Photo: TCR Series

Pepe Oriola: “I think we could have got Tassi” in Hungary Race 2

Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Pepe Oriola put on a stunning performance in the second race at the Hungaroring to grab second position from seventh on the grid, with the Spaniard ruing an error at the restart which cost him track position.

The 22-year-old avoided the Turn 1 incident which saw three cars eliminated, including team-mate Dan Lloyd, and then picked off M1RA’s Roberto Colciago, WestCoast Racing’s Giacomo Altoè and then the Honda of Jens Reno Möller to secure second, but ran out of time to catch race leader and new points leader Attila Tassi’s Honda.

When the safety car came in after the first lap crash, Oriola had left a large gap to Colciago in front, which he explained was due to a radio problem.

“I had a really bad connection on the radio, so I didn’t hear the safety car was coming in,” said Oriola to TouringCarTimes. “If it wasn’t for that, maybe I could have been in the fight with Attila, as I was really closing at the end of the race.”

Oriola is now fifth in the championship, past the 100 points mark, and 17 points behind reigning champion Stefano Comini heading to the SEAT-favouring Oschersleben circuit in eastern Germany in three weeks.

“I’m the first of the SEATs, which is my main goal,” he added. “I’m really happy for the team as it shows that the car’s pace is still there. Oschersleben is a race where it’ll be my birthday, so I’ll try to do the same as Attila and see if I can get a double win too.”