BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Claims Victory and Podium at Vila Real
• Victory in Race 2 for Norbert Michelisz secured win number three of the 2026 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse
• Mikel Azcona finished the first of two races on the Vila Real street circuit in second place after qualifying on pole position with a spectacular lap
• The results in northern Portugal ensured Azcona and Michelisz remained firmly in the fight for the Drivers’ crown ahead of the season resuming in South Korea in October.
Cherasco, Italy - July 13, 2026 – BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse continued its winning run in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour as Norbert Michelisz scored the third victory of the year for the long-term Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing partner in Vila Real.
The winner of the season opener at Misano in May, Michelisz added to his victory tally in the second of two races on the ultra-challenging northern Portuguese street track after team-mate Mikel Azcona finished second in the opening contest.
As a result, Azcona and Michelisz will head into the summer break second and third in the provisional Drivers’ standings respectively with BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse holding second in the Teams’ ranking.
Spanish driver Azcona, who triumphed in the opening race at Circuit Paul Ricard last month, had marked himself out as a potential Race 1 winner with a sensational qualifying performance to secure pole position, his third in four attempts this season.
Describing his effort as “the lap of the season”, Azcona gave his all to follow it up with his second victory of the campaign in Race 1. However, a small issue before the start compromised his preparations and ultimately led to him settling for the runner-up spot after a slower than planned getaway from the grid.
But he was quick to praise the work of his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse mechanics, who ensured he could take part in the race amid concerns he would be a non-starter.
Michelisz also needed his team’s mechanics to spring into action when a driveshaft issue struck his Hyundai Elantra N TCR in qualifying and left the Hungarian ninth on the grid for Race 1. But a fine drive – including two perfectly timed joker laps – earned him fifth place.
Starting first on the partially-reversed Race 2 grid, Michelisz made the perfect getaway from pole and would go on to take the chequered flag first for more crucial championship points.
Michelisz had just completed the first of his two mandatory joker laps – an alternative route designed to increase overtaking opportunities on a circuit with limited passing options – when Azcona was forced to pit after being involved in on-track contact with a competitor. The Spaniard rejoined in 12th, a position he maintained to the finish.
Following the traditional summer break, the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour resumes at Inje Speedium in South Korea, Hyundai’s home event, from October 2-4.
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Team Principal Gabriele Rizzo said: “There is a special sense of pride in leaving Vila Real with another victory. This is one of the toughest events on the calendar, where drivers, engineers and cars are constantly operating at the limit. The real challenge here is finding the right compromise between pushing for performance and protecting the car over aggressive kerbs and demanding street circuit conditions. I would like to thank the entire team for an outstanding job. We faced several issues during the weekend, but everyone reacted brilliantly, solving each problem and allowing us to keep fighting at the front. Congratulations also to Norbi and Mikel for their speed, professionalism and teamwork throughout the event. To secure our third victory and sixth podium of the season in these conditions is a significant achievement and a strong reward for all the hard work behind the scenes."
Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai Elantra N TCR
• Secured his third pole position of the 2026 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour after producing “the lap of the season” with a sensational last-gasp effort in Qualifying Q2, despite driving with 40 kilograms of compensation weight.
• Finished second in Race 1 after a less-than-perfect start but brilliantly managed the Joker Laps strategy while racing against competitors from larger multi-car teams.
• Despite losing a potential points finish in Race 2 following contact with another competitor, the Spaniard heads into Round 5 in South Korea in second place in the Drivers’ standings, just 10 points behind the championship leader.
Azcona said: “Qualifying was the lap of the season in terms of execution and the pure speed close to the walls. I will remember this all my life and I was super-happy, especially with 40 kilograms of compensation weight. But thanks to the team, they gave me such a good Hyundai Elantra N TCR, which was brilliant in terms of balance. We had to go straight to the grid to fix the small problem we had before Race 1, and this compromised my preparation for the front tyres for the start because I was not able to build up the temperature and I had so much wheelspin at the start. But the guys did an amazing job to fix the car on the grid and we managed to do the joker lap perfectly as a team, the strategy was super-good so second position is more than a victory. The second race was a bit tough, but the pace was good, I was doing very good laps and was very competitive. In the end we didn’t lose so many points because of the contact, and I feel very happy to get 45 points, which means 10 kilograms for Korea. With the 40 kilograms of compensation weight in Vila Real, we knew we were going to suffer. But, in the end, it was a very positive weekend with Norbi also winning and I’m happy to go into the summer break 10 points behind the leader.”
Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai Elantra N TCR
• Mechanical issue in Qualifying Q1 required rapid repairs and ultimately restricted the Hungarian driver to ninth on the grid for Race 1
• Even with 20 kilograms of compensation weight fitted to his Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Michelisz was able to battle through to take fifth place after a highly effective joker lap strategy was deployed
• Started first and finished first in Race 2 for his second victory of 2026
Michelisz said: “Starting from P9, I would have signed for finishing Race 1 in P5 100 times on a circuit where it’s never easy to overtake. After our unfortunate qualifying, I was hoping for a good race. The car was working fine, we did a very good joker lap strategy, and I was happy with the points. Race 2 was very good. I had a good start, and I was in the best position to build a gap with the fresh air. The car felt just great, I made a gap and timed the joker laps perfectly, which was the key to winning the race. I took a lot out of the tyres at the beginning, just building the gaps, I was flat out pushing them, which was compromising my pace towards the end. But the pace was enough to stay in front and I’m very happy, also for the team.”
Risultati Gara 1 :
1 Y. Ehrlacher Geely Preface 16 laps in 40:31.493
2 M. Azcona Hyundai Elantra N +0.988s
3 S. Urrutia Geely Preface +1.621s
4 Q. Ma Geely Preface +2.495s
5 N. Michelisz Hyundai Elantra N +5.214s
6 A. Comte Cupra Leon VZ +5.913s
7 V. Andersson Cupra Leon VZ +6.479s
8 J. Brickley Honda Civic Type R FL5 +7.345s
9 M. Fernandes Audi RS 3 LMS +12.163s
10 E. Gianfratti Cupra Leon VZ +14.415s
Risultati Gara 2:
1 N. Michelisz Hyundai Elantra N 16 laps in 37:02:315
2 A. Comte Cupra Leon VZ +1.651s
3 M. Andersson Cupra Leon VZ +1.772s
4 S. Urrutia Geely Preface +2.390s
5 Y. Ehrlacher Geely Preface +3.066s
6 Q. Ma Geely Preface +3.958s
7 T. Björk Geely Preface +7.301s
8 J. Brickley Honda Civic Type R FL5 +12.428s
9 M. Karlsson Honda Civic Type R FL5 +22.758s
10 M. Ferandes Audi RS 3 LMS +24.878s
12 M. Azcona Hyundai Elantra N +1 lap
Classifica Piloti Kumho FIA TCR World Tour 2026 Dopo il Round 4:
1 S. Urrutia 230
2 M. Azcona 220
3 N. Michelisz 198
4 Y. Ehrlacher 186
5 A. Comte 168
6 T. Björk 161
7 Q. Ma 145
8 V. Andersson 90
9 J. Brickley 72
10 T. Clairet 51
Classifica Teams Kumho FIA TCR World Tour 2026 Dopo il Round 4:
1 Geely Cyan Racing 480
2 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse 424
3 SP Compétition 247
4 ALM Motorsport 151
5 Team Clairet Sport 63
6 JSB Compétition 56
7 Monlau Motorsport 52
8 Vannin Motorsport 33
9 GOAT Racing 28
10 Trico WRT 24