Kevin Gleason celebrates his first victory, and the fourth for WestCoast Racing

American driver Kevin Gleason secured his first win of the 2015 TCR International Series at the Salzburgring with a lights to flag display, finishing almost three seconds clear of two-time race winner Stefano Comini by the chequered flag.

Gleason’s win is the fourth for the Swedish team in this year’s championship, with the other three victories scored by experienced team-mate Gianni Morbidelli at Shanghai and Monza.

From tenth on the grid in race two, Gleason dropped to last at the start, but battled his way forward through all the incidents to finish sixth, and leaves Austria joint fifth in the standings with Target Competition’s Andrea Belicchi, 48 points behind team-mate Gianni Morbidelli.

“I’m really happy to have taken my first win,” said Gleason following the race. “I already had two poles and two podiums, and thankfully it couldn’t have gone any smoother.

“As the second race showed, it’s really crucial to get a good start and have a good position after the first laps as it’s very difficult to pass, so to get a good start and stay out in the clear air was key.”

WestCoast Racing’s tally of four wins is just one less than Target’s this season, which with two wins for Comini, two for Michel Nykjaer and one for Belicchi stands at five.