Castellet – Race 2: Teddy Clairet's incredible feat!
- Published on 06 / 07 / 2026 at 09: 02
- Modified on 06/07/2026 at 11:58
Taking full advantage of his starting position, the younger of the Clairet brothers added his name to the winners' list of a round of the World Touring Car Cup. He finished ahead of all the top drivers in the discipline!
At the start, pole-sitter Manuel Fernandes (Audi RS3 LMS No. 13) was immediately overtaken by Ma Qing Hua. But right from the first corner, the Chinese driver of the Geely Preface No. 55 was caught off guard by Frenchman Teddy Clairet, who took the lead and launched himself into the Mistral straight. Santiago Urrutia (Geely Preface No. 181) also took advantage of this to overtake his teammate and moved into second position behind the Team Clairet Sport driver. Having made a good start, Aurélien Comte (Cupra León No. 107) remained close behind, just behind Ma's Geely.
In the peloton, the fight rages: Thed Björk (Geely Preface N°111), Mikel Azcona (Hyundai Elantra (No. 196) and Yann Ehrlacher (Geely Preface No. 68) battled for the top five positions. On the second lap, Ma regained the lead over Urrutia for second place, while Clairet extended his advantage at the front. Behind them, the race became increasingly lively. Norbert Michelisz, who had been fighting for a top-five finish, dropped to eighth after several collisions. Further back, Comte was forced to retire after a collision with Björk: his right front suspension broke, and the SP Compétition driver had to return to the pits.
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On lap six, a dramatic turn of events: Urrutia went straight on under braking, allowing Azcona and Ehrlacher to rejoin the fight for a provisional podium finish. Further back, for seventh place, Julien Briché (Hyundai Elantra No. 24) put pressure on Michelisz, offering a strong challenge to the Hungarian driver.
Close finish
With three laps to go, Ma Qing Hua is closing in fast on Clairet, who seemed destined for victory. The Cupra driver is starting to struggle with his tires, which are under excessive stress. Behind them, the battle for third place is intense between Ehrlacher, Azcona, and Urrutia: the three men are constantly attacking but can't find a clear winner.
In the final lap, Teddy Clairet held off Ma Qing Hua's charge and secured a brilliant victory in his first TCR World Tour race. A resounding win for the French driver and Jean-Marie Clairet's small team, who triumphed on home soil on the international stage.
Ma Qing Hua finished second ahead of Urrutia. Azcona and Björk completed the top five, while Ehrlacher finished sixth in a chaotic race. The Hyundai driver confirmed his excellent weekend.
In the overall standings, Urrutia maintains his lead with a six-point advantage over Azcona. Ehrlacher is fifth, 54 points behind the leader. The next round of the TCR World Tour takes place on the streets of Vila Real, Portugal, on July 11th and 12th.
TCR – Le Castellet
The classification of Race 2
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