Great start for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse in the first race in Italy of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour – www.ideawebtv.it

Norbert Michelisz and team newcomer Néstor Girolami kicked off the 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour season with two wins for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse at their home round.

Poleman Michelisz had a difficult start due to wet conditions and the attacks of rival Yann Ehrlacher. The Hungarian started his World Tour in impressive fashion, taking first place and crossing the finish line of Race 1 as the overall winner, at the same Vallelunga track where the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing-backed team won 1 -2 last season.

Experienced TCR driver Girolami, making his debut in a car built by Hyundai Motorsport, quickly put the disappointment of the stall at the start of Race 1 behind him and led Race 2 at the head of the pack to a stunning first win with the Hyundai Elantra. N TCR.

Teammate and 2022 FIA WTCR winner Mikel Azcona made his mark in both races by taking two fourth places. A penalty given to Marco Butti at the end of Race 1 allowed the Spaniard to move up to fourth place; the same result was also repeated in Race 2, where Azcona again benefited from a penalty, this time applied to Esteban Guerrieri.

The BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team from Cherasco starts the season in the best possible way by collecting success in their home event, scoring twice in the Touring Car Championship for the third time, after previous results in Ningbo in 2018 and Bahrain in 2022.

Team Principal Gabriele Rizzo announces: “A good start! We had a lot of pressure when we were the defending champions and we started the season in Italy. At the beginning of a new championship, the level of the competitors is unknown and the first event is the first test to prove the values ​​on the field. It is good to see that we are competing, even if the detailed analysis of technically you show that we don’t have the fastest technical package. There is work to improve and despite the exciting sporting results with the position and the wins in both races we have already identified some areas for improvement, not only in the car and the drivers but also in the procedures The key to such a positive weekend was clearly qualifying where we made the difference with a comprehensive strategy that allowed us to fully manage the preparation of the front tires, the slopes and get both pole positions. After two weeks we will be back on track Marrakesh, where we have good memories from 2018, when our winning cycle began.”

Azcona said:The start of Race 1 was very challenging due to the mixed conditions. Unfortunately, I had a bad start which cost me several positions. After contacting (Marco) Butti, I found a good rhythm and the car was working well. I had a hard time dealing with (Thed) Björk as well, but I managed to beat him and get important points. Race 2 was very challenging, but we have a long season ahead of us and I am satisfied with the result in the final standings. It was a good start to the season, so I’m happy“.

Michelisz said:I managed to get off to a good start in Race 1 although my grid position was poor due to the large amount of water on the track. Yann (Ehrlacher) started very well and passed me, but I felt strong and managed to recover. I studied the opponent waiting for the right moment to make my point; The car responded surprisingly. After that I had to push to the finish line to maintain the lead. I did my best and it was a good start to the season. In Race 2, starting from tenth place, the goal should have been to get points, a result we were able to achieve. This is not to say that it was an easy race, as shown by the two interventions of the safety car; I tried hard to stay out of trouble. I succeeded and, in the end, I am very happy with the results and the points obtained“.

Girolami declared: “I was very disappointed not to start well in Race 1 because we practiced a lot, but I had a serious wheel slip: we need to review what happened. Despite this, I managed to get a couple of chances and reduce the damage by finishing tenth, thus regaining the starting position. Race 2 was very good. I knew how important the start was and also to remain consistent throughout the race, especially after the intervention of the safety car. I managed to create a gap of two seconds. The car responded very well and the team did a great job which allowed me to be in control of the race“.

Race 1 Results:

Race 2 Results:

2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Driver Positions (provisional)

After Round 1:

2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Team Rankings (provisional)

After Round 1: