BRC Racing Team’s fight for the title restarts in Ningbo
Following the long summer break after the successful weekend at Slovakia Ring, which saw triumphs for both Gabriele Tarquini and Norbert Michelisz, the FIA ??World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) returns from September 28th to 30th.
The international series restarts with the seventh round of the season at the Ningbo International Speedpark. The Chinese port and industrial city in the province of Zhejiang hosts the first of the four Asian events that complete the inaugural WTCR season.
The weekend at the 4,010km circuit will be fundamental for the title ambitions of BRC Racing Team. With two race wins in Slovakia the team regained the leadership of the standings and arrives in China – for the first of two back-to-back rounds in the country – with its drivers in first and third places in the general standings.
The two Hyundai i30 N TCR will be on the starting grid in a configuration similar to the previous race. Both Tarquini and Michelisz have previous experience of the track, having raced there last year. However, the races will be their first at the venue in the i30 N TCR, presenting a fresh challenge to start the second part of the season.
Gabriele Tarquini declares: “It’s finally time to start again, it was a long break from the races and I can’t wait to get back in the Hyundai i30 N TCR in Ningbo. I took the opportunity during the summer for a mountain holiday with my family and the only chance I had for some driving was during my visit to the first TCR Korea race. I raced last year in Ningbo in the WTCC, but unfortunately it was a totally wet weekend and we could never try dry tires. If it rains again, it would be a small advantage for those who raced last year. The track is very interesting and I think that our Hyundai should be competitive”.
Norbert Michelisz comments: “I’m very excited to race again, since so much time has passed since the last races in Slovakia. The championship is getting into its final phase, with important races coming up so I tried to prepare physically and mentally in the best possible way. Ningbo should be tricky because although we were racing there last year, every session was wet so in case of dry weather we will have to start from scratch. Nevertheless my aim as always is to score a lot of points for the championship in the Hyundai i30 N TCR”.
Round 7 WTCR Race of China - Ningbo 2018 – Ningbo International Speedpark
Timetable
All times local (GMT +08:00)
FRIDAY 28th SEPTEMBER
12.40 – 13.10 Free Practices 1(30 minutes)
15.20 – 15.50 Free Practices 2 (30 minutes)
SATURDAY 29th SEPTEMBER
11.00 – 11.30 Qualifying (30 minutes)
15.30 – 16.00 Race 1 (13 laps)
SUNDAY 30th SEPTEMBER
9.00 – 9.20 Qualifying Q1 (20 minutes)
9.25 – 9.35 Qualifying Q2 (10 minutes)
9.40 (start first car) Qualifying Q3
14.20 – 14.50 Race 2 (13 laps)
15.40 – 16.10 Race 3 (16 laps)
OVERALL RANKINGS - DRIVERS
1 – #30 Gabriele Tarquini ITA - BRC Racing Team - HYUNDAI - pt. 202
2 – #48 Yvan Muller FRA - MRacing - HYUNDAI - pt. 199
3 – #5 Norbert Michelisz HUN - BRC Racing Team - HYUNDAI - pt. 176
4 – #68 Yann Ehrlacher FRA - ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport - HONDA - pt. 171
5 – #69 Jean-Karl Vernay FRA - Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team - AUDI - pt. 166
6 – #11 Thed Björk SWE - MRacing - HYUNDAI - pt. 164
7 – #69 Pepe Oriola SPA - Campos Racing – CUPRA – pt. 154
8 – #86 Esteban Guerrieri ARG - ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport - HONDA - pt. 134
9 – #12 Rob Huff GBR - Sébastien Loeb Racing - VOLKSWAGEN - pt. 130
10 – Aurélien Comte FRA - DG Sport Competition – PEUGEOT – pt. 109
OVERALL RANKINGS - TEAMS
1 – BRC Racing Team - HYUNDAI - pt. 385
2 – YMRacing - HYUNDAI - pt. 375
3 – ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport - HONDA - pt. 311
4 – Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team - AUDI - pt. 250
5 – Sébastien Loeb Racing - VOLKSWAGEN - pt. 207
6 – Team Oscaro by Campos Racing - CUPRA - pt. 177
7 – DG Sport Competition – PEUGEOT – pt. 147
8 – Audi Sport Team Comtoyou - AUDI - pt. 109
9 – Boutsen Ginion Racing - HONDA - pt. 96
10 – Comtoyou Racing - AUDI - pt. 47