Injured Stefano Comini to defend championship lead in Thailand
The TCR International Series goes back on track this weekend in Buriram, Thailand. The Cheng International Circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, with modern facilities and a very interesting layout.
Championship leader Stefano Comini goes to Thailand with a left knee injury, with his SEAT León also laden with maximum success ballast. After seeing the track, the Swiss said to TouringCarTimes: “Rather than my knee, I am worried about the ballast, because there is a very technical middle section and we should suffer from the extra weight I have on board. We will have to work hard on the setup.”
The championship leader will still try to brake with his left foot come tomorrow, when a 2-hours testing session will provide the driver extra feedback on his fatigue levels ahead of the racing weekend.
Pepe Oriola lost his championship lead in Singapore, but the Spaniard is in full contention for the crown as he is only 11 points shy of Comini. The Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver is eager to get the lead back ahead of the Macau showdown: “It is clear from the last few races that the title race will be very close,” said the Spaniard. “If it continues like this it will be fun up until Macau. This is a really important race for me and without any ballast I have to get back in the lead of the drivers’ championship before I arrive in Macau. The quality of the driving is growing in the series so this round’s qualifying will be really important, so I am looking to take my second pole position of the year.”
Talking about the track, Oriola tried it on the simulator and he seems to like the layout: “I was not too bad on the simulator at this track, so hopefully that will translate into my driving this weekend. I’m not afraid of challenges, it’s going to be new for everyone. I know there is no room for mistakes if I am to keep my title hopes alive,” concluded the SEAT driver.
With a 30-points gap and 10 kilos of ballast, Jordi Gené is also in full contention for the title, after his successful weekend at Mugello at the wheel of the León Racer with SEAT Motorsport Italia: “Thailand is one of my last chances to reduce the gap to the leader, so I will have to play all my cards right to try and get to Macau with a chance of taking the championship,” admitted the Spaniard. “It will be a new circuit for all of us, and I will do my best to prepare with extra simulator time. Also, the amount of new drivers and cars will make this race a very interesting one so let´s hope for a good track for our SEAT León and keep pushing for more wins.”
Gianni Morbidelli is also in with a chance of taking the crown, at least so say the maths, but the Italian ruled himself out of the competition: “For this year we are not fighting for the championship anymore,” admitted the WestCoast Racing driver to TouringCarTimes. “They [the opponents] have been very consistent throughout the championship and I can hardly imagine Comini, Oriola and Gené all having a problem and allowing me to get back closer. I will surely go for race wins and try my best as usual.”
Talking about the track, the Honda driver was pleased to see an interesting layout: “I think the track is very interesting, it’s going to be a nice challenge to face. I had a track walk and I found some exciting ones, hopefully the Honda Civic TCR will like it as well!”
With new additions to the series, such as touring car ace Alain Menu at the wheel of the Top Tun Subaru Impreza and FIA World Touring Car Championship regular Hugo Valente, the weekend promises to be exciting as can be. The Swiss, who makes his debut with the Italian outfit, said: “I have no expectations for this weekend. Quite frankly, if we can improve after every session I will be very happy,” said the Menu to TouringCarTimes. “The goal we have in mind is Macau, so of course I need to learn the car, learn to work with the team and all the little details, because the car is brand new. If a good result comes, though, it will be a very nice reward for the effort Top Run have put into the Subaru, as well as for the work ahead of us this weekend.”
Action will start tomorrow at 12.00, with two hours of testing. Free Practice will start at 9.00 on Saturday and will last 30 minutes as usual, with another session scheduled for 11.00. Qualifying with the usual Q1+Q2 format and the top ten reversed grid will take place at 15.00, while the races will be held back to back on Sunday, with Race 1 starting at 12.35 and the second heat at 14.05. All times are local.
