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Monza preview: The TCR International Series roars the Temple of Speed

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The TCR International Series head to the Autodromo di Monza for the fourth round of the season this weekend, with the series presenting the closest competition yet in its short history.

The series already visited the mythical Italian track back in 2015, with WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli scoring a double victory.

The entry list for the Italian round counts 20 cars, with Dutch driver Jaap van Lagen replacing Rob Huff at Team WRT, with the Briton competing at the WTCC event in Hungary this weekend. Van Lagen, who will make his debut in the series, is looking forward to competing in touring cars again: “I’m joining a top team and I will be driving a competitive car. For me it’s a good opportunity to come back to touring car racing after a few years with Lada Sport. I hope I will be able do a good job and score important points for the team.”

Another new name on the International Series’ grid will be Daniele Cappellari, a regular competitor in the TCR Italy series and who also will be racing at the international championship for the first time at the wheel of his SEAT León TCR.

Team WRT’s Jean-Karl Vernay leads the standings with 91 points, 25 ahead of Comtoyou Racing’s Stefano Comini. The three rounds held so far have yielded six different winners with five different cars, with the Opel Astra the only model to not have won a race yet this season.

Reigning champion Stefano Comini will carry the maximum success ballast on his Audi RS 3 LMS. The Swiss driver was the highest scorer in Spa, which translates into 30kg added to the base weight of the German car, with a new weight of 1,360kg in Monza.

Jean-Karl Vernay will carry 20kg aboard his Volkswagen Golf GTI, with a racing weight of 1,315kg.

There will be no 10kg success ballast in Italy as Benjamin Lessennes, third highest scorer in Spa, won’t participate in this event.

TCR INTERNATIONAL SERIES – RACE OF ITALY ENTRY LIST

No – Driver – Nat – Team – Car
1 – Stefano Comini – SUI – Comtoyou Racing – Audi RS 3 LMS
2 – Jean-Karl Vernay – FRA – Team WRT – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
5 – Roberto Colciago – ITA – M1RA – Honda Civic Type-R TCR
7 – Hugo Valente – FRA – Craft-Bamboo Racing – SEAT León TCR
9 – Attila Tassi – HUN – M1RA – Honda Civic TCR
10 – Gianni Morbidelli – ITA – WestCoast Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
11 – Jens Reno Møller – DEN – Reno Racing – Honda Civic Type-R TCR
14 – Jaap van Lagen – NED – Team WRT – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
16 – Davit Kajaia – GEO – GE-Force – Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR
18 – Duncan Ende – USA – Icarus Motorsports – SEAT León TCR
21 – Giacome Altoe – ITA – WestCoast Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
23 – Pierre-Yves Corthals – BEL – DG Sport Compétition – Opel Astra TCR
34 – Stian Paulsen – NOR – Stian Paulsen Racing – SEAT León TCR
54 – James Nash – GBR – Craft-Bamboo Racing – SEAT León TCR
55 – Ferenc Ficza – HUN – Zele Racing – SEAT León TCR
62 – Dusan Borkovic – SRB – GE-Force – Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR
70 – Mat’o Homola – SVK – DG Sport Compétition – Opel Astra TCR
74 – Pepe Oriola – SPN – Craft-Bamboo Racing – SEAT León TCR
76 – Daniele Cappellari – ITA – CRC – SEAT León TCR

TCR INTERNATIONAL SERIES – RACE OF ITALY >TIMETABLE

Friday 12th May
11:20 – Free Practice 1
13:55 – Free Practice 2

Saturday 13th May
10:45 – Qualifying
14:30 – Race 1 (11 Laps)

Sunday 14th May
10:50 – Race 2 (11 Laps)