Francisco Mora leads M1RA 1-2 in second Hungaroring race

Francisco Mora scored his first TCR Europe victory in the second race of the weekend at the Hungaroring, beating team-mate Dániel Nagy for a M1RA one-two on home soil.

Pole-sitter Mora lost the lead at the start to compatriot Francisco Abreu in the Peugeot 308TCR but reclaimed the advantage with an audacious dive down the inside of the Portuguese driver at Turn 12. He then fended off a spirited attack from Nagy to beat the Hungarian to the flag by just over one second.

KCMG’s Josh Files completed the podium with a forceful drive from eighth on the grid in his Honda Civic Type R FK8, with team-mate Attila Tassi fourth.

Title contenders Mikel Azcona and Dusan Borkovic endured troublesome races in their Cupra and Hyundais respectively with both failing to score. Azcona therefore remains one point ahead of Borkovic in the standings.

Mora got the best start off the line as the lights went out but was immediately challenged by the JSB Compétition Peugeot 308TCR of Julien Briché and Abreu into Turn 1.

Abreu drove clean round the outside of Mora to claim the lead heading into the downhill Turn 3 hairpin as the leaders went three-wide into the corner.

Race 1 winner Borkovic had made steady progress at the start but his challenge unravelled when he tagged the left rear corner of Files’ Honda under braking for Turn 12. The Hyundai i30 N TCR was too badly damaged to continue and the Serbian pulled into the pits on the following tour to retire.

That contact allowed Tassi to move ahead of Files and attack Briché in a repeat of their Race 1 squabble.

The Frenchman lost fifth place to Tassi after running wide at Turn 12 and then dropped to seventh following a tap from Files at the penultimate corner.

Briché ultimately finished out of the points after serving a drive-through penalty for exceeding track limits.

Another to fall foul of the track limits was championship leader Azcona. The PCR Sport Cupra driver finished 14th following his drive-through.

Mora then made his move for the lead on Abreu with a perfectly executed lunge up the inside of Turn 12. The Hyundai driver then proceeded to streak clear and, despite a late charge from Nagy, held onto to win.

With Abreu desperately fighting for grip, Files and Tassi both sped up to the back of the Peugeot. Files pounced first with a forceful cut-back move on the Portuguese driver exiting Turn 1 to grab third, while Tassi had to wait several laps before completing an almost carbon copy for fourth.

Abreu clung onto fifth by the flag, beating the Target Competition Hyundais of Reece Barr and Kris Richard.

Stefano Comini produced another sterling effort in his Autodis by THX run Honda Civic Type R FK8. The double TCR International Series champion climbed from 23rd on the grid to finish eighth, ahead of the Cupra of local man Ferenc Ficza.

Norwegian Stian Paulsen backed up his Race 1 podium with another point with 10th in his Stian Paulsen Racing Cupra.

With both Azcona and Borkovic not scoring, the gap between them remains one point, while Nagy gains signficant ground and is now 25 points behind heading to the next round at the Circuit TT Assen on August 19th.