BRC Racing Team set for WTCR European finale at Slovakia Ring
The battle for the FIA World Touring Car Cup 2018 (WTCR) teams’ and drivers’ titles is back from 13th to 15th of July, when the sixth of the ten scheduled events takes place at the 5.9km Slovakia Ring, located around 40km from Bratislava.
BRC Racing Team will arrive at the circuit intent on continuing the positive form shown by drivers Gabriele Tarquini and Norbert Michelisz at the previous round in Vila Real. Both men scored podium finishes with their i30 N TCR in Portugal, and claimed important championship points as the 2018 season reached its half-way point.
The Slovakian event is the last before the summer break. The races are also the final round of the year to be held in Europe, before the start of the Asian leg of the campaign, the four weekends that provide the finale to the inaugural FIA WTCR season.
Happily the three week gap following the races in Vila Real has allowed both of the team’s drivers to recover after a tough weekend for both physically. Tarquini has overcome the fever that left him exhausted in the Portuguese heat, while Michelisz has been able to recover from the bruised wrist he suffered while trying to avoid the Race 1 accident.
Gabriele Tarquini comments: “The Bratislava circuit is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful and complete in Europe. Being almost 6km long there are many curves, each different from the other. Turn 2 is surely one of the fastest and most difficult we will face this season. In the past I have raced and won here many times, so I hope to continue the tradition this weekend with the i30 N TCR.”
Norbert Michelisz, meanwhile, is very determined: “Slovakiaring is like a second home race weekend for me. Every year there are a lot of Hungarian fans coming and supporting us from the grandstands, so I was pleased when I learned that this track will replace Argentina. I think that the layout of this circuit is very challenging. The mix of high and low speed corners puts a lot of stress on the front tyres and should guarantee exciting action on track. I scored my first pole position here, and was many times on the podium, so really hope that I can repeat my good form this year and can fight for more podium finishes!”
Round 6 WTCR Race of Slovakia 2018 – Slovakia Ring
Timetable - All times local (GMT +02:00)
FRIDAY JULY 13TH JULY
12.40 – 13.10 Free Practice 1 (30 minutes)
15.50 – 16.20 Free Practice 2 (30 minutes)
17.55 – 18.25 Qualifying (30 minutes)
SATURDAY 14 TH JULY
12.00 – 12.30 Race 1 (9 laps)
15.10 – 15.30 Qualifying Q1 (20 minutes)
15.35 – 15.45 Qualifying Q2 (10 minutes)
15.50 (start first car) Qualifying Q3
19.00 – 19.30 Race 2 (9 laps)
SUNDAY 15 TH JULY
11.45 – 12.15 Race 3 (11 laps)
OVERALL RANKINGS - DRIVERS
1 – #48 Yvan Muller FRA - MRacing - HYUNDAI - pt. 182
2 – #30 Gabriele Tarquini ITA - BRC Racing Team - HYUNDAI - pt. 160
3 – #68 Yann Ehrlacher FRA - ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport - HONDA - pt. 160
4 – #11 Thed Björk SWE - MRacing - HYUNDAI - pt. 148
5 – #69 Jean-Karl Vernay FRA - Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team - AUDI - pt. 146
6 – #5 Norbert Michelisz HUN - BRC Racing Team - HYUNDAI - pt. 135
7 – #12 Rob Huff GBR - Sébastien Loeb Racing - VOLKSWAGEN - pt. 130
8 – #86 Esteban Guerrieri ARG - ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport - HONDA - pt.129
9 – #74 Pepe Oriola ESP – Campos Racing - CUPRA - pt.113
10 – #22 Frédéric Vervisch BEL – Audi Sport Team Comtoyou - AUDI - pt. 70
OVERALL RANKINGS - TEAMS
1 – MRacing - HYUNDAI - pt. 342
2 – BRC Racing Team - HYUNDAI - pt. 302
3 – ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport - HONDA - pt. 295
4 – Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team - AUDI - pt. 230
5 – Sébastien Loeb Racing - VOLKSWAGEN - pt. 125
6 – Campos Racing - CUPRA - pt. 21
7 – DG Sport Competition - PEUGEOT - pt.106
8 – Audi Sport Team Comtoyou - AUDI - pt. 80
9 – Boutsen Ginion Racing - HONDA - pt. 71
10 – ComtoyouRacing - AUDI - pt. 40
11 – Zengo Motorsport - CUPRA - pt. 7