Review: Round 6 - Chengdu

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing completed part one of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour double-header in China with its target achieved after a challenging weekend at Chengdu Tianfu International Circuit for round six of the eight-event season.

With BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team-mates Mikel Azcona and Norbert Michelisz hampered by carrying 40 and 30 kilograms of Compensation Weight respectively, the event had been earmarked as a damage limitation exercise when maximising points rather than podiums became the accepted reality.
 
Leading the Drivers’ standings by 41 points following his double victory at Inje Speedium in South Korea – Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing’s home event – earlier this month, Azcona continued to top the title order after a determined showing during the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour’s first visit to Chengdu, albeit with a reduced margin of 23 points.
 
Having shrugged of the extra weight by qualifying an impressive second following what he described as a “mega lap” aboard his Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Spaniard Azcona finished Race 1 in fourth place before he took seventh from 10th on the grid in Race 2 after he resisted intense pressure from Yann Ehrlacher, the 2025 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title winer.
 
Lining up fifth on the Race 3 grid, Azcona snatched fourth at the final corner for more crucial championship points, once he’d fended off Ma Qinghua’s early attentions.
 
Michelisz, meanwhile, also impressed in qualifying by going fourth quickest. After finishing fifth in Race 1, the Hungarian driver followed up his seventh-placed start in Race 2 by taking fifth place. He then completed the Chengdu weekend by claiming eighth place after he lost two positions on the opening lap following contact.
 
Although Michelisz dropped from second to third in the Drivers’ standings, he remains in title contention with a 50-point deficit to recover and 180 points still up for grabs across the remaining five races of the season.
 
There was more Hyundai-powered success in Chengdu with Hong Kong drivers Lo Sze Ho and Bayern Yip Wai Hei respectively winning the Guest Star Trophy in Race 2 and Race 3 driving Hyundai Elantra N for Evolve Racing.
 
The Kumho FIA TCR World Tour remains in China for the penultimate event of the season at Zhejiang Circuit from October 23-25. The 3.20-kilometre layout in the east of the country marks more unchartered territory for Azcona, Michelisz and the BRC Hyundai Squadra Corse.
 
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoît Nogier said:

We always knew our first visit to Chengdu would be a challenging occasion due to the Compensation Weight we carried following our fantastic double victory at Inje, and so it proved. However, I could not be happier and more proud of the determination showed by Mikel, Norbi and all the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team. Their hard work and refusal to give up ensures we remain in the lead of the Drivers’ standings and still in the fight for the Teams’ title, which are two fantastic achievements given the disadvantage we faced. But everyone involved in our pursuit of success in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour knows very well that there is a lot more work ahead in the coming days and weeks and our preparations for the next event in Zhejiang next weekend are already under way.

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

• A weekend of damage limited due to carrying 40 kilograms of Compensation Weight resulted in another strong showing from Azcona, who continued to lead the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour standings
• After qualifying a fine second, the Spaniard banked a pair of fourths at the all-new Chengdu Tianfu International Circuit with a final-lap pass to complete the top four in Race 3 among the highlights
• He also showed great determination to fend off 2025 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title winner Yann Ehralcher for crucial points in seventh place in Race 2

Azcona said: “With 40 kilos we had to push like crazy in qualifying, nailing every single lap, especially on this very technical track. I was very happy to be second after a mega lap and my Hyundai Elantra N TCR was unbelievable, super-impressive. I finished P4 in the first race and I was happy for the points because it was not an easy race. The lights went off very quickly at the start and I could not prepare myself properly for that, so I lost two positions. Halfway through the race I decided to keep the front tyres alive to finish the race because I couldn’t follow the guys in front, and it was the right strategy. The second race was a tough one starting P10 on the reverse grid. My start was much better than Race 1. I overtook Yann Ehrlacher, and I had Ma Qinghua in front of me. For a couple of laps, I tried the overtake but, to be honest, he was defending pretty well, and I didn’t have the chance with the 40 kilos. Yann was on my tail for the whole race, and I really suffered with the degradation at the front, so I was happy with the points in seventh. I started P5 and finished P4 in Race 3 so was very happy with the result. It was a demanding race. The start was very, very tight with all the cars around. Ma was very fast in sector two, so I had to defend the first laps. Then I realised that he was struggling a bit with his car and that was the moment I had a bit of margin. From this point my car was very, very good, also with the new tyres at the front. I was able to have a very good pace during the race and could catch the Cupra that was running P4. On the last corner I overtook him. I’m super-happy to finish the race weekend scoring these valuable points with 40 kilos. Now it’s time to go for Zhejiang next weekend, but so far, so good.” 

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

• Hampered by the 30 kilograms of Compensation Weight fitted to his Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Michelisz showed great determination by twice finishing in the top five
• Gaining two places in Race 2 and qualifying fourth underlined the Hungarian driver’s potential
• Contact on the opening lap of Race 3 led to a loss of position and affected his car’s handling. Nevertheless, he battled through to finish eight and completed part one of the China Kumho FIA TCR World Tour double-header third in the standings 

Michelisz said: “Qualifying was very good and my Hyundai Elantra N TCR was fantastic, so we maximised our potential. I finished P5 in Race 1 and I was very happy about that because my start was not good. I almost stalled on the grid, and I lost a lot of positions. But then I managed to climb back to P5. Considering the 30 kilos, we knew the race would be more difficult than qualifying. We did our best to salvage some points but, unfortunately, you cannot overcome physics. I started Race 2 in P7 and finished P5 so I have to be happy with important points for the championship fight. The start was much better than Race 1. So instead of losing positions I gained one position and in the first couple of corners I gained another position so I’m very happy with the progress we did, although we were still missing some pace because of the weight. The start was good in Race 3 but I got a hit from behind and went sideways, lost some momentum and two cars overtook me. I also picked up some damage because the car was not really turning well to the left. I did my best to finish the race, P8 is a bit worse than what I was hoping for before the start but, nevertheless, it’s good points. The feeling was always to focus on ourselves this weekend with clean races and collecting as many points as possible. Overall, it was a positive weekend, we did our best, collecting good points even with the weight carried in the car. I’m confident for the next event and the rest of the season.”