Azcona: Petrol, electric touring car double duty “a great challenge”

The Spanish driver is set to drive two very different Cupra Leon touring cars in the FIA World Touring Car Cup and the new all-electric touring car Pure ETCR series, which share the bill at Spain’s Motorland Aragon circuit this weekend.

Last month Azcona made history by winning the inaugural Pure ETCR event at Italy’s Vallelunga circuit driving for the Zengo Motorsport, the same squad that fields his petrol powered Leon in WTCR.

Looking ahead to a unique situation of driving two versions of the same car, Azcona is relishing the challenge, but admits it will require a mindset change switching between the two cars.

“It is going to be a great challenge. In Motorland Aragon I will compete in the WTCR with the Cupra Leon Competicion and in the Pure ETCR,” said Azcona.

“When I get off one, I'll have to get on the other.

“It will be twice the work, I'm going to have to adapt really quickly and have half the time to analyse the data between sessions.

“But I face the weekend at home very motivated, on a circuit that I know well and where I am sure that we will be able to be competitive in both championships.

Mikel Azcona, Zengo Motorsport CUPRA Leon Competición

Photo by: WTCR

“I will work very hard to get there with the job done and give my best to our fans.

“They are two totally different worlds. The characteristics of both are very different.

“They have nothing to do with weight, power, tyres. To give you an idea, everything is different when you drive on a circuit with one or the other: the braking references, the speeds when cornering, inertia, the way of drive, turning. One is front-wheel drive and one is rear-wheel drive.

“You have to change your mindset when you get on one and the other.”

Azcona heads to home soil having raced in WTCR two weeks ago at Portugal’s Estoril circuit which yielded his first points finish of the season after finishing tenth in Race 1.