Review: Round 7 – Kumho FIA TCR WT China

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing continued its strong end-of-season form in
the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour when Mikel Azcona, Néstor Girolami and Norbert Michelisz each grabbed a podium finish at the recently renamed Hunan International Circuit in Zhuzhou, China.

After Michelisz rounded out the Race 1 podium for long-term partner team BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse in dry conditions on Saturday, team-mate Azcona battled back from seventh to second in Sunday’s rain-hit Race 2.

Girolami, driving the third Elantra N TCR for the Italian outfit, led the weekend’s second race after a perfect launch from the front row of the partially reversed grid, before a penalty dropped him back.

The frustrated Argentine took the chequered flag in fourth following but was later promoted to third after a rival was penalised and the results adjusted.

Race 2 proved challenging and full of incident in equal measure due to the combination of light rain falling just before the action got under way and all drivers taking the start on slick tyres.

Despite the lack of grip on an increasingly slippery surface, Girolami excelled to the extent he had built an advantage of 2.2 seconds during the opening laps.

But after being adjudged to have gained an unfair advantage when he was unable to avoid briefly leaving the track at the first corner, race officials ordered Girolami to cede position to the second-placed driver.

Determined to capitalise on his pace, third-placed Azcona also used the opportunity to overtake his team-mate. There was unfortunate contact between the pair while braking in the difficult conditions, with the front bumper of Girolami’s Elantra N TCR becoming attached to the rear of Azcona’s car.

Girolami then became embroiled in the thick of the fight for the final podium place, while Azcona faced the prospect of having to pit to enable Girolami’s front bumper to be safely removed in accordance with the sporting regulations. But just as he was about to stop, the bumper fell off and Azcona aborted his intention to pit at the last second, falling to seventh after rejoining the track.

Michelisz was set to finish Race 3 in fifth position, but a vibration and the loss of the right-hand side skirt resulted in the Hungarian falling to ninth. He eventually crossed the line in eighth, one position behind Girolami, who ran fourth initially. Spaniard Azcona dropped to 10th place in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid carrying Compensation Weight for the Macau season finale from November 13-16.

On his return to the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour, HMO Customer Racing’s Will Brown, the reigning Australian Supercars champion, won a close battle for fourth in Race 1, took sixth in Race 2 and fourth again in Race 4 after fighting for third. Team-mate Ryan MacMillan scored a weekend-best result of sixth in Race 3.

Driving an Elantra N TCR For Z.Speed N MAS, Benny Santoso was a double winner in TCR Asia, which joined the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour grid.

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoit Nogier said:

We were successful in not only claiming more podiums – we now have ten in 2025 – but also in improving our performance, which was our clear target after a difficult weekend in Inje. All our drivers delivered strong results and lap times across the weekend and in varying conditions, which were not easy at times. Race 2 was unfortunate in that we had the possibility to win after leading but had to settle for second after some frustrating moments. This can happen in racing, so we remain positive for the final race of the season in Macau.
We’ve enjoyed plenty of success there in the past and we know we can be strong when we return in less than two weeks. I must take this opportunity to congratulate customer Benny Santoso for his achievements in TCR Asia. It was also great to welcome back a driver of Will Brown’s calibre to the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing family and watch him take some impressive results.

Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai Elantra N EV TCR

• Despite carrying 20 kilograms of Compensation Weight following his victory in South Korea,
  Azcona banked his second podium of 2025 with a battling P2 in Race 2
• Having finished seventh in Race 1, he crossed the line in Race 3 in 10th place
• The combined results moved him up from ninth to eighth in the Drivers’ standings

Azcona said: “The first race was good, and I was happy with the balance of the car, even with the 20 kilos of Compensation Weight. I was in sixth, but we decided to give up a position to be on the second row for Race 2 and have a better chance to fight for the podium. I started Race 2 in P4 and finished P2 in very challenging conditions. I felt fast enough to win the race, and I was disappointed not to win, but thanks to the team for giving me a competitive car, we really maximised our package. I was given a black and orange flag because Néstor’s bumper was stuck to my car. Exactly at the moment I was going to the pits, I lost the bumper and received a call from the team not to pit. I rejoined the track in P7 and recovered to P2. The track got drier and drier in Race 3. I felt competitive but I didn’t want to be in the chaos during the early laps, I just wanted to finish the race and take points. Now it’s time to think to Macau.”

Driver Notes: #129 Néstor Girolami (ARG), Hyundai Elantra N EV TCR

• Ninth place in Race 1 after a strategic approach to qualifying helped earn a front-row start for Race 2
• He led Race 2 initially following a perfect getaway before a penalty resulted in his victory bid unravelling
•  Challenged for third in Race 3 after strong start before taking seventh

Girolami said: “The target for Race 1 was to finish in a position that allowed me to fight for the reverse grid pole and starting Race 2 from second position meant we maximised our possibilities. Race 2 was quite chaotic with the rain. I felt my start was very good but, unfortunately, I had massive oversteer in Turn 1 and went off track. I didn’t understand the decision to give back the position because I was already leading in T1. I was upset with the penalty and think it was unfair, but I gave the position back. We were quite competitive with each other, but we lost the momentum of the race at that moment. My start in Race 3 was very good, one of the best of the season. We managed to make good decisions in the first three corners and suddenly I was P4. I had the pace to go for P3 and I try but we were heating up the tyres quite quick and the grip disappeared somehow, so we need to understand why. But the team is working flat out to put Hyundai back at the top. We made three podiums this weekend, we are not far away.”

Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai Elantra N EV TCR

• Converted third place on the Race 1 grid into the final podium position
• Ran as high as fifth in Race 2 only for contact to lead to damage and a fall to 12th place
• Results in China mean Michelisz’s chance to successfully defend his Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title is over

Michelisz said: “From the outside you could have had the impression it was a boring Race 1, but from the inside it was super-intense. I was pushing flat out and did my best to stay close to the driver in front. Unfortunately, I was not fast enough to overtake. But, nevertheless, I was very happy with our progress since South Korea because we were competitive and back in the fight. I was much more confident on corner entry and able to exploit the front grip I had available. This made it much easier for me to carry the speed and choose my line on the exit of the corners. Race 2 was very busy and very difficult. Running with slicks on a damp track is never easy but we had a good pace, and I was close to the front in the first part of the race. After the safety car I was in the middle of the pack, and I received a lot of hits. The car got damaged, so it was just about surviving the last couple of laps. I was not happy to lose positions but thanks to the guys for repairing the car for Race 3. I had a very good start in Race 3, unfortunately something broke and I had some vibration from the beginning. I lost the side skirt, and the vibration was getting louder and louder and bigger and bigger. I was happy to finish but sad because the car was
capable of going faster. In the end, it’s a weekend we need to take the right conclusions from.”