Julien Briché takes opening Barcelona win as Josh Files is handed penalty

JSB Compétition’s Juilen Briché claimed victory in the opening TCR Europe series race at Barcelona, while points leader Josh Files was only 22nd after a time penalty.

Files started the race outside his grid hatching from second and was subsequently handed a drive through penalty, with the statutory 30-seconds added on his race time at the finish.

Briché is also under investigation for a suspected jump-start but provisionally reduces Files’ championship to 49 points ahead of tomorrow’s second race.

Elsewhere, Files’ erstwhile title rival Luca Engstler had a miserable race and was forced to retire with left-front suspension damage to his M1RA Hyundai i30 N TCR following contact with Teddy Clairet’s Team Clairet Sport Peugeot 308TCR.

Benefiting from a lighter Peugeot and starting on the clean side of the grid, Briché leapt off the line to challenge pole-sitter Andreas Bäckman into the first corner, eventually seizing the lead as Bäckman ran wide.

Further back there was contact between the Cupra of Evgeni Leonov and ALM Honda Racing newcomer Mattias Vahtel on the main straight, which also took out Abdulla Ali Al-Khelafi’s Cupra.

Vikor Davidovski’s PSS Racing Team Honda and the WestCoast Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR of Olli Kangas each spun on the exit of Turn 9.

The safety car was therefore deployed with Briché heading Files, Bäckman and the WRT Audi RS 3 LMS of Santiago Urrutia.

Once racing resumed with eleven minutes remaining, Briché maintained his advantage over Files and Bäckman, while Friday’s practice pace-setter Gilles Magnus slid off into retirement at the first corner.

Teddy and Jimmy Clairet then each received a drive through penalty for a start procedure infringement and would eventually drop down the order, but not before Jimmy was involved in a scrap for tenth with Nelson Panciatici which inadvertently took out Engstler.

The pair were fighting under braking for T9 as Engstler out braked himself in front of them. As Engstler rejoined the track, Clairet was subsequently squeezed wide by Panciatici and hit the left-front corner of Engstler’s Hyundai.

The German, who trailed Files by 78 points coming into the weekend, made it back to the pits but could not continue.

Files was then handed his own penalty at the same time Briché was also under investigation. The championship leader finished second on the road but dropped well outside the points to 22nd.

Briché’s lead was never more than one second throughout the race, but the Peugeot driver seemed in control as Files and Bäckman fended off a late-race surge from Urrutia.

Urrutia ultimately made it onto the podium following Files’ penalty, while Series newcomer Jack Young finished a superb fourth in his first race in the Vukovic Renault Mégane RS TCR. Urrutia is however also under investigation for a jump start.

Panciatici finished fifth, ahead of Tom Coronel’s Boutsen Ginion Honda Civic Type R FK8 TCR and Target Competition’s Dominik Baumann.

Dan Lloyd was eighth in the Brutal Fish Racing Honda, one place in front of Series returnee Francisco Mora in the Veloso Motorsport Cupra TCR.

WestCoast Racing did get one car in the points, with Gianni Morbidelli working his way up from 19th on the grid to complete the top ten.

Alex Morgan (Wolf-Power Racing Cupra), Tamas Tenke (Zengo Motorsport Cupra) and Natan Bihel (M Racing Hyundai) followed next, while Target Competition’s Mat’o Homola and Team WRT’s Maxime Potty rounded out the points finishers.

Race 2 at Barcelona is scheduled to take place tomorrow at 12:30 CET.