Honda weight break could swing pendulum in WTCR showdown

The 2020 World Touring Car Cup goes down to the wire this weekend as the field returns to MotorLand Aragón for the final round of the year, with a full 11 drivers still mathematically in championship contention.

Long-time leader Yann Ehrlacher remains out in front heading into the Spanish season-finale, but could theoretically be toppled by any of ten pursuing rivals.

“It’s better than a 26-point deficit for sure but it’s still not enough because there are still 85 points to get,” said Ehrlacher.

“Of course, I would have liked a few more points in the second to last round but with the engine change and the turbo issue we got it was a bit difficult. But we still got some points although it will not be easy next week. It’s a margin, it’s a one-race margin let’s say, but we will have a tough weekend to keep that.”

With 85 points up for grabs this weekend, even eleventh-placed Tom Coronel – who sits 80 in arrears – could lift the WTCR trophy come the end of activities on Sunday.

While that may incite some amazement, in reality it’s not such an unforeseen development given the fact that the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign features just 16 races in total, compared to 30 in each of the last two years.

That is not to say that the scrap for world touring car supremacy won’t be exciting – because it most surely will. There is also an increasing likelihood that a new, first-time champion will be crowned once the dust settles at Aragón.

Lynk & Co Cyan Racing driver Ehrlacher moves into the finale 26 points clear of Münnich Motorsport Honda’s Esteban Guerrieri. The latter has been in title contention heading into the final round in each of the three seasons of WTCR competition and, after finishing third in 2018 and second in 2019, is eyeing the ultimate prize this time around.

Honda struggled at MotorLand Aragón two weeks ago, but believes it is much better placed ahead of the second run at the circuit – which will become the first venue in WTCR history to stage two championship rounds in the same season.

Honda’s optimism is based on a significant reduction in compensation weights for the Civic Type-R TCR cars, with the Japanese brand dropping 30kg ahead of the finale while – in contrast – Lynk & Co, Hyundai, Audi and Cupra all will have weight added.

Furthermore, this weekend’s races will take place on a slightly modified layout of the Aragón track, with a sequence of corners added to break up the extensive back straight – something that could also suit the Hondas.

“We knew the previous weekend at Aragón was going to be tough, particularly due to the compensation weight, so now that we have a bit less to carry let’s see what we can do, as the layout should also in theory be better for the Honda Civic Type-R TCR,” said Guerrieri ahead of the finale.

In second, Guerrieri is sandwiched at the top of the standings by two tightly connected Lynk & Co drivers, with Ehrlacher’s own uncle Yvan Muller holding third, 17 points behind Guerrieri.

Expect fireworks among the top three, but also from fourth-placed Jean-Karl Vernay, who sits just a single point behind Muller and won the first race of the weekend at Aragón last time out. The Team Mulsanne driver, racing the solitary Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR, has been one of the standout acts of the season and will remain at 0kg of compensation weight this weekend.

Heading into the finale in fifth place is Comtoyou Racing’s Gilles Magnus, who has already won the rookie championship aboard his Audi RS 3 LMS.

Local Spaniard Mikel Azcona fittingly took an emotional first win of the season last time out at home, simultaneously handing Zengő Motorsport their maiden WTCR victory. With the new Cupra Leon Competición evolving into a race winner, and Azcona picking up a further intermediate win in TCR Europe last weekend at Jarama, watch for a man on the move once again on native soil.

Azcona currently ties Lynk & Co’s Santiago Urrutia for sixth in the standings.

Spectacularly off the pace this year, and having sat out the Nürburgring Nordschleife round early in the season, Hyundai and outgoing champion Norbert Michelisz are not in contention for any titles this time around. 2018 champion Gabriele Tarquini is the leading Hyundai representative in 13th overall, one spot ahead of Michelisz.

Nicky Catsburg, who did not travel to Aragón for the previous round after testing positive for COVID-19, has since recovered but will still be absent from the Hyundai Team Engstler line-up this weekend due to clashing GT commitments. Catsburg is replaced by Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah.

The WTCR finale takes place across two dense days of action, with practice and qualifying on Saturday and the three all-decisive races on Sunday. Also on site at MotorLand Aragón this weekend will be PURE ETCR, the all-electric series staging its first proper on-track demonstration event after launching in Copenhagen last month.

Schedule – WTCR Race of Aragón

Times in CET
Saturday November 14th
09:30-10:15 – Free Practice 1
12:00-12:30 – Free Practice 2
15:00-16:00 – Qualifying

Sunday November 15th
09:15-09:45 – Race 1 (10 laps)
13:15-13:45 – Race 2 (10 laps)
15:15-15:50 – Race 3 (12 laps)