TCR World Tour: Norbert Michelisz and Santi Urrutia first winners

On the Portimão circuit, Hyundai Motorsport and Lynk & Co drivers shared victories in the inaugural races of the new international touring car championship.

Published on 30/04/2023 à 17:46

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The TCR World Tour kicked off in Portimão / © TCR Series

It is within the framework of TCR Europe that this new era of the “Touring car” begins, which has lost its FIA grade. It is now WSC, the owner of the TCR rights, which oversees the existence of the TCR World Tour.
Two races were to be contested during this Lusitanian weekend. In the first qualifying session, Norbert Michelisz put his Elantra TCR on pole position ahead of reigning WTCR champion, Spaniard Mikel Azcona.
Qualifying was a little more complicated for the Lynk & CO drivers. The best driver of the Sino-Swedish team is the Chinese Ma Qin Hua qualified in 5th position. 10th in qualifying, Santiago Urrutia can console himself with pole position on the reverse grid in race 2. Yann Ehrlacher suffered from the high heat (55 degrees in the passenger compartment) and the settings of his Lynk & Co 03 TCR that could still be improved.
In Race 1, if both Hyundai manage to get off to a good start, this is not the case for the Alsatian and his Uruguayan teammate. The two men collide between turns 1 and 2. Urrutia is forced to retire while the winner of the 2020 and 2021 WTCR must be content with a 7th final position in this first race.

The spectacular image of the 1st race: the collision between Yann Ehlarcher and Santi Uruttia ©TCR Series

The lead race will not offer any upsets, Michelisz becoming the first winner in the history of the TCR World Tour ahead of Azcona and Rob Huff (Comtoyou Racing) who is ahead of his teammate Fred Vervisch.
In TCR Europe, which hosts this opening of the international season, it is John Filippi (Comtoyou Racing) who reaps the first laurels.
In the Sunday race, Urrutia benefits from the advantage of his pole position to get the best start over Thed Björk. Both men will cross the finish line in the same order. The two boys are once again ahead of the very consistent Vervisch for his return in a touring car. The Belgian is ahead of Azcona and Tom Coronel who wins in TCR Europe (the Dutch veteran is not participating in the world tour this year). The winner of the day before, Michelisz, must be content with 8th place in this round just behind Ehrlacher, once again 7th.
The Alsatian still has to calibrate himself behind the wheel of a car that he still has to adjust to his needs and his qualifying and racing needs.
In the championship, Michelisz is the first leader by two small points ahead of Azcona and nine ahead of Vervisch. Due to his retirement the day before, Urrutia is in sixth place in the hierarchy just ahead of his best enemy and teammate Yann Ehrlacher.
The next round of the TCR World Tour will still take place as part of the TCR Europe at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) from May 26 to 28.