Gabriele Tarquini wins Hungary Race 3 as title leader Guerrieri crashes out
Gabriele Tarquini has led a BRC Racing Team 1-2 in the third race of the weekend at the Hungaroring, leading Hungarian team-mate Norbert Michelisz across the line, as former championship leader Esteban Guerrieri crashed out of near-certain podium finish, leaving his Münnich Honda team-mate Néstor Girolami with a clear lead in the championship.
Michelisz started from pole position but was passed by Guerrieri’s Honda on the way into Turn 1, with Tarquini following the Argentinian through to move up into second in the #1 Hyundai i30 N TCR.
Yann Ehrlacher, who had started third, dropped to fifth initially in his Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 TCR, but was quickly able to get back ahead of the PWR Racing Cupra TCR of Mikel Azcona.
An investigation was soon confirmed for an incident between Cyan Racing team-mates, and former title rivals, Andy Priaulx and Yvan Muller, with Muller given a drive-through penalty on lap three which put him well down the order and eventually chose to retire.
On lap four, Rob Huff in the Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen, managed to make a move on Race 2 podium-finisher Daniel Haglöf to claim eighth, while up front there was change for the lead as Guerrieri’s Honda inexplicably slowed out of first place and dropped behind the two Hyundais, giving Tarquini the lead.
Haglöf was the next retirement in the race, pitting on lap nine, but the most dramatic retirement happened on lap 11, when Guerrieri’s Honda crashed out at Turn 14 and out of third position.
The race was suspended behind the safety car for three laps, and then the race was resumed with three laps to go, but on the first lap, Kevin Ceccon in the Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce crashed out at Turn 9, with the safety car called again, with the race finishing behind it.
Tarquini’s victory is his second of the year and elevates him to fourth in the standings, just 21 points behind new championship leader Néstor Girolami.
Guerrieri remains second in the standings, ten points behind his team-mate, with Thed Björk third, 19 points behind.
The next round of the championship takes place at the Slovakiaring in two weeks’ time.
