Photo: TCR Media

Josh Files celebrates “not easy” TCR Middle East title

Despite missing the curtain raiser of the TCR Middle East season in Dubai, Josh Files won the title by scoring full points at Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. Although the Honda driver had two perfect weekends, the defending TCR Germany champion says things were not as easy as they may look from the outside.

“It’s great to take the championship with a double win”, admitted the Lap 57 driver. “Things may look easy from the outside, but they were not.”

Looking after the tyres was crucial according to Files, as the heat and the twisty nature of the shorter layout of the Bahrain track put a lot of strain on them: “The entire weekend was about tyres, and I am very happy that we took the decision to save new tyres for the races. In both, the tyres were completely dead at the end.”

2017-2017 Bahrain Race 2---Podium TCR ME

Despite scoring all of the 55 points up for grabs this weekend, just like he did at Abu Dhabi last time out, Files admits the team could not solve a misfiring issue: “The car performed very well, although we could never solve the misfiring problem we had throughout the weekend.”

Title rival Brandon Gdovic lost the championship despite claiming two second places, the Team Engstler driver admitting the Honda Civic TCR was just unreachable for the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR this weekend: “It has been a frustrating weekend for me. We were able to improve the behaviour of the car and I am happy of the way I managed the tyres, but the Honda was absolutely unreachable.”

Files becomes the first double champion in the national/regional TCR Series, after winning the TCR Germany title with a race to spare last year. The Brit is rumoured to take part in at least one between TCR Germany and TCR International Series in 2017.