runners. Nordschleife specialist Frédéric 4 Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 2.659 Vervisch was one of the stars of the 5 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 3.050 German weekend, where he collected 6 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 4.252 two podium finishes and fought for 7 Mehdi Bennani Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 8.529 the win in Race 3 until the chequered flag, while Vernay collected a fistful of 8 Benjamin Lessennes Honda Civic FK7 TCR Boutsen Ginion Racing 13.453 very useful points. 9 Zsolt Dávid Szabó Cupra TCR Zengő Motorsport 19.460 10 Jean-Karl Vernay Audi RS3 LMS Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil 19.896 Fastest lap: Dániel Nagy, 1:54.787, average 137.30 kph, lap 2 HUNGARORING - ROUND 6, SUNDAY 29 APRIL 2018 DRIVER CAR TEAM 1 Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 17 laps in 46:49.549 2 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 0.354 3 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing - YMR 3.691 4 Yann Ehrlacher Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 4.092 5 Benjamin Lessennes Honda Civic FK7 TCR Boutsen Ginion Racing 7.675 6 Dániel Nagy Hyundai i30 N TCR M1RA 8.198 7 James Thompson Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 9.631 8 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 12.386 9 Thed Björk Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing - YMR 12.999 10 Jean-Karl Vernay Audi RS3 LMS Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil 17.645 Fastest lap: Yann Ehrlacher, 1:54.129, average 138.10 kph, lap 9 9 WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM NÜRBURGRING - ROUND 7, THURSDAY 10 MAY 2018 DRIVER CAR TEAM 1 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing - YMR 3 laps in 27:08.139 2 Thed Björk Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing - YMR 0.331 3 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 0.853 4 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 1.288 5 Jean-Karl Vernay Audi RS3 LMS Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil 8.112 6 René Rast Audi RS3 LMS Audi Team WRT 8.581 7 Gordon Shedden Audi RS3 LMS Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil 13.468 8 Pepe Oriola Cupra TCR