M1RA looking to run third car to support drivers’ bid in Dubai
The M1RA team have confirmed they’re investigating running a third car in order to support Attila Tassi’s and Roberto Colciago’s title bit at the season finale in Dubai next month, against Team WRT’s Jean-Karl Vernay and Comtoyou Racing’s Stefano Comini.
The Hungarian squad are second and fourth in the drivers’ standings, with Attila Tassi 21 points behind the Volkswagen of Jean-Karl Vernay in the driver rankings, with Colciago 46 behind with 55 left for the taking at the season finale at the Dubai Autodrome on November 18th.
The team enjoy a 69-point lead over Craft-Bamboo Racing in the teams’ championship,
“It would be logical to put a third car in the field, which would give us more room to manoeuvre,” said team principal David Bári.
“We will see if it’s possible. But due to the clash with the WTCC, this means that Norbert Michelisz, and Gergő (Bári) and Juhász Szabi from the engineering team aren’t able to be with us.”
Team WRT are yet to announce Rob Huff’s replacement in their second Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, as Huff is also committed to the WTCC that weekend, while Comtoyou Racing will again field three cars, adding a SEAT León for Belgian Denis Dupont.
M1RA also explained why Colciago didn’t relinquish position to their leading title challenger Tassi in the second race in China, in which the Italian finished eighth ahead of Tassi.
The team explained Colciago was tasked with making up as much ground as possible, and in the team’s pre-race discussion, they had decided to only implement team orders for positions sixth upwards. Although it was possible for Colciago to still allow Tassi past, as he was ten seconds up the road due to Tassi’s jump start penalty, this wasn’t deemed feasible or sporting.
