Norbert Michelisz takes Kumho TCR World Tour drivers’ title
- Hyundai Elantra N TCR driver Norbert Michelisz has secured the Kumho TCR World Tour for Drivers title after finishing eighth in Race 2 at the Macau Grand Prix
- It marks the second international touring car title for the Hungarian, after he was crowned the 2019 drivers’ winner in WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup
- BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse secured third place in the Kumho TCR World Tour for Teams.
November 20, 2023 – BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse driver Norbert Michelisz has won the 2023 Kumho TCR World Tour for Drivers following a strong performance at the Macau Grand Prix, the final round of the inaugural season.
The result, which marks the fifth title for BRC Racing Team at the highest level of TCR competition, underscores the Hyundai Elantra N TCR’s position at the top of the global touring car category.
The Hungarian arrived at the Macau Circuito da Guia one point adrift from the lead of the standings. He got off to a flying start, finishing the free practice sessions in third and first respectively. His pace continued into qualifying where he clinched the final pole position of the season, re-taking the lead of the standings with a six-point gap to second.
The #105 driver extended that lead to 18-points on Saturday after taking a lights-to-flag victory in Race 1 before managing the second contest superbly, avoiding trouble and banking the result he needed to confirm the title. His eighth place brought his points tally to a total of 440 – ten more than his nearest rival at the conclusion of the year. By clinching the title, Michelisz adds a second championship success alongside his 2019 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup drivers’ crown.
Michelisz set out his title-winning intentions early, opening the season in April with pole position and a win in Race 1 at the Autódromo Internacional Algarve in Portugal. That momentum continued into the second round at Spa-Francorchamps, and even though Michelisz was carrying maximum compensation weight, he secured a second-place finish in Race 2. The Hungarian’s second victory came in Vallelunga at round three after starting on pole in Race 1. A further second place finish came in Race 1 at La Pedrera, Argentina helped him to reclaim the lead of the standings after dropping to second in Hungary.
The triple-header to round out the season was nothing short of dramatic, with eight races across three rounds, and the standings’ leader changed after almost every race. A second place in Sydney and victory in Bathurst alongside four other points scoring finishes in Australia helped the Hungarian to stay in the fight into the final round.
Team-mate Mikel Azcona secured a fifth-place finish in the standings despite a strong weekend in Macau which concluded with a fourth and ninth place finish.
The final race weekend in Macau saw team-mate Mikel Azcona top the timing sheets in first practice, before qualifying on the front row alongside Michelisz. A grid place penalty forced him to start Race 1 in fifth, but he had no issues in gaining a place at the start. He was applying pressure to the car in third place for the entirety of the race, chasing down the final podium position but had to settle for fourth. In Race 2 he finished ninth after starting in the same place on the partly reversed grid.
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse also fielded a third Hyundai Elantra N TCR in Macau, driven by Junior Driver Marco Butti and supported by a local team. As a rookie to the streets of the Guia Circuit, Butti impressed after progressing into the second stage of qualifying in 12th. A hit to the barrier meant he couldn’t improve his time, and a new engine meant he started Race 1 from 17th. He made up six places to finish 11th before completing the season with a top ten finish behind the pair of full-season Elantra N TCR drivers.
The pace of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR and the results accumulated across the season, gave BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse a third place in the final Kumho TCR World Tour for Teams standings. The outfit amassed three pole positions, nine fastest laps, 13 podium visits and five wins across the 20-race season, three of which were 1-2 finishes in Portimão, Vallelunga and La Pedrera.
Team Principal of BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Gabriele Rizzo said “What an end to the season! Living these emotions here in Macau where we clinched our first FIA WTCR title in 2018, , makes it even more exciting. So proud of all the team, we are so close to each other. The staff, mechanics, engineers, coordinators, and drivers with a perfect mix of BRC and Hyundai people. We are a big family of almost the same people for 6 years and this is the key to our continuous success. It is a great privilege to work with these professionals, always fiercely motivated, with 24/7 commitment. The other winning ingredients are always the same. Fabulous Hyundai MotorSport race cars, the Elantra N TCR. Wonderful drivers. Norbi is amazing all year, Mikel is always impressive just a bit unlucky this year, Marco joining us for two events and showing great potential. Then there are two other reasons to be incredibly proud of our job this year. One is that after having made history opening and closing WTCR era with a title, we did it again with the first season of TCR World Tour. Second is that for us as a team, despite the fact that we can already boast to have won a lot in our history, this year it is our most winning season ever. Together with Hyundai we won TCR WT with Michelisz and FIA ERC with Paddon. It has been three long weeks from Australia to here, and now it is time to be back home and celebrate also with our families and all the staff based in Europe.”
Norbert Michelisz said: “I am thrilled to have won the inaugural Kumho TCR World Tour title. It has been a long season, but we started and ended it in the best way possible. Without the work of BRC and the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing department, this would not have been possible, and I can’t thank them enough. They have provided me with a competitive package in the Hyundai Elantra N TCR which helped myself and Mikel fight at the front of the field all year. I knew exactly what I had to do in the final race and the team were telling me what the other drivers were doing, so I knew if I needed to push. I won my first WTCC race in Macau, so it has always been a special place for me, but Macau just got even more special.”[AS1]
Mikel Azcona said: “It’s been a very emotional weekend in Macau. As a team we came with the target to win the title with Norbi. From first practice the car was very competitive, and it gave me the confidence to push and get close to the walls on this very challenging track. After finishing P1 and P2 in qualifying we were fully focussed on the races – how to avoid any drama and stay away from competitors. As a team I think we managed everything perfectly. I love this track. It was great to nail a great lap in Q2 and have the pole position based on best sector times. There are a lot of positives I can take away from this weekend and it’s a great experience for next year, but the most important is Norbi won the title. I’m so happy for him and team to achieve the target we had.”
2023 Kumho TCR World Tour for Drivers’ Standings
1. Norbert Michelisz 440
2. Yann Ehrlacher 430
3. Rob Huff 414
4. Frédéric Vervisch 347
5. Mikel Azcona 341
2023 Kumho TCR World Tour for Teams’ Standings
1. Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 977
2. Audi Sport Team Comtoyou 810
3. BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse 805
[AS1]Worth mentioning Mikel?