Thed Björk penalised for Race 1 incident with Jimmy Clairet

Geely driver Thed Björk has been penalised after the stewards found him responsible for the incident involving with Jimmy Clairet in the opening TCR World Tour event at Vila Real.

Björk was chasing Clairet when, at Turn 12 on lap ten, the Swede attempted to overtake the Frenchman at the second chicane, with the pair colliding and the Geely driver hitting the barriers.

“He tried to overtake me at the chicane, and I knew it was impossible to go side-by-side in there,” Clairet told TouringCarTimes. “He touched me a bit before, so I made the decision to cut the chicane and, when I did that, something broke on the car.

“Then it was impossible for me to avoid the contact,” Clairet explained.

Björk has been handed a three-place grid penalty for Race 2. The Swede had achieved the reverse grid pole position, but will now start from fourth on the grid, with Hyundai driver Norbert Michelisz inheriting the first spot on the grid.