BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Bounces Back with Victory in Valencia
Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Review: Round 2 – Spain
- Victory in Valencia gets BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s Kumho FIA TCR World Tour season back on track
- Néstor Girolami flies through from fifth to first in Race 2 in his Elantra N TCR before completing the weekend with third in Race 3
- Spaniard Mikel Azcona pulls off multiple overtakes but is ultimately out of luck at his home event, as Norbert Michelisz finishes in the top five twice.
Cherasco, June 17, 2025 – BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s is a winner again in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour after Néstor Girolami claimed the Race 2 laurels in Valencia driving a Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
It was the Argentine’s second victory since he joined BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse for the 2024 season and followed a sensational performance from fifth on the grid at a sweltering Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
Defending Kumho FIA TCR World Tour champion Norbert Michelisz finished in the top five twice to signal his return to form, as Mikel Azcona, competing on home soil, took a pair of top 10 finishes during a challenging event for the Spanish star.
While Azcona was unable to fight at the front in Spain, his charging drive from 16th on the Race 2 grid to seventh demonstrated his determination and further underlined the performance of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR in a highly competitive field.
Michelisz could have made it a hat-trick of top three finishes had it not been for contact in Race 2 dropping him down the order before he battled back to finish 11th. His capture of fifth in the closing race of the day came after he withstood intense pressure for much of the 19-lap finale.
Girolami rounded out the Valencia weekend by completing the Race 3 podium to climb to sixth in the provisional Drivers’ standings. He attempted to take second at the start but settled for third after a strong showing.
Following a tough start to the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour season in Mexico last month, BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s success in Spain represented an encouraging reversal of fortune for the team ahead of its home event next weekend, with Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy preparing to host the action from June 20-22.
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Team Principal Gabriele Rizzo said: “Glad to be back to the 1st step of the podium thanks to a great performance of Bebu. Anyway, due to the current BOP which is penalizing us on straight line speed, it was another though weekend, where we feel to have extracted almost the maximum from our great Hyundai Elantra N TCR cars. Almost, because qualy session was not perfect. Some small issues,on which we are already working on, affect our final single lap performance. In races Bebu was the reference among our drivers this weekend, able to always keep or improve his grid position in the final standing and giving us the first victory in Race2. Both Mikel and Norbi had one race ruined by contact with other cars so they grabbed less than what was their real potential. We now head to Monza which will represent our home event this year”.
Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai Elantra N TCR
- Fastest in Qualifying Q1 but started opening race in 14th position after Mexico grid penalty was applied
- He was forced to pit for repairs in Race 1 after picking up damage on the first lap following contact
- Took a fine seventh place from 16th on the grid in Race 2, then landed another top 10 finish in Race 3
Azcona said: “In Race 1, I had a very good start from P14 following the penalty I had from Mexico. I overtook four cars in front of me in the first sector to be P10, which was the target to be first on the reverse grid for Race 2. I had a good feeling in the car until some contact that damaged the intercooler, so I had to pit. Unfortunately, that’s racing. Race 2 was very positive. It felt really good to start from P16 and finish in P6. The start was good and I made some overtakes, ending up with a strong grid position for Race 3. That was probably the most difficult race of the weekend, starting in P11 and finishing P9. It was very tough – it was extremely hot inside the car and the degradation on the front tyres was super-high. But, overall, there was positive progression throughout the weekend, and we scored some valuable points. Now we are thinking ahead to Monza.”
Driver Notes: #129 Néstor Girolami (ARG), Hyundai Elantra N TCR
- Began Valencia weekend with sixth place in the first three races held in searing temperatures
- Storming drive from fifth to first in Race 2 signalled return to form for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse
- Argentinian backed up victory with another podium finish in Race 3, claiming third place
Girolami said: “I gained some positions at the start of Race 1 and avoided the accident in Turn 2, but we struggled with understeer after that. Race 2 was much better because we got the victory! We were so happy, the car felt fantastic from the start. We did a very good launch, overtook some cars and then in the first two laps we made some good clean moves. After that we played it smart and maintained the gap to second place. We started to feel a bit of decay from the tyres, but we managed the pace. I want to thank all the BRC team and everyone at Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing, especially the engineers and mechanics. Last night we were off the pace, so this victory was for them, and we needed it, so thank you very much. To then get a double podium by finishing P3 in Race 3 was amazing. The car felt really good, and we had a strong pace. It was difficult to fight against the blue cars, but we scored some good points. I hope we can keep going in Monza. This weekend has been very tough with the temperatures, and I expect Monza to also be hard with the compensation weight.”
Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai Elantra N TCR
- Reignited Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title defence with fourth place in Race 1
- Defending champion up to fifth in Race 2 before contact; fought back to 11th place
- Withstood race-long pressure to claim a well-earned fifth spot in Race 3
Michelisz said: “I was a bit disappointed after Race 1 because I wanted to go for a podium finish, but I scored some good points for the championship. Luckily, I avoided the cars around me in Turn 1 and 2, and the race was quite straightforward after that. Race 2 was not the luckiest for me, finishing P11. The race was very busy with a lot of fights almost every lap. There was an incident when I went back to P14 – before then I was already up to fourth or fifth. The car felt better than yesterday, so I was happy about that, and I was also very happy for Néstor – congrats to him and the team on the win. I managed to finish P5 in the last race when the temperatures were super-hot. I think it was about 70 degrees inside the car. They were tough races, tough competition, nevertheless we scored a lot of points. I’m satisfied with the result, a bit disappointed because I really wanted to be on the podium, but ‘Bebu’ did a fantastic job, and I think we are well prepared for the next event.”
Race 1 results:
1 Y. Ehrlacher Lynk & Co 03 FL 18 laps in 32:55:491
2 S. Urrutia Lynk & Co 03 FL +0.828s
3 Q. Ma Lynk & Co 03 FL +1.852s
4 N. Michelisz Hyundai Elantra N +2.792s
5 T. Björk Lynk & Co 03 FL +4.845s
6 N. Girolami Hyundai Elantra N +6.655s
7 R. Volt Honda Civic Type R FL5 +9.665s
8 E. Guerrieri Honda Civic Type R FL5 +10.182s
9 F. Fernandez Honda Civic Type R FL5 +10.583s
10 J. Filippi Cupra Leon VZ +11.275s
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16 M. Azcona Hyundai Elantra N 14 laps
Race 2 results:
1 N. Girolami Hyundai Elantra N 19 laps in 32:47:116
2 R. Volt Honda Civic Type R FL5 +1.029s
3 Y. Ehrlacher Lynk & Co 03 FL +1.732s
4 J. Filippi Cupra Leon VZ +8.314s
5 E. Guerrieri Honda Civic Type R FL5 +8.639s
6 I. Montenegro Honda Civic Type R FL5 +9.421s
7 M. Azcona Hyundai Elantra N +10.020s
8 S. Urrutia Lynk & Co 03 FL +10.353s
9 T. Björk Lynk & Co 03 FL +12.512s
10 Q. Ma Lynk & Co 03 FL +12.751s
11 N. Michelisz Hyundai Elantra N +14.088s
Race 3 results:
1 Y. Ehrlacher Lynk & Co 03 FL 19 laps in 32:51:711
2 S. Urrutia Lynk & Co 03 FL +3.731s
3 N. Girolami Hyundai Elantra N +4.340s
4 E. Guerrieri Honda Civic Type R FL5 +5.465s
5 N. Michelisz Hyundai Elantra N +6.660s
6 R. Volt Honda Civic Type R FL5 +7.281s
7 Q. Ma Lynk & Co 03 FL +7.633s
8 I. Montenegro Honda Civic Type R FL5 +8.167s
9 M. Azcona Hyundai Elantra N +9.237s
10 T. Bjork Lynk & Co 03 FL +11.445s
2025 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour for Drivers
After Round 2:
1 Y. Ehrlacher 152
2 S. Urrutia 146
3 E. Guerrieri 145
4 T. Björk 119
5 Q. Ma 100
6 N. Girolami 84
7 I. Montenegro 74
8 A. Comte 65
9 N. Michelisz 60
10 J. Filippi 56
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13 M. Azcona 38
2025 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour for Teams
After Round 2:
1 Lynk & Co Cyan Racing 325
2 GOAT Racing 219
3 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse 158
4 SP Compétitions 121
5 ALM Motorsport 55
6 ProRally Mothers 54