FIA TCR World Tour hits half-time on the streets of Vila Real
The FIA TCR World Tour heads straight from France to Portugal as the championship hits half-time with 16 entered cars for the streets of Vila Real this weekend, with joker laps making a return for the event this year.
The previous race weekend at Paul Ricard closed the title fight right up between points leader Santiago Urrutia and Mikel Azcona, shrinking the Uruguayan driver’s lead from 20 to six points.
BRC Hyundai driver Azcona enjoyed a strong weekend in France, winning the first race and fought his way from eighth to fourth in the second race.
The Spaniard will however carry the maximum 40kg of compensation weight in Portugal while Urrutia sheds weight to just 10kg.
Urrutia fought hard at Paul Ricard with maximum compensation weight, changed BoP and a ten-place grid penalty which still saw him finishing sixth in the first race and third in the second.
Norbert Michelisz is the closest contender behind the leading duo, trailing Urrutia by 32 points, with Geely Cyan Racing driver Thed Björk in fourth, three further points behind. Michelisz will carry 20kg in Portugal while Björk will race with 0kg.
Points leader Yann Ehrlacher bounced back in the previous round after a dreadful start to the season and has climbed to fifth place overall, but is trailing team-mate Urrutia by a massive 54 points and will carry 30kg of compensation weight this weekend.
Last year’s Vila Real round saw the Cyan Racing duo of Ehrlacher and Björk claiming one win each, but that was with the Lynk & Co 03 TCR machinery and the team is yet to race the all-new Geely Preface TCR on street circuits.
Cupra driver Aurélien Comte had a mixed home race at Paul Ricard with a fourth-place finish in the first race while he was forced to retire in the second following contact with Björk.
The SP Competition driver will run without compensation weight and will be one to watch at Vila Real, albeit still missing team-mate Jean-Karl Vernay who is recovering from a fall injury.
Comte will instead get company from TCR Spain points leader Viktor Andersson and Italian racer Enzo Gianfratti.
Vannin Motorsport has entered two Audis as Stian Paulsen returns alongside local hero Manuel Fernandes.
Portuguese racer Daniel Teixeira returns to the field for Vila Real, having made his debut at the street circuit last year, racing a Hyundai Elantra N TCR for JT59 Racing Team.
The joker laps are back for this year for the first time since 2022 and will be located at Turn 22 once more, adding around two seconds per lap.
All drivers have to complete the joker lap twice per race and it must not be completed during the first two laps.
The field will race on the 4,6km layout of Vila Real this race weekend which starts on Saturday with two practice sessions and qualifying, followed by two races on Sunday.
Vila Real schedule
Times in WEST
Saturday 11/7
09:25 – Free Practice 1
12:30 – Free Practice 2
15:25 – Qualifying
Sunday 12/7
12:00 – Race 1
17:05 – Race 2
FIA TCR World Tour entry list Vila Real
10 – Viktor Andersson – SP Compétition – CUPRA Leon VZ TCR
13 – Manuel Fernandes – Vannin Motorsport – Audi RS 3 LMS
34 – Stian Paulsen – Vannin Motorsport – Audi RS 3 LMS
59 – Daniel Teixeira – JT59 Racing Team – Hyundai Elantra N TCR
105 – Norbert Michelisz – BRC Hyundai N – Hyundai Elantra N EV TCR +20kg CW
107 – Aurélien Comte – SP Compétition – CUPRA Leon VZ TCR
111 – Thed Björk – Geely Cyan Racing – Geely Preface TCR
121 – Teddy Clairet – ALM Motorsport – Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR
148 – Mikael Karlsson – ALM Motorsport – Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR
155 – Ma Qing Hua – Geely Cyan Racing – Geely Preface TCR
168 – Yann Ehrlacher – Geely Cyan Racing – Geely Preface TCR +30kg CW
181 – Santiago Uurrutia – Geely Cyan Racing – Geely Preface TCR +10kg CW
196 – Mikel Azcona – BRC Hyundai N – Hyundai Elantra N EV TCR +40kg CW
246 – Jenson Brickley – ALM Motorsport – Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR
419 – Enzo Gianfratti – SP Compétition – CUPRA Leon VZ TCR
431 – Mathieu Casalonga – Team Clairet Sport – Audi RS 3 LMS
