Next stop Monza for the TCR Series

The TCR International Series stops in Italy at the Temple of Speed in Monza. Home of the Italian Grand Prix, the circuit is iconic and highly appreciated by several drivers.

The series heads to the track located near Milan with Stefano Comini again in the lead, as the Target Competition driver enters his home race. With no circuits in Switzerland and Comini being from Lugano, not far from the border with Italy, the championship leader has a long experience in Monza, just like team-mate Andrea Belicchi, who endured a tough weekend in Portugal and slipped down to sixth in the standings.

The closest challenger to Comini heading into Monza is Craft-Bamboo Lukoil’s Pepe Oriola, a fellow SEAT driver. Despite only scoring 15 points in Portimao and having an accident with the Swiss, the Spaniard is only 12 points shy of his rival, and will do his utmost to claim the championship lead in Italy:” I proved I am a fast driver and I am ready to show it in Monza as well,” said Oriola. ” It is a track where we hit high speeds, and I like it very much. My best result was a win in the Independents in 2012 in the World Touring Car Championship, but for now the most important thing is to bag as many points as possible for the championship, and that will be my focus this weekend.”

After a troubled start of the season, Oriola’s team-mate Jordi Gené scored two podiums in Portugal and is hoping to carry the momentum into Monza, where he won in the past with the works SEAT in the WTCC. Although he carries maximum success ballast in Italy, the Spaniard is now just a point behind WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli, who is in third place:“ I really want to build on the success I had in Algarve and score as many points as possible,” said Gené. “It is a high speed circuit with a few long straights so it should make overtaking a little easier but I will be pushing hard in qualifying to give myself the best shot at a good start. However, I am carrying the 30kg of success ballast this weekend so it will make my challenge extra difficult.”

The third Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver, Sergey Afanasyev, scored no points in Portugal, and is hungry for success in Italy:“ This weekend I am hoping for a clean race,” said the Russian. “I continue finding myself being caught up in contact with other drivers which has been affecting my challenge. The team has been doing a fantastic job with my car and I am confident that some good results will be possible here. It will be really great to see the TCR cars competing here and I hope my teammates and I can take the team championship lead this weekend.”

Despite Honda’s recent struggles, Richard Coleman, CEO of Craft-Bamboo Racing, is concerned over the pace the JAS-built cars may have on the fast layout of the Temple of Speed:“ The team has done an excellent job over the last month in what has been an incredibly busy European schedule. We are now at famous Monza, but it is going to be a challenge because we know that the Hondas will be quick around this high speed circuit. I hope that we have some clean racing and the drivers can come away with some results.”

Gianni Morbidelli, who scored a double zero in Portugal, stayed on 91 points, and has a completely different view compared to Coleman’s, as the Italian believes the Civic TCR will still struggle if the Balance of Performance remains the same. The home support Morbidelli expects to receive will be an extra motivation:” My intention is always to push hard and do as much as I can to achieve results and it would be nice to have something to celebrate with my sponsors and friends who will be at Monza to give me extra support.”

The Italian is however not optimistic over the outcome of the race, and hopes for a revised Balance of Performance:” We have only really bettered the SEAT and Audi cars once this season in Shanghai, therefore I have to be realistic about our chances this weekend. I’m a little worried about our performance on what is a fast circuit that places the emphasis on power. I know the circuit very well, having raced there many times before, and you need a car that is not only fast on the straights, but is also strong on the brakes and can handle the high kerbing.

Maybe something will change for Monza and we will have a car that is capable of competing. I don’t want to be faster than the competition, I just want to race on a level playing field and I trust the championship will get it right soon.”

WestCoast Racing team-mate Kevin Gleason is excited about his debut at Monza, where he performed a shakedown with the team earlier this year, before cars were sent to Malaysia for the season opener: “I shook down the car at Monza over 15 laps, but racing there is going to be special and it’s something to tick off the bucket list,” said Gleason. “The track has so much history with F1 and Ferrari, and I think touring cars will be fun to race on the long straights. I’m expecting there to be a lot of drafting and this will be particularly important for setting a good lap time in qualifying, with a lot of hard racing and position changes in the races.”

Gleason reckons slipstreaming will not be easy to perform in qualifying, so there are no planned strategies for it inside the team:“ It’s difficult to slipstream with your teammates in qualifying so I just have to try to be in the right place at the right time to ensure I can pitch a draft from one of the quicker cars. The core aim every weekend is to win and I’m certainly searching for the elusive first victory, having achieved second and third-place results this season. However, I just want two strong finishes in both races at Monza – I’ll be satisfied if I’ve done the best I can.”

Action will start on Friday with a testing, starting at 9.00. On Saturday, Free Practice will start at 9.30 and will last 30 minutes, with a second session scheduled for 12.00. Qualifying will use the usual Q1-Q2 format, starting at 15.00.

A 10-minutes shakedown is scheduled for Sunday morning at 9.50, while the 11-lap races will start at 12.35 and 14.05 respectively, with the Race 2 grid determined by the reversed order of the top ten in qualifying.

TCR International Series Italy Timetable

Friday 22nd May
09:00 – 12:00 – Free Test 1
13:40 – 14.40 – Free Test 2

Saturday 23rd May
09:30 – Free Practice 1
12:00 – Free Practice 2
15:00 – Qualifying

Sunday 24th May
12:35 – Race 1 (11 Laps)
14:05 – Race 2 (11 Laps)