Mikel Azcona’s wait for a first victory of 2024 ends

Mikel Azcona ended his wait for a 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour win by delivering a wet-weather driving masterclass for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse in the first of two races at the Zhuzhou International Circuit.

By twice scoring points in his Hyundai Elantra N TCR, reigning champion Norbert Michelisz maintained his lead in the Drivers’ standings ahead of next month’s season-deciding Macau Grand Prix weekend.

Néstor Girolami was less than a lap away from winning Race 2 from pole position but ultimately had to settle for the runner-up spot as Michelisz and Azcona finished eighth and ninth respectively.

With six events and 12 races run, Michelisz leads the Drivers’ championship with a 10-point advantage. Though Girolami is out of title contention, Azcona remains in the hunt, sitting 27 points behind Michelisz following his triumph in Race 1, which began in damp conditions but finished in heavy rain.

Starting fourth on the packed 28-car grid, Azcona overtook Yann Ehrlacher for second shortly before the first of two safety car interventions. Despite the rain intensifying and the majority of drivers using slick tyres, Azcona grabbed first place from Thed Björk to take a lead he would not relinquish. Such was his pace in the tricky conditions, Azcona was even able to pull clear of the chasing pack in the closing laps to take a deserved win with Michelisz and Girolami finishing seventh and eighth respectively.

While the weather was overcast for Race 2, the rain was absent from the day’s drama. Girolami took full advantage of starting the partially-reversed encounter from pole position. Even after a safety car period closed up the field, Girolami continued to resist heavy pressure from the driver behind until the final lap, when he was finally overtaken and slipped to finish in second place. Michelisz scored important points in eighth, one place ahead of Azcona.

The winners of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Drivers’ and Teams’ titles for 2024 will be decided during the Macau Grand Prix weekend on November 14-17.

Hyundai Motorsport Circuit Racing Project Manager Julien Moncet said:

“There’s definitely a lot to take from this weekend, positive and negative. Knowing the final result from the weekend and knowing where we were before coming to China, I would have signed immediately. The positive thing is we kept the lead in the Drivers’ championship with Norbi, although BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse lost some points in the Teams’ championship, which will be very tough to claim back. But at least we still have a good chance in the Drivers’ championship. Another positive was the win from Mikel in Race 1. It was a masterclass drive from him, he was incredible driving the Elantra N TCR on slick tyres in the rain in very difficult conditions. Néstor and Norbi both did what they could in Race 1. Néstor did a brilliant job in Race 2. For sure second was not the result he was targeting because he was still leading with only a few hundred metres left, but he should be very proud of what he did. All the drivers had a role this weekend, which they fulfilled, so I have to thank them. We were lacking some performance, and we need to understand why. There is one race to go, and we can’t afford another difficult weekend.”

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

• Hungarian keeps Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title defence on track by scoring points in both races
• The defending champion finishes seventh in Race 1 and eighth in Race 2

Michelisz said: “Race 1 was really tricky because the rain started to come and it was very difficult to predict the correct tyre choice. In the end there was no other option than to start on slick tyres. The rain started to intensify but my target was always to score some points to keep the championship battle more or less in shape from my side. I would have preferred to finish fifth or sixth, but I did my best and P7 was the maximum for me. Race 2 was quite chaotic, especially after the first two corners. I received some hits on the left rear and lost some positions, but again my target was to stay in the fight and score points. Finishing P8 is a decent result. We’re still leading the championship and that was the target for the event. Considering the pace I had this weekend, I’m happy with the outcome so thanks to the team and thanks to Néstor and Mikel for their assistance in both races. I now feel well prepared for Macau.”

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

• Spaniard charges through from fourth on the grid to win rain-hit Race 1 for first victory of 2024
• He performs the perfect supporting role by following team-mate Michelisz home in Race 2

Azcona said: “I am very, very happy with my first win of the year after not a very easy season for me. I had many problems out of my control where I lost many points, so I really needed this win. The conditions in Race 1 were very challenging, it was raining, I had slick tyres and the track was fully wet and very slippery. But I was able to find a good pace with the Elantra N TCR. I love these conditions and I think I had something else compared to the others. After a few laps I realised my pace was much faster than the guys ahead. So, I stayed very calm, I tried to not do any mistakes, just to be in the fight and it paid off. After a few laps leading I saw my gap was enough to be relaxed and the last six or seven laps I was just taking really good care to keep the car on track and bring the it home. When the rain started to get heavier and heavier it was very demanding mentally to understand in every situation where you needed to brake, which line you needed to have, in which gear you needed to push, which gear you can take or not. I got a good start in Race 2, I was able to overtake one place but I struggled with the top speed on this track. The car was super-good in the corners and very competitive, but the straights was where I was losing everything. It is what it is.”

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

• Turns protector for team-mate Michelisz in Race 1, finishing eighth to score more points
• Leads Race 2 from pole position and was less than a lap from winning but finishes second

Girolami said: “I was doing everything perfectly to defend my position in Race 2, always my line was the same, but in the last lap I don’t understand what happened, it was very strange, but suddenly we lost the race and then I received a big impact at Turn 5. It was very disappointing after leading all the race. Of course, Race 1 took place in difficult conditions. I gained two positions after the start and after that I stayed behind Norbi, trying to cover him for the whole race. My pace was good, similar to Mikel, but it was more important to cover Norbi rather than exploiting all the pace I had. I wanted to make his life as easy as possible to score points and keep him in the fight for championship and we did this.”