Photo: Honda Racing Team JAS

Norbert Michelisz “exhausted” after the best year of his life

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Norbert Michelisz was disappointed but not downbeat after losing out on the 2017 WTCC drivers’ title in Qatar, saying this year has been the best of his life despite the rollercoaster season of highs and lows in the WTCC.

The 32-year-old Hungarian looked set to soar past Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk and grab the drivers’ title after dominating both of Thursday’s free practice sessions at Losail, but a problem with the master cylinder in his Honda Civic’s brakes in qualifying relegated him to 11th on the grid for both races, and left him with no opportunity to progress to take away the points needed from Björk in the championship battle.

“On Thursday, when going to bed I felt really confident, but it came out differently to expected,” said Michelisz to TouringCarTimes. “However, I’ve been doing this for 11 years, and motorsport has taught me a lot, especially this season.

“I think Thed deserves to be champion. He was really consistent, really strong, there were just too many accidents on our side,” added Michelisz.
“If I look back through the season, it was a really difficult one. “The season started OK in Marrakech, but then after the crash at the Hungaroring things were looking really bad. From the Nürburgring, I really tried to do things differently, and from then I felt really confident and strong; but I’ve realised the last two months have taken a lot out of me.

“I’ve tried to push like hell and given it everything, even if there was some bad luck, like the disqualification from China, as after that there would be a good result, like pole position and a race win in Japan, so I’ve always been able to get some positive energy back, but after today’s races I feel exhausted.

“This has still been the best year of my life. Coming second in the WTCC, you can have much bigger disasters in the world. I have a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter, I have a successful racing team; maybe I wasn’t so lucky in the WTCC but I’ve been really lucky outside of the WTCC, so maybe they’ve compensated each other.”