Preview: Round 4 - Vila Real

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing’s pursuit of Kumho FIA TCR World Tour success will take it and long-term partner team BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse from the mainly flat expanses of Circuit Paul Ricard to the narrow and undulating Vila Real street track for round four of the season this weekend (July 9-12).

Taking place less than seven days on from Mikel Azcona converting pole position into a lights-to-flag victory in southern France, the event in northern Portugal provides a significant challenge for drivers and their teams.

Located in the town of the same name, Circuito Internacional de Vila Real is a blend of fast- and low-speed corners, climbs and descents and narrow stretches with a variation of the hillside course staging its first race back in 1931 when it was only partly paved.

Although the circuit has been altered over the years – going from 7.1 kilometres to 4.6 kilometres in length – there’s been no change to the level of challenge and spectacle on offer, especially during the final downhill section where cars exceed 200kph. 

Having scored 65 points, which was more than any other driver at Circuit Paul Ricard, Azcona gets 40 kilograms of compensation weight fitted to his Hyundai Elantra N TCR in Vila Real, a notable disadvantage due to the track’s layout and longer length. Team-mate Norbert Michelisz, meanwhile, will carry 20 kilograms.

While there’s no shortage of action in Vila Real, overtaking can be at a premium. To counter this, Circuito Internacional de Vila Real features a joker lap, an alternative route drivers must take not once, but twice during each race. As well as providing an opportunity for drivers to pass and be passed, the joker lap provides an extra strategical element to proceedings.

Vila Real is a happy hunting ground for Azcona and Michelisz, who were both winners when the track hosted the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup in 2019.

The Vila Real event will follow the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour’s Format 1b, which includes two 30-minute free practice sessions, a two-phase qualifying of 30 and 15 minutes with the fastest 12 progressing from Q1 to Q2, plus two races run for a distance of 60 kilometres and each featuring two mandatory joker laps. The Race 1 grid is based on the final qualifying results, while the top 10 in qualifying will line up for Race 2 in reverse order. That will put the 10th fastest qualifier on pole position for Race 2 with the driver in ninth after qualifying completing the front row of the grid. However, the driver clocking the fastest lap in Race 1 will be promoted one place on the Race 2 grid.

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoît Nogier said:

As we reach the halfway point of the season, we can reflect on a highly successful and encouraging start to the campaign, which has brought us two wins, two pole positions and five podiums. While the talents of Mikel and Norbi have been instrumental in our success, the hard work and ability of everyone at BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse and Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing have been crucial in keeping the Elantra N TCR at the forefront of international touring car racing. But we still have a long and challenging remainder of the season ahead of us, with this weekend’s visit to Vila Rea perfectly highlighting just how tough the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour can be. Nevertheless, despite the challenges we expect to face, we approach the weekend fully prepared and fully motivated.

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

• Azcona heads to Vila Real second in the Drivers’ standings on 176 points after scoring a weekend high of 65 points at Circuit Paul Ricard
• However, the Spaniard’s success in France means he will carry 40 kilograms of compensation weight           
• A winner in Vila Real in the past, Azcona knows what it takes to be fast on the Portuguese street track

Azcona said: “Vila Real is a track I have very good memories of. My first ever World Touring Car race win was in Vila Real in 2019 and it’s a track I like a lot. I always have extra motivation, extra speed when I go to Vila Real. Exposing the peak of a new tyre in qualifying is something special on street tracks and it’s very special in Vila Real. I feel quite confident and comfortable when I drive there, but with 40 kilograms of compensation weight is not going to be easy. I don’t think I will be fighting for the pole this time but being in the top 10 and scoring good points for the championship would be enough. The joker lap will be an extra challenge this year because we have to do it two times per race, while in the last years it was one. For sure our rivals will play on the strategy with more cars than we have, but I’m looking forward to leaving with as many points as I can.”

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

• With a victory and two podium finishes in 2026, Michelisz is Portugal-bound third in the title table
• Like Azcona, the Hungarian is a winner on the streets of Vila Real
• His results at Circuit Paul Ricard means he will have 20 kilograms fitted to his Hyundai Elantra N TCR

Michelisz said: “The first race I did in Vila Real was in 2015 when there were not a lot of onboards available or possibilities to practice on simulators. I did my best to guess the circuit from home but when we did the track walk, I immediately realised it’s a completely different story with a lot of blind corners, high speed, especially approaching the last sector going downhill in the middle of the houses. It wasn’t something I was used to, but if you build your confidence slowly it's a circuit you can enjoy a lot. There’s a very fine edge between enjoying the circuit and being in the wall, that makes it very challenging. I always enjoy travelling to Vila Real, I enjoy Portugal, it’s one of my favourite countries in Europe, and also the city is beautiful with the surrounding places. When I learned it would be on the calendar this year, I was very happy. From a result point of view on the other hand, it was never one of the strongest circuits for us, so hopefully we can change that this season. Like always we will prepare in a good way and try to combine the challenging part with the exciting part.”

Weekend at a Glance

• While there are various activities and events building up to the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour weekend, it’s not until Saturday July 11 that track action begins with Free Practice 1 from 09:25 to 09:55 local time. 
• Free Practice 2 is next from 12:30 to 13:00 ahead of Qualifying Q1 beginning at 15:25 followed by Qualifying Q2 from 16:02. 
• Race 1 is due to get under way at 12:00 on Sunday July 12 for a minimum of 14 laps and a maximum of 16 laps with Race 2 due to start at 17:05.