Victory in Valencia gets BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s Kumho FIA TCR World Tour season back on track

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing is a winner again in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour after Néstor Girolami claimed the Race 2 laurels in Valencia driving a Hyundai Elantra N TCR.

It was the Argentine’s second victory since he joined BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse for the 2024 season and followed a sensational performance from fifth on the grid at a sweltering Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

Defending Kumho FIA TCR World Tour champion Norbert Michelisz finished in the top five twice to signal his return to form, as Mikel Azcona, competing on home soil, took a pair of top 10 finishes during a challenging event for the Spanish star.

While Azcona was unable to fight at the front in Spain, his charging drive from 16th on the Race 2 grid to seventh demonstrated his determination and further underlined the performance of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR in a highly competitive field.

Michelisz could have made it a hat-trick of top three finishes had it not been for contact in Race 2 dropping him down the order before he battled back to finish 11th. His capture of fifth in the closing race of the day came after he withstood intense pressure for much of the 19-lap finale.

Girolami rounded out the Valencia weekend by completing the Race 3 podium to climb to sixth in the provisional Drivers’ standings. He attempted to take second at the start but settled for third after a strong showing.

Following a tough start to the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour season in Mexico last month, BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s success in Spain represented an encouraging reversal of fortune for the Italian team ahead of its home event next weekend, with Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy preparing to host the action from June 20-22.

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoît Nogier said:

“The transformation between Mexico and Spain in terms of results is very satisfying and is credit to the hard work by everyone at BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse and Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing. I must also pay tribute to our three drivers, who didn’t let the frustrating Mexico weekend get them down. They responded fantastically well in Spain, and the achievements in the heat and humidity of Valencia are also a reflection of their hard work and belief in this project. I must make a particular point of congratulating ‘Bebu’ for his victory and third place in very tough conditions. Mikel and Norbi also drove very well, and we now head to Monza with our confidence restored and with a strong weekend on track to build on.”

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

• Fastest in Qualifying Q1 but started opening race in 14th position after Mexico grid penalty was applied
• He was forced to pit for repairs in Race 1 after picking up damage on the first lap following contact
• Took a fine seventh place from 16th on the grid in Race 2, then landed another top 10 finish in Race 3

Azcona said: “In Race 1, I had a very good start from P14 following the penalty I had from Mexico. I overtook four cars in front of me in the first sector to be P10, which was the target to be first on the reverse grid for Race 2. I had a good feeling in the car until some contact that damaged the intercooler, so I had to pit. Unfortunately, that’s racing. Race 2 was very positive. It felt really good to start from P16 and finish in P6. The start was good and I made some overtakes, ending up with a strong grid position for Race 3. That was probably the most difficult race of the weekend, starting in P11 and finishing P9. It was very tough – it was extremely hot inside the car and the degradation on the front tyres was super-high. But, overall, there was positive progression throughout the weekend, and we scored some valuable points. Now we are thinking ahead to Monza.”

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

• Began Valencia weekend with sixth place in first of three races held in searing temperatures
• Storming drive from fifth to first in Race 2 signalled return to form for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse
• Argentinian backed up victory with another podium finish in Race 3, claiming third place

Girolami said: “I gained some positions at the start of Race 1 and avoided the accident in Turn 2, but we struggled with understeer after that. Race 2 was much better because we got the victory! We were so happy, the car felt fantastic from the start. We did a very good launch, overtook some cars and then in the first two laps we made some good clean moves. After that we played it smart and maintained the gap to second place. We started to feel a bit of decay from the tyres, but we managed the pace. I want to thank all the BRC team and everyone at Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing, especially the engineers and mechanics. Last night we were off the pace, so this victory was for them, and we needed it, so thank you very much. To then get a double podium by finishing P3 in Race 3 was amazing. The car felt really good, and we had a strong pace. It was difficult to fight against the blue cars, but we scored some good points. I hope we can keep going in Monza. This weekend has been very tough with the temperatures, and I expect Monza to also be hard with the compensation weight.”

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

• Reignited Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title defence with fourth place in Race 1
• Defending champion up to fifth in Race 2 before contact; fought back to 11th place
• Withstood race-long pressure to claim a well-earned fifth spot in Race 3

Michelisz said: “I was a bit disappointed after Race 1 because I wanted to go for a podium finish, but I scored some good points for the championship. Luckily, I avoided the cars around me in Turn 1 and 2, and the race was quite straightforward after that. Race 2 was not the luckiest for me, finishing P11. The race was very busy with a lot of fights almost every lap. There was an incident when I went back to P14 – before then I was already up to fourth or fifth. The car felt better than yesterday, so I was happy about that, and I was also very happy for Néstor – congrats to him and the team on the win. I managed to finish P5 in the last race when the temperatures were super-hot. I think it was about 70 degrees inside the car. They were tough races, tough competition, nevertheless we scored a lot of points. I’m satisfied with the result, a bit disappointed because I really wanted to be on the podium, but ‘Bebu’ did a fantastic job, and I think we are well prepared for the next event.”