Our first FIA ETCR crowns of the season
Our team is celebrating our strongest event of the season after claiming both Manufacturer and King of the Weekend crowns at FIA ETCR Race IT.
“In the blistering heat of Vallelunga, we worked hard to keep our cool and as a result, we’ve enjoyed our best result of the season yet,” said Stefan, our Director of Marketing and PR. “All of our drivers have been competitive this weekend as we chased our first Manufacturer and King of the Weekend.”
Perfect tally for King Mikel
Mikel demonstrated blistering pace from the first session, topping the timesheets in Qualifying and winning every single race to score maximum points. As a result, he topped the King of the Weekend standings.
“This is an incredible feeling,” said Mikel. “I have wanted to achieve this result with Hyundai Motorsport for a long time this season, and we have done it here in Vallelunga.”
His Pool Fast team-mate Norbert won his Quarter Final to move into the higher-scoring Semi Final for the group. In the Super Final, he was running in second behind Mikel midway through the race, before a puncture brought an end to his progress. He finished in fifth.
“It would have been my best-ever finish in an FIA ETCR Super Final, which is disappointing,” admitted Norbert. “The car felt great so it is a real shame for us.”
Late heartbreak in Pool Furious
After his win secured a Veloster N ETCR 1-2 in the Pool Furious Quarter Final, Nicky was on-track to convert a front-row start into a comfortable victory. In a brutal blow, Nicky picked up a puncture just three corners from the chequered flag, and he fell to fourth.
“The Super Final was a blemish on an otherwise positive weekend,” said the Dutchman. “I would have loved to win; I could have been second in the King of the Weekend standings, which would have been nice.”
Jean-Karl was involved in close on-track battles throughout the weekend, finishing second in both the Quarter and Semi Finals. In the Super Final, he was fighting from start to finish with those in front of him and ultimately finished in third following Nicky’s misfortune.
“We had really good pace all weekend which was really satisfying,” said Jean-Karl in summary. “There are still plenty of positives to take from Race IT – we have the car to fight at the front and for the King of the Weekend title.”
As a result of our triumphant weekend, we move up to second in the Manufacturers’ standings while Mikel has regained third place in the drivers’ title battle.
King Driver Classification – Race IT
1. Mikel Azcona 100
2. Mattias Ekström 79
3. Tom Blomqvist 72
4. Adrien Tambay 72
5. Maxime Martin 60
6. Nicky Catsburg 56
7. Jean-Karl Vernay 48
8. Norbert Michelisz 46
9. Bruno Spengler 44
10. Luca Filippi 43
11. Jordi Gené 35
12. Giovanni Venturini
2022 FIA ETCR Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 5
1. Cupra 876
2. Hyundai Motorsport N 629
3. Romeo Ferraris 627
2022 FIA ETCR Drivers’ Standings
After round 5
1. Adrien Tambay 435
2. Mattias Ekström 421
3. Mikel Azcona 368
4. Maxime Martin 360
5. Tom Blomqvist 334
6. Bruno Spengler 267
7. Jean-Karl Vernay 219
8. Norbert Michelisz 216
9. Jordi Gené 200
10. Giovanni Venturini 170
11. Nicky Catsburg 150
12. Luca Filippi 140
13. Kevin Ceccon 72
