Race report
WTCR Vila Real
Portugal WTCR: Azcona wins after Ma's joker lap error
PWR Racing’s Mikel Azcona claimed his first-ever WTCR victory in the second race at Vila Real after a joker lap mistake from Team Mulsanne’s Ma Qing Hua.
Stephen Brunsdon
Edited: Jul 7, 2019, 5:10 PM
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The Spaniard started third and made his own joker on the fifth lap of 11 to keep the pressure on leader Ma.
Ma went too deep in the joker and lost out to Azcona after clumsily bouncing over the kerbs on entry.
Championship leader Esteban Guerrieri restored his points advantage over Norbert Michelisz with a well-deserved third place finish, as three of the four Hyundai drivers hit strife.
Race one winner Michelisz started a lowly 16th after trouble in qualifying, but was forced out following contact with the second Alfa Romeo of Kevin Ceccon.
The Hungarian received a drive through penalty for his part in this incident, but his race was ultimately run due to extensive damage on the front left hand corner.
Gabriele Tarquini and Augusto Farfus, who both started from the back of the grid following post-qualifying engine changes, also pulled out.
At the start, Ma got the jump on fellow front-row starter Guerrieri and Azcona as joker lap strategies dictated the pace of the majority of the pack.
The Cyan Racing Lynk & Co team was the first to implement ‘backing up” strategies, with Yann Ehrlacher making a gap for uncle Yvan Muller to fit in.
This tactic worked not only for Muller, but also for Ehrlacher as KCMG Honda duo Tiago Monteiro and Attila Tassi - who is set to start race three from pole - did likewise.
Monteiro and Tassi secured ninth and tenth place finishes as a result, with Ehrlacher ending up eighth, one place ahead of Guerrieri’s Munnich Motorsport teammate Nestor Girolami.
Having successfully jumped Guerrieri on the joker lap, Azcona then set a number of fastest lap times to close to within two-and-a-half seconds of Ma before the latter’s turn to go through the joker.
Ma locked up slightly on entry and lost a handful of time to the reigning TCR Europe champion, who eventually opened up a 4.832s winning margin at the finish.
Just off the podium, Jean-Karl Vernay finished fourth in his Leopard Racing Audi, nipping past the sole-remaining BRC Racing Hyundai of Nicky Catsburg, who tried in vain to hold up Guerrieri before his joker two laps from home.
Championship contender Thed Bjork salvaged two points in his Cyan Racing Lynk & Co after starting 15th.
The Swede attempted to get past the Audi of Fred Vervisch in the closing laps, and only just avoided the back of the Belgian after missing his braking point at the Turn 18 chicane.
Results:
Cla Driver Chassis Gap 1 Mikel Azcona CUPRA 2
Ma Qing Hua Alfa Romeo 4.832 3
Esteban Guerrieri Honda 5.538 4
Jean-Karl Vernay Audi 6.812 5
Nick Catsburg Hyundai 7.482 6
Yvan Muller Lynk & Co 9.221 7
Rob Huff Volkswagen 9.537 8
Yann Ehrlacher Lynk & Co 11.374 9
Nestor Girolami Honda 14.253 10
Tiago Monteiro Honda 14.626 11
Attila Tassi Honda 15.109 12
Frederic Vervisch Audi 19.969 13
Thed Björk Lynk & Co 20.988 14
Johan Kristoffersson Volkswagen 22.388 15
Andy Priaulx Lynk & Co 25.873 16
Aurelien Panis CUPRA 26.825 17
Benjamin Leuchter Volkswagen 27.787 18
Niels Langeveld Audi 30.562 19
Tom Coronel CUPRA 31.153 20
Mehdi Bennani Volkswagen 31.255 21
Gordon Shedden Audi 34.815 22
Daniel Haglof CUPRA 35.585
Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai 4 Laps
Norbert Michelisz Hyundai 6 Laps
Kevin Ceccon Alfa Romeo 8 Laps
Augusto Farfus Hyundai 8 Laps View full results
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