Home WTCR glory for awesome Azcona as Vernay and Bjork also win in Spain
Mikel Azcona scored a hugely popular home victory in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, triumphing at the inaugural WTCR Race of Spain in his Goodyear-equipped CUPRA Leon Competición earlier today.
Azcona’s first WTCR win of 2020 in Race 2 at MotorLand Aragón was also a first victory for the all-new CUPRA and a first at world level for his Hungarian Zengő Motorsport team for five years.
But there was also plenty of cause for celebration at Team Mulsanne and Cyan Performance Lynk & Co after Jean-Karl Vernay and Thed Björk won for the two outfits in Race 1 and Race 3 respectively. Like Azcona, Vernay and Björk hadn’t triumphed in the WTCR this season and their victories were also richly deserved.
All three winners this weekend are among the 11 drivers who are still in mathematical contention for the 2020 WTCR title, which will be decided when the series returns to MotorLand Aragón from November 13-15 for the first WTCR Race of Aragón.
Despite an off-form weekend in his Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 TCR, Yann Ehrlacher managed to extend his advantage at the top of table to 27 points as the Goodyear #FollowTheLeader over ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Esteban Guerrieri after the Argentine was also unable to hit the high notes in his Honda Civic Type R TCR.
Elsewhere, Gilles Magnus is the provisional winner of the first WTCR Rookie Driver title following another strong weekend from the RACB National Team pilot at the wheel of his Comtoyou Racing Audi RS 3 LMS. The Belgian also scooped the TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy.
After finishing third overall in Race 2, Magnus lost out in Race 2 and 3 with set-up issues causing him from falling down the order. That was particularly frustrating for the 21-year-old in Race 3 after he lined up on the DHL Pole Position for the first time in his career.
Uruguay’s Santiago Urrutia delivered his best weekend of the season so far with podiums in all three races for Cyan Performance Lynk & Co to earn the TAG Heuer Most Valuable Driver accolade having scored more points than any other driver. In his first season in the WTCR, Urrutia was second in Race 1 and third in Race 2 from seventh on the grid before he turned his third-place start in Race 3 to the runner-up spot behind team-mate Björk.
Although he couldn’t repeat his Race 1 victory heroics in the second and third counters, Vernay continues to lead the WTCR Trophy order for Team Mulsanne. The Frenchman was a non-finisher in Race 2 following contact but completed his Spanish weekend with sixth place in Race 3 aboard his Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce by Romeo Ferraris. Vernay hadn’t won in the WTCR since Macau in 2018, while Team Mulsanne’s last triumph in the series dates back to Slovakia in 2019 and was also long overdue.
Azcona’s Race 2 success followed his fourth-place finish in Race 1, which he completed ahead of BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corse pair Gabriele Tarquini and Norbert Michelisz. Hungarian Michelisz started Race 1 on the DHL Pole Position but a slow start and a slide at Turn 1 ended his hopes. While Michelisz’s weekend was one of frustration, Tarquini took third in Race 3 behind Björk and Urrutia.
Nathanaël Berthon was fourth in Race 2 and Race 3 for Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport, while Nicolas Baert, 19, joined his father Jean-Michel Baert’s Comtoyou line-up as a wildcard for the MotorLand Aragón event and impressed with P11 in Race 3 on his WTCR debut.
Josh Files, the TCR Europe champion from 2019, also impressed on his WTCR debut, placing eighth in Race 3 for Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team.
Azcona’s first WTCR win of 2020 in Race 2 at MotorLand Aragón was also a first victory for the all-new CUPRA and a first at world level for his Hungarian Zengő Motorsport team for five years.
But there was also plenty of cause for celebration at Team Mulsanne and Cyan Performance Lynk & Co after Jean-Karl Vernay and Thed Björk won for the two outfits in Race 1 and Race 3 respectively. Like Azcona, Vernay and Björk hadn’t triumphed in the WTCR this season and their victories were also richly deserved.
All three winners this weekend are among the 11 drivers who are still in mathematical contention for the 2020 WTCR title, which will be decided when the series returns to MotorLand Aragón from November 13-15 for the first WTCR Race of Aragón.
Despite an off-form weekend in his Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 TCR, Yann Ehrlacher managed to extend his advantage at the top of table to 27 points as the Goodyear #FollowTheLeader over ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Esteban Guerrieri after the Argentine was also unable to hit the high notes in his Honda Civic Type R TCR.
Elsewhere, Gilles Magnus is the provisional winner of the first WTCR Rookie Driver title following another strong weekend from the RACB National Team pilot at the wheel of his Comtoyou Racing Audi RS 3 LMS. The Belgian also scooped the TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy.
After finishing third overall in Race 2, Magnus lost out in Race 2 and 3 with set-up issues causing him from falling down the order. That was particularly frustrating for the 21-year-old in Race 3 after he lined up on the DHL Pole Position for the first time in his career.
Uruguay’s Santiago Urrutia delivered his best weekend of the season so far with podiums in all three races for Cyan Performance Lynk & Co to earn the TAG Heuer Most Valuable Driver accolade having scored more points than any other driver. In his first season in the WTCR, Urrutia was second in Race 1 and third in Race 2 from seventh on the grid before he turned his third-place start in Race 3 to the runner-up spot behind team-mate Björk.
Although he couldn’t repeat his Race 1 victory heroics in the second and third counters, Vernay continues to lead the WTCR Trophy order for Team Mulsanne. The Frenchman was a non-finisher in Race 2 following contact but completed his Spanish weekend with sixth place in Race 3 aboard his Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce by Romeo Ferraris. Vernay hadn’t won in the WTCR since Macau in 2018, while Team Mulsanne’s last triumph in the series dates back to Slovakia in 2019 and was also long overdue.
Azcona’s Race 2 success followed his fourth-place finish in Race 1, which he completed ahead of BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corse pair Gabriele Tarquini and Norbert Michelisz. Hungarian Michelisz started Race 1 on the DHL Pole Position but a slow start and a slide at Turn 1 ended his hopes. While Michelisz’s weekend was one of frustration, Tarquini took third in Race 3 behind Björk and Urrutia.
Nathanaël Berthon was fourth in Race 2 and Race 3 for Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport, while Nicolas Baert, 19, joined his father Jean-Michel Baert’s Comtoyou line-up as a wildcard for the MotorLand Aragón event and impressed with P11 in Race 3 on his WTCR debut.
Josh Files, the TCR Europe champion from 2019, also impressed on his WTCR debut, placing eighth in Race 3 for Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team.
