24 cars set to do battle as 2020 TCR Europe season begins at Paul Ricard
Almost four months after it was originally scheduled to begin, the 2020 TCR Europe series will finally kick off this weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France.
Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, changes have been made in both the calendar and entries for the new season, with the rounds at Red Bull Ring and Oschersleben dropping off the agenda for 2020.
Seven rounds have thus become six, but the action is set to be as hotly contested as ever.
A total of 24 cars have been entered for the opening round this weekend, an impressive number given the impact of COVID-19 on the wider motorsport industry.
Last year’s champion Josh Files (Target Competition) will not defend his title in 2020, but his main challenger in 2019 Julien Briché does return in his JSB Compétition run Peugeot 308TCR for another shot.
A frontrunner in the past two seasons, Briché is joined at the team by his son Florian, with the Clairet brothers Teddy and Jimmy adding yet more family feeling within the Peugeot ranks as part of the Team Clairet Sport outfit.
While Files is absent at Target, there are signs that the Italian-Swiss squad will again be in the mix as Andreas and Jessica Bäckman return for another season, with Frenchman John Filippi piloting a third Hyundai i30 N TCR, having raced a Renault Mégane and Cupra TCR last season.
JSB Compétition and Target Competition will have to watch out for two teams looking to make an impact after suffering up-and-down fortunes last year.
Run by team owner and driver Martin Ryba, Team Brutal Fish Racing has expanded to a three-car effort for 2020, with 2018 TCR UK champion Dan Lloyd back again after winning twice last season. The Brit will be joined by touring car veteran Pepe Oriola.
BRC Racing has a brand-new line-up after a disappointing 2019 campaign, with former Target Competition driver Mat’o Homola and ex-M1RA driver Dániel Nagy teaming up. Nagy, who claimed the TCR Europe SIM Racing title last won a race in the real-world championship in 2018. The pair will continue with their Hyundai i30 N TCRs for this year.
At Comtoyou Racing, youngsters Nicolas Baert and Sami Taoufik will front up a title charge in a pair of Audi RS 3 LMSs with Medhi Bennani completing the line-up, while a late entry from the Halder siblings Mike and Michelle with Profi Car Team Halder adds a new element to the opening weekend.
As reported last weekend, both Mike and Michelle Halder withdrew their participation in TCR Germany, where both have enjoyed success over the past two seasons, following Mike’s disqualification from the opening race at the Nürburgring.
They will make their full-time Series debuts this weekend in a Honda Civic Type-R TCR each, although this will be Mike’s second TCR Europe appearance after a one-off race at Barcelona in 2018 – in which he won the second race – as part of the KCMG effort.
The weekend will start on Friday with free practice, with the first session scheduled for 09:00 CEST and the second for 14:20, both lasting 30 minutes. Qualifying will be held on Saturday at 09:00, with the usual Q1-Q2 format.
Race 1 takes place on Saturday afternoon, starting at 12:50 and lasting 25 minutes. The second race will start at 12:15 on Sunday.
TCR Europe series – Paul Ricard timetable
Friday 21st August
09:00 – Free practice 1
14:20– Free practice 2
Saturday 22nd August
09:00– Qualifying
12:50– Race 1
Sunday 23rd August
12:15– Race 2
