Norbert Michelisz wins dramatic final race in Slovakia
Norbert Michelisz took a light-to-flag victory in the final race of the weekend at the Slovakiaring, his first of the season, and launches to third in the championship in a race where most of the championship contenders failed to finish.
Michelisz, in his BRC Racing Team Hyundai i30 N TCR, closed off the DG Sport Peugeot 308TCR of Aurélien Comte into Turn 1 and led the way, with Yvan Muller straight up to third in his YMR Hyundai ahead of the Münnich Honda of Esteban Guerrieri.
There was trouble very soon, with Gabriele Tarquini’s Hyundai running into the rear of Benjamin Lessennes’ Boutsen Ginion Honda into Turn 3, turning him into a spin and he collected the Honda of Guerrieri. The spinning Honda also bumped the Campos Cupra of John Filippi out of the race, with the safety car called to collect the four stricken cars.
Also out in related incidents were the two WRT Audis of Jean-Karl Vernay and Gordon Shedden, who were both hit in the rear by the Zengo Cupra of Norbert Nagy and the SLR Volkswagen of Mehdi Bennani respectively.
The carnage saw a dramatic reshuffle, with Michelisz now leading Muller and Comte, with Frédéric Vervisch fourth in his Comtoyou Audi ahead of the Mulsanne Alfa Romeo of Fabrizio Giovanardi in fifth, with Thed Björk elevated to sixth in his YMR Hyundai after having started 18th.
As the race restarted on lap five, there was further drama as the front-left wheel came loose on Muller’s Hyundai and he went off at Turn 13.
Michelisz and Comte began to pull away as a titanic battle for the final podium position lasted the remainder of the race, with Vervisch fighting first to hold back Giovanardi’s Alfa, before the Italian was passed by Björk on lap nine, and took over the charge.
The two banged door panels lap after lap, with Björk briefly taking the lead at the end of lap 12, before Vervisch dived back ahead into Turn 1.
The Belgian went defensive on the final corner of the last lap, but this allowed Björk a run on him across the finish line, but Vervisch grabbed the position by just 0.039 seconds.
Björk finished fourth, while Petr Fulín worked his way forwards to finish fifth in his wild card Cupra TCR ahead of the Alfa Romeos of Kevin Ceccon and Fabrizio Giovanardi, with Giovanardi shuffled back in the later stages by both Björk and Fulín, with the two contacts under investigation.
Tom Coronel finished eighth, the best-placed Honda, with the Cupras of Pepe Oriola and Zsolt Szabo completing the top ten.
Michelisz’s win moves him to third in the standings, with Tarquini still maintaining the lead by three points over Yvan Muller, with neither driver scoring.
The World Touring Car Cup now takes a two month break before the next race at Ningbo International Speedpark in China on September 30th.
