2018 #11 World and life No series for young men: Tarquini and Muller on top in WTCR Interview: Michela Cerruti The Lynk & Co TCR hits the track 24H TCE Series' finale in the USA 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 Yoshinori Arimatsu, DPPI, Lars Eriksson, Peter Freij, Daphne Gengler, Francesc Gutièrrez, Laura Hernández, Hongsik Jeon, Jim Jordan, Robbie Montinola, Rui Reis, José Ribeiro, Bathurst 1000 winner Richard Rodgers, Grant Rowley, Daniel Sporre, Gen Suzuki, has a taste of TCR Rik Voesten Where: Sydney Motorsport Park What: Chaz Mostert drove the Hyundai i30 N during the TCR Australia official launch Published by WSC World Sporting Consulting Ltd 22 Eastcheap, 2nd Floor, London EC3M 1EU, What’s next United Kingdom in the world of TCR Designed by 29/30 December TCR China Guangdong Inpagina s.r.l., via Giambologna 2, 10/12 January 24H TCE Series 24H Dubai 40138 Bologna, Italy 19/20 January TCR Malaysia Sepang [email protected] 24/25 January IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge 2H Daytona 25/26 January TCR Middle East Dubai 25/26 January TCR Malaysia Sepang 26 January NGK United Arab Emirates TCC Dubai Reproduction in whole 1/2 February TCR Middle East Abu Dhabi or part is prohibited without 7/8 February TCR Middle East Dubai the publisher’s permission 16 February NGK United Arab Emirates TCC Dubai 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 Australian drivers discover TCR TCR Australia was officially launched in exciting. They are actually quite down and it just goes. I’d love to race a media and competitors day at Sydney comparable to a GT3 car in terms of one with 15 or 20 cars around. I think Motorsport Park, where an array of driver satisfaction. TCR is pretty cool and the racing would be great and I hope drivers and teams attended to get a it will be great to see a big field of these that I can be involved.” close look at the category. racing toe to toe, there’s a lot of Macauley Jones: “It’s funny how things Four cars were available for testing: potential in the series.” go around. I grew up watching videos of Audi RS3 LMS, Hyundai i30 N, Honda James Moffat: “TCR is an exciting, world dad racing Audi cars. It was very exciting Civic Type R and Volkswagen Golf GTI. wide category. It was exciting to be to drive the Audi. My first impression Drivers who sampled them included involved in the launch and driving the was that I surprised. They are really nice 2014 Bathurst 1000 champion Chaz Honda was a lot of fun. TCR is appealing cars to drive. The power delivery was a Mostert, James Moffat, Leanne Tander, to manufacturers. You can see that with lot different to Supercars, but the turn in Tony D’Alberto and Macauley Jones, how many brands are involved in the the car was really cool. It was fun to among others. Leading Australian race different championships around the drive.” team identities, like Garry Rogers, Brad world. It will be interesting to see how Many other drivers also got Jones and Jason Bright, as well as other many different types of cars end up opportunities to drive, including high-profile guests were onsite. here.” recently crowned Australian F4 Mostert got his maiden TCR laps in the Leanne Tander: “I loved driving the Audi. Champion Jayden Ojeda, rising star HMO Customer Racing Hyundai, while It was amazing and so much fun. There’s Charlotte Poynting and former track and Moffat drove the Honda, Tander and so much power when you put your foot field athlete turned racer John Jones steered the Audi and D’Alberto Steffensen. undertook laps inside the TCR Australia used the Volkswagen. media and competitor Chaz Mostert: “I haven’t day to announce driven too many front wheel several key sporting drive cars, but it felt pretty regulations, including cool. They are kind of like a Michelin as the official hot hatch, front wheel drive tyre supplier and GT3 car. It handles really provisional race good, you can get quite a formats based on lot of speed up and the way three sprint races per it moves around is quite event. 4 CCHAMPIONS WEARR BELL # championsswearbell Bell Racing Helmets Officei Partner Bell Racing Helmets is proud to be nammed an officiali partner of the TCR Europe Series and award the 2018 Series Champion with a state-of-the-art Bell Helmet. Bell will also extend a 20% discount to TCR Europe drivers whho chose to use the Bell HP7, HP5, RS7 Carbon or GT5 Carbon in TCR Europe competition. More champions in all forms of racing have worn Bell than any other brand including 22017 F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton and 2017 WEEC Champion Brendon Hartley. To view the 2018 Bell Racing product line of innovaative and technically superior auto racinga helmeets visit: www.bellracing.com WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM 6 STANDINGS WTCR No Series for Young Men TARQUINI BEATS MULLER BY JUST THREE POINTS 7 WORLD AND LIFE TCR 2018 NEWS HOME DRIVERS TEAM MACAU - ROUND 28, SATURDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2018 DRIVER CAR TEAM 1 Jean-Karl Vernay Audi RS3 LMS Leopard Lukoil Team 10 laps in 46:07.189 2 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 0.516 3 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 0.881 4 Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 6.523 5 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 8.488 6 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 9.297 7 Pepe Oriola Cupra TCR Campos Racing 9.923 8 Timo Scheider Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 10.594 9 Luigi Ferrara Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR Team Mulsanne 11.725 10 Mat’o Homola Peugeot 308 TCR DG Sport Compétition 12.373 Fastest lap: Rob Huff, 2:31.038, average 145.80 kph, lap 10 MACAU - ROUND 29, SUNDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2018 DRIVER CAR TEAM 1 Frédéric Vervisch Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 8 laps in 20:30.967 In the end everything went down to 2 Timo Scheider Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 1.713 three points. That was the final gap 3 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 2.132 between Gabriele Tarquini, who was 4 Kevin Ceccon Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR Team Mulsanne 5.608 crowned the first ever WTCR champion, and Yvan Muller, the most 5 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 6.422 unyielding of his competitors. 6 Yann Ehrlacher Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 7.944 And three points was also the winning 7 Nathanaël Berthon Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 19.927 margin in the battle for the Teams' 8 Luigi Ferrara Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR Team Mulsanne 20.396 title between M Racing-YMR and BRC 9 Aurélien Panis Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 37.106 Racing Team. During the season finale at Macau, 10 Mehdi Bennani Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 38.484 Tarquini struggled because of his own mistake in the second Qualifying session and the pile up at the start of MACAU - ROUND 30, SUNDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2018 Race 2, which helped Muller to significantly cut his gap from 39 DRIVER CAR TEAM points to just three. But eventually, 1 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 13 laps in 37:53.401 the Frenchman had to settle for 2 Rob Huff Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Sébastien Loeb Racing 2.368 second position behind his former 3 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 3.354 teammate, his disappointment appeased by the Teams' title secured 4 Yvan Muller Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 4.488 by his own team. 5 Yann Ehrlacher Honda Civic FK7 TCR All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport 5.367 It was a victory of the experienced, as 6 Pepe Oriola Cupra TCR Campos Racing 5.702 Tarquini (56) and Muller (49) make 7 Kevin Ceccon Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR Team Mulsanne 6.036 105 years between them and proved that this is not a series for young 8 Thed Björk Hyundai i30 N TCR M Racing YMR 7.130 men. 9 Nathanaël Berthon Audi RS3 LMS Comtoyou Racing 7.524 At least not in this maiden season, 10 Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai i30 N TCR BRC Racing Team 8.220 because a cluster of competitive youngsters is eagerly raring to get to Fastest lap: Yann Ehrlacher, 2:31.999, average 144.90 kph, lap 8 the front. 8 STANDINGS WTCR With all the other title pretenders dropping out of contention after Saturday's Race 1, Sunday in Macau was a glorious day for Hyundai as the i30 N cars claimed the first two spots in the standings for both drivers and teams. Other drivers were able to taste their slice of Macanese cake during the weekend. Jean-Karl Vernay took an authoritative victory in the first race at the wheel of the Leopard Lukoil Team Audi RS3 LMS; it was the fourth win for the 2017 TCR International Series champion in the season and only Tarquini won more races (five).