Preview: Round 4 - Vila Real

BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse continued its winning run in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour as Norbert Michelisz scored the third victory of the year for the long-term Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing partner in Vila Real.

The winner of the season opener at Misano in May, Michelisz added to his victory tally in the second of two races on the ultra-challenging northern Portuguese street track after team-mate Mikel Azcona finished second in the opening contest.

As a result, Azcona and Michelisz will head into the summer break second and third in the provisional Drivers’ standings respectively with BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse holding second in the Teams’ ranking.

Spanish driver Azcona, who triumphed in the opening race at Circuit Paul Ricard last month, had marked himself out as a potential Race 1 winner with a sensational qualifying performance to secure pole position, his third in four attempts this season. 

Describing his effort as “the lap of the season”, Azcona gave his all to follow it up with his second victory of the campaign in Race 1. However, brake issues before the start compromised his preparations and ultimately led to him settling for the runner-up spot after a slower than planned getaway from the grid. 

But he was quick to praise the work of his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse mechanics, who ensured he could take part in the race amid concerns he would be a non-starter.

Michelisz also needed his team’s mechanics to spring into action when an issue struck his Hyundai Elantra N TCR in qualifying and left the Hungarian ninth on the grid for Race 1. But a fine drive – including two perfectly timed joker laps – earned him fifth place. 

Starting first on the partially-reversed Race 2 grid, Michelisz made the perfect getaway from pole and would go on to take the chequered flag first for more crucial championship points.

Michelisz had just completed the first of his two mandatory joker laps – an alternative route designed to increase overtaking opportunities on a circuit with limited passing options – when Azcona was forced to pit after being involved in on-track contact with a competitor.  The Spaniard rejoined in 12th, a position he maintained to the finish.

Following the traditional summer break, the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour resumes at Inje Speedium in South Korea, Hyundai’s home event, from October 2-4.

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoît Nogier said:

There’s no better feeling than to head into the summer break as winners and my congratulations go to Norbi and BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse for making this possible. It’s also important to recognise Mikel’s exceptional qualifying effort for what proved to be his third pole position of 2026. As we expected, Vila Real proved to be a challenging weekend, so to complete the event with our sixth podium and third victory of the season stands as a really excellent achievement, while also further highlighting the performance of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR, even when we carry the maximum 40 kilograms of compensation weight, which was the case for Mikel.

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

• Secured his third pole position of the 2026 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour after producing “the lap of the season” with a sensational last-gasp effort in Qualifying Q2, despite driving with 40 kilograms of compensation weight
• Forced to settle for second in Race 1 after brake issues before the start meant he was unable to complete his usual preparations
• Despite contact on track preventing him from scoring points in Race 2, the Spaniard will head to round five of the in South Korea in October second in the Drivers’ standings, 10 points adrift of first place 

Azcona said: “Qualifying was the lap of the season in terms of execution and the pure speed close to the walls. I will remember this all my life and I was super-happy, especially with 40 kilograms of compensation weight. But thanks to the team, they gave me such a good Hyundai Elantra N TCR, which was brilliant in terms of balance. We had to go straight to the grid to fix the problems we had with the brakes before Race 1, and this compromised my preparation for the front tyres for the start because I was not able to build up the temperature and I had so much wheelspin at the start. But the guys did an amazing job to fix the car on the grid by changing the whole brake system and we managed to do the joker lap perfectly as a team, the strategy was super-good so second position is more than a victory. The second race was a bit tough, but the pace was good, I was doing very good laps and was very competitive. In the end we didn’t lose so many points because of the contact, and I feel very happy to get 45 points, which means 10 kilograms for Korea. With the 40 kilograms of compensation weight in Vila Real, we knew we were going to suffer. But, in the end, it was a very positive weekend with Norbi also winning and I’m happy to go into the summer break 10 points behind the leader.”

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

• Mechanical issue in Qualifying Q1 required rapid repairs and ultimately restricted the Hungarian driver to ninth on the grid for Race 1
• Even with 20 kilograms of compensation weight fitted to his Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Michelisz was able to battle through to take fifth place after a highly effective joker lap strategy was deployed
• Started first and finished first in Race 2 for his second victory of 2026

Michelisz said: “Starting from P9, I would have signed for finishing Race 1 in P5 100 times on a circuit where it’s never easy to overtake. After our unfortunate qualifying, I was hoping for a good race. The car was working fine, we did a very good joker lap strategy, and I was happy with the points. Race 2 was very good. I had a good start, and I was in the best position to build a gap with the fresh air. The car felt just great, I made a gap and timed the joker laps perfectly, which was the key to winning the race. I took a lot out of the tyres at the beginning, just building the gaps, I was flat out pushing them, which was compromising my pace towards the end. But the pace was enough to stay in front and I’m very happy, also for the team.”