Next stop, Salzburg for the TCR International Series
The TCR International Series is back on track this weekend for the fifth round of the 2016 season, and it will mark a return to a circuit where it’s raced before for the first time in the series’ short history, at the Salzburgring circuit in western Austria.
With Bahrain, Estoril, Spa-Francorchamps and Imola all new events for the series in its sophomore season, the Salzburgring plays host to Round 5, in which the title challenging group are now just starting to be defined, with the SEAT-equipped Craft-Bamboo Racing pair of Pepe Oriola and James Nash competing against reigning champion Stefano Comini’s Leopard Racing-run Volkswagen Golf, and the Honda Civic TCR of WestCoast Racing driver Gianni Morbidelli.
Morbidelli has all new team-mates to those with which he started the season, racing this weekend alongside Russian driver Mikhail Grachev, a race winner last time out in Imola on his first outing with the Halmstad-based team, with Austrian Harald Proczyk joining them for a one-off outing. The Swedish team were highly critical of the technical niggles they’ve experienced so far, particular in Imola when a surefire race win was lost when Morbidelli slowed with a power steering glitch, and was collected by then team-mate Alain Menu, putting two of the team’s cars straight out of the race.
The other battle in Imola was between the SEATs and Volkswagens of Craft-Bamboo and Leopard Racing, not just on-track but off, as the team’s drivers have been criticising each other in respect of the championship’s Balance of Performance measures, which saw the Golf carry 40kg less weight compared to its Volkswagen-Audi Group sibling, the León TCR in recent events.
Oriola and Nash have been very vocal in their disapproval of the weight break which has been afforded the Volkswagen, while reigning champion Comini has very much stated the break is warranted, and that it was just the circuits that suited him personally due to his experience that drove recent results.
Championship leader Oriola will also carry 20kg of success ballast on his León TCR, though with Imola Race 1 winner Comini carrying 30kg, the weight difference between them is down to 20kg, following the latest Balance of performance changes released by the TCR organisers.
“It is going to be difficult as the current weather forecast says there is a lot of rain coming,” said Oriola, who leads the standings by 15 points heading into the weekend. “I am confident though because I have a lot of experience at this circuit in the rain. It is where I took second in the ETCC championship under very adverse weather conditions, so hopefully this weekend I can manage the 20kg ballast and get a lot of points for my championship,” he added.
Nash meanwhile is hoping to get his championship challenge back on course following a disastrous weekend in Italy, after an engine failure in Race 1 saw him finish the weekend without scoring a single point.
“The fact that I’m not carrying additional ballast this weekend will help and should give us the scope to go a bit more aggressive on set-up than we otherwise might have done,” said Nash.
“We certainly need a good pair of results in Austria to get my championship back on-track and I’ve got every confidence that we will.”
TCR International Series – Austria Entry List
No – Driver – Nat – Team – Car
1 – Stefano Comini – SUI – Leopard Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
2 – Jean-Karl Vernay – FRA – Leopard Racing – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
7 – Davit Kajaia – GEO – Engstler Motorsport – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
8 – Mikhail Grachev – RUS – WestCoast Racing – Honda Civic TCR
9 – Attila Tassi – HUN – B3 Racing – SEAT León TCR
10 – Gianni Morbidelli – ITA – WestCoast Racing – Honda Civic TCR
22 – Petr Fulín – CZE – Mulsanne Racing – Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR
33 – Jordi Oriola – SPN – Target Competition – Honda Civic TCR
43 – Harald Proczyk – AUT – WestCoast Racing – Honda Civic TCR
45 – Florian Janits – AUT – Engstler Motorsport – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
54 – James Nash – GBR – Craft-Bamboo Racing – SEAT León TCR
62 – Dusan Borkovic – SER – B3 Racing – SEAT León TCR
70 – Mat’o Homola – SLK – B3 Racing – SEAT León TCR
74 – Pepe Oriola – SPN – Craft-Bamboo Racing – SEAT León TCR
77 – Sergey Afanasyev – RUS – Craft-Bamboo Racing – SEAT León TCR
88 – Michela Cerruti – ITA – Mulsanne Racing – Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR
TCR International Series – Austria Timetable
Saturday 4th June
10:00 – Free Practice 1
12:00 – Free Practice 2
15:00 – Qualifying
Sunday 5th June
12:35 – Race 1 (15 Laps)
14:05 – Race 2 (15 Laps)
