BRC Racing Team takes Race 2 win in Czech Republic
A successful weekend for BRC Racing Team at the Race of Czech Republic, the fifth round of the 2021 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup season, culminated in a Race 2 victory for Norbert Michelisz.
Michelisz stormed into the lead at the first corner from his front row starting position, having qualified in second place. Despite sustained pressure from behind for the duration of the race, the Hungarian kept his Hyundai Elantra N TCR at the front of the pack to cross the line first. His victory marks his second trip to the podium this season, but his first visit to the top step in 2021.
His team-mate Gabriele Tarquini made a strong start off the line from 11th, but his race came to a premature end shortly thereafter. The Italian received a hit that pitched him into the gravel after the first corner, forcing him to retire and resulting in the race being red flagged.
A consistent performance in Race 1 saw both Michelisz and Tarquini finish in points-scoring positions in seventh and 11th respectively, although Michelisz was subsequently handed a penalty due to a collision on the first lap that dropped him to 15th and promoted Tarquini to 10th.
Following the Race of Czech Republic, BRC Racing Team sits sixth in the standings with Michelisz 11th and Tarquini 14th.
Team Principal of BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corse Gabriele Rizzo said: “We are delighted to take our second victory of the season and celebrate Norbi’s first win of the year. His performance in qualifying and Race 2 was truly impressive, and this victory is well deserved and long overdue. It was a shame that Gabriele’s race was ruined by an incident on-track – once again where no real penalty was given to the guilty party - but we know he will come back fighting. This victory gives our team an excellent momentum that we hope will carry us to more success at the Race of France next weekend.”
Norbert Michelisz said: “My races went really well. Race 1 was a bit messy but in the end to cross the chequered flag in seventh was a nice result. Of course, the main thing for me today was Race 2. I had a great start which was the key to putting pressure on Azcona, and I was able to grab the lead at turn one. It wasn’t easy to stay in front, especially after the restart. I gave it everything and it was enough to win the race. I’m extremely happy – it was an important victory not just for myself but for my team. We really wanted this; our season wasn’t great so far but we won at just the right time to have momentum for the rest of the season.”
Gabriele Tarquini said: “Not a fantastic weekend from me, I made a mistake in qualifying that compromised my position in the races. I didn’t make the best start in Race 1, which lost me some positions. After the safety car I tried to drive the first half of the race as fast as possible, but overtaking is very difficult here, even when the car in front is slower than you, but we recovered back to 10th. My second race was very short. Despite my super start, someone crashed into me and destroyed both our races. I hope we can have a better weekend in Pau.”