Hyundai’s new signing, Nestor Girolami, won the second race of the TCR World Tour’s season opener in Vallelunga, while Norbert Michelisz moved up three places from his starting position to finish seventh.
According to the reversed starting grid, Michelisz, who won the time trial in the second race, started from the 10th starting position, while his teammate Girolami could take the lead. The first third of the race did not bring much racing, due to accidents with the Italian TCR participants filling the field, the safety car was on the track twice.
Michelisz, the winner on Saturday, gained a position at the start, and was able to move forward one more when the hood of Yann Ehrlacher’s Lynk & Cója, the runner-up from the previous day, who was now directly in front of him, came loose, so the race management forced him to pit for safety reasons. The Hungarian competitor ended up in seventh place, after he was able to overtake Ma Qinghua, who was behind and losing rhythm in the battle for the podium.
Girolami’s victory was not in danger, the Argentine, who joined Hyundai this year, led his new team to victory in the first race weekend, while Santiago Urrutia and championship newcomer Marco Butti finished behind him.
After the first race weekend, Michelisz leads the points race with 59 points, followed by Esteban Guerrieri with 50, Mikel Azcona with 44, and Butti with 42 points.
It is strange, but with this season opener, the TCR World Tour is saying goodbye to Europe for this year, the remaining six rounds will be held on other continents – next time in Africa, when the fight continues on the Marrakesh circuit, well-known by the regular members of the field, on the first weekend of May.
