BRC Racing Team aiming to maintain momentum at Race of Italy
BRC Racing Team is targeting another strong weekend at its home event, Race of Italy, which forms the seventh round of the 2021 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup season.
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corsa travels to Adria International Raceway in good form having secured a podium finish with Gabriele Tarquini at the previous round, Race of France. Although Norbert Michelisz was unable to match the top-three result of his teammate, the Hungarian demonstrated blistering pace in qualifying and finished well in both races. The sixth round of the championship also saw the team achieve its best points haul of the season, picking up a total of 52 points at Circuit Pau-Arnos.
Race of Italy will present BRC Racing Team with the opportunity to secure its fifth podium of the year and move further up the teams’ standings from its current position of sixth. Michelisz and Tarquini will also be looking to climb the drivers’ standings, with the duo sat in ninth and eleventh respectively. The event will be particularly special for Tarquini, as he targets a second win of the season in the Hyundai Elantra N TCR in front of his home fans.
After missing out on an appearance in 2020, Race of Italy will be the debut of Adria International Raceway on the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup calendar. Measuring 3.745km in length and located close to the Adriatic sea, the circuit will see the pinnacle of touring car racing return to its spiritual home nation for the first time since Monza in 2017. Boasting two long straights and a variety of challenging corners, the track has all the elements required to produce exciting racing.
The itinerary for Race of Italy begins on Saturday 6 November with two free practice sessions followed by qualifying. Both races take place on Sunday 7 November, with Race 1 (14 laps) in the morning and Race 2 (17 laps) in the afternoon.
Team Principal of BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corse Gabriele Rizzo said: “It was great to be back on the podium again at Race of France and have our best scoring weekend of the season so far. Much like the challenge we faced in Most and Pau, we will have to get up to speed in Adria, but this will also be the case for all the teams and drivers. The entire team is looking forward to competing in our first home event in WTCR, and we hope the support from local fans will give us an extra boost. We know we have the package to bring home podium finishes with the Hyundai Elantra N TCR, and we’d love to do that again in Italy. There is still an opportunity to move further up both standings, so we’re on a mission to bring home solid points from qualifying and the races.”
Norbert Michelisz said: “I’m excited about the challenge of racing at another new circuit at Race of Italy. The last two races have been at tracks that we did not know well before and we have been able to find pace quickly and deliver some good results. As always our goal will be to fight at the front of the field and score as many points as possible for the championship. Although it will be unpredictable, my hope is to get on the podium after missing out last time in France.”
Gabriele Tarquini said: “I’m very excited to race in my home country again after a long time, as WTCR has never raced in Italy before. Even if Adria is not a track that I know very well, that is the same for everybody else, so I have no advantage or disadvantage. It will be very nice to have Italian fans around the circuit and I hope to see lots of people in the grandstands supporting me. It would be fantastic to give them plenty of racing action over the weekend and secure more good results.”