WTCR: Azcona in pole position in Bahrain

Mikel Azcona honors his status as official driver Hyundai Motorsport. At the wheel of his Elantra N TCR, the Iberian driver set the three benchmark times of Q1, Q2 and Q3. He is in the position of big favorite to reap further success this season (he has already won 3 races in 2022). He is ahead of Nathanaël Berthon (Comtoyou) who ends 2022 with a bang. New front row for the official Audi driver who is certainly looking to confirm his driving for next season in the TCR World Tour. 

Girolami in ambush. 

The Hyundai driver will have to be careful. Nestor Girolami qualified 3rd for this race which smells of powder. The Argentine is the last driver who can reasonably thwart Azcona's plans. Bebu is a formidable competitor in the early laps of the race, he has no choice, he must get ahead of Azcona if he wants to keep his chances of the crown alive. Rob Huff, withdrawn for lack of budget, is no longer in the title race. 

https://twitter.com/FIA_WTCR/status/1588922086105370624

The stakes of this round are high and the race uncertain. With the debates starting at 17:00 p.m., the temperature on the track should still be close to 40 degrees. Tire degradation could be key to the race. Whoever manages to keep their Goodyear tires fresh will surely have the key to this first round of the weekend. 

For race 2, Mehdi Bennani took pole, the Moroccan will start on the front row alongside Franco Girolami, newcomer to the WTCR and little brother of Nestor. 

Meet from 17 p.m. to experience a race that already promises to be exciting. All results can be found on AutoHebdo.fr. 

results of the qualifying session ©FIAWTCR

starting grid for race 1 ©FIAWTCR