Saving tyres key to Race 2 win says Francisco Mora

M1RA Hyundai driver Francisco Mora believes his ability to save his tyres at the start of the second race at the Hungaroring was crucial in taking his maiden TCR Europe victory.

Mora started the reversed-grid second race of the weekend from pole position and fought his way ahead of compatriot Francisco Abreu after losing the lead at the first turn.

“It’s very good for me, I knew I would have good pace and good setup for this race,” Mora told TouringCarTimes.

“The team are from Hungary, they have good knowledge of the setup and the track. So I knew if I got a good start and was able to keep the tyres, I would win.”

Mora endured a fraught opening race of the weekend, retiring with a throttle issue after qualifying 10th. However, Race 2 offered some salvation and the 21-year-old used his fresher rubber to grab the lead.

“I had some bad luck yesterday with a throttle problem but I had good pace. So overall I am very happy with the way the weekend has gone and to score a lot of points.

“We were so slow on the straights compared to the Peugeots. They just drove away from us out of the corners. But I knew the Hyundai is a good car round the other parts and I made my move on Francisco under braking.

“I knew that I could get past him because he was struggling so much under braking into the corners. I was very late on the brakes and almost thought I wouldn’t make the corner. But it worked out and I made the move work.”