Santiago Concepción wins first TCR Europe Cup race as top four hit punctures

Santiago Concepción won the first TCR Europe Cup race at Spa-Francorchamps after the top four driver hit punctures.

BRC Hyundai driver Alex Ley started from pole and got a good getaway while Viktor Andersson bogged down from second place on the grid, dropping down to fourth behind Jenson Brickley and Junesung Park.

Canadian Audi driver Nicolas Taylor headed into the pits at the end of the formation lap due to a yet to be confirmed issue and lost two laps on the leaders.

Honda driver Brickley piled the pressure on Ley in the fight for the lead and the two traded paint several times on lap three, a scuffle which enabled Cupra driver Andersson to sneak past both Park and Brickley into second place.

Brickley started to slow down soon after and headed into the pits with a puncture.

Andersson suffered a puncture two laps later and had to pit from second place.

Another two laps passed and then it was Ley’s turn for a puncture, forcing him to pit from a comfortable lead.

This handed the lead to rival Hyundai driver Park who became the fourth puncture victim on the penultimate lap.

Tiago Pernía locked up in spectacular style at the final corner with less than three minutes left of the race and retired in the gravel trap, coming close to collecting Fernández in the process.

Concepción managed to survive the final two laps to claim his maiden TCR victory.

The Audi driver won the race just over four seconds ahead of Honda driver Felipe Fernández while Giacomo Prandelli made it two Aikoa Racing drivers on the podium.

Sandro Pelatti was a distant fourth as the last driver who did not suffer a puncture.

Ley finished fifth after his pit stop, close to two minutes behind the leader, with Andersson in sixth, Park in seventh and Taylor in eighth and last place.

The second race of the weekend starts at 09:20 CEST on Sunday.