Six-way title fight set to thrill fans in Oschersleben

At least six championship contenders in three different models from four teams are expected to entertain the crowd at Oschersleben, Germany, for the sixth event of the TCR International Series.

Defending champion Stefano Comini got rid of the ballast he carried in Austria last time out, despite claiming a podium place in the second race. The Leopard Racing driver has a single-point advantage over title rival Pepe Oriola, whose double zero in Austria surely left him hungry for more success.

“I need to score points this weekend to continue to fight for the title,” said the Craft-Bamboo Racing driver. “I must seize all opportunities that come my way. The team has been working intensively on the set-up of the SEAT León TCR.”

James Nash is third in the championship, seven points behind fellow Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver Pepe Oriola. The Brit comes off the back of a podium result in Race 1 in Austria, coupled with a fourth-place finish, which means he will carry 20kg of ballast in Germany.

Nash fears the twisty nature of Oschersleben will play in favour of the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCRs: “Oschersleben is a typical modern mix of slowish corners and short straights,” remarked Nash. “As such, it should suit the Volkswagen Golf runners very well and for the rest of us it might be a bit of a struggle.”

After the recent reliability struggles, a new issue for the solid SEAT package, the Brit hopes the problems are solved: “Hopefully the technical issues we’ve had with the car recently are now cured. It’s not been good having so many DNSs and DNFs for the team and certainly it being so early on. We need to focus and get past the next event in Russia in two week’s time and then in the series’s summer break, we’ll have some real time to work and improve the cars.”

Storms are expected again at least on Saturday, when both free practice sessions and qualifying will be held. Fourth-placed Jean-Karl Vernay made the most out of tricky conditions at Salzburgring to claim an important win, but it also means the Leopard Racing driver will have to carry 20kg of ballast.

The Frenchman is equal on points with Gianni Morbidelli, whose Honda Civic TCR suffered from power steering struggles in Imola. The Italian managed to score 20 points in Austria in a difficult weekend, but he will enter the German round of the TCR International Series ballast-free. The good traction of the WestCoast Racing Honda Civic TCR may play in his favour, but with the variable weather it remains to be seen if he will be able to exploit this strength.

Despite not winning a single race so far, B3 Racing’s Mat’o Homola is sixth in the championship, 18 points behind Comini. The Slovakian failed to score points just once this season, at the curtain raiser in Bahrain, and has been on the podium twice in the last two races, with a second place in Italy and a third in Austria. If he can manage to keep on scoring this weekend, he could become a serious threat for anyone hoping to fight for ultimate glory through his consistency.

Honda drivers Mikhail Grachev and Jordi Oriola can pull a surprise or two on the field. The Russian will carry 10kg of ballast, but he won twice in the last two events, and will have to be considered among the top performers in Oschersleben. Oriola’s story is one of unfulfilled potential, but the speed he showed both in Italy and in Austria at the wheel of his Target Competition Honda Civic TCR will surely be a factor at Oschersleben.

Alfa Romeo will be on track in Germany as well, Michela Cerruti sharing the Mulsanne Racing garage with European Touring Car Cup regular Petr Fulín. The break taken after Estoril and the subsequent upgrades brought the Czech driver in the top ten in qualifying in Austria, but the time has come for the Romeo Ferraris-built Giulietta TCR to prove it has made progress on a dry track.

The weekend will start with Free Practice 1 on Saturday at 9:15. Another 30-minute session will kick off at 11:35, while qualifying will take place with the usual Q1-Q2 format at 14:15.

A 10-minute shakedown session will be performed at 8:30, while the races will be held at 13:00 and 14:15 respectively.

2016 TCR International Series Germany Entry List

No – Driver – Nat – Team – Car
1 – Stefano Comini – SUI – Leopard Racing (WRT) – Volkswagen Golf TCR
2 – Jean-Karl Vernay – FRA – Leopard Racing (WRT) – Volkswagen Golf TCR
7 – Davit Kajaia – GEO – Liqui Moly Team Engstler – Volkswagen Golf 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
46 – Niklas Mackshin – GER – Liqui Moly Team Engstler – Volkswagen Golf TCR
48 – Antti Buri – FIN – LMS Racing – SEAT León Racer
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 Germany Timetable

Saturday 18th June
9:15 – Free Practice 1
11:35 – Free Practice 2
14:15 – Qualifying

Sunday 19th June
8:30 – Shakedown
13:00 – Race 1 (17 Laps)
14:15 – Race 2 (17 Laps)

All times CET.