Giovanardi ready to entertain the fans at Monza

Touring Car legend Fabrizio Giovanardi will make his maiden appearance in the TCR Europe series at Monza, in a Romeo Ferraris-built Alfa Romeo Giulietta run by Team Mulsanne.
Michela Cerruti, Romeo Ferraris Operations Manager, commented: “I was thrilled by the idea of entering Fabrizio in the event. Having him at the wheel of one of our cars in our home event is something very special. I believe the track suits the Giulietta well as it was proved in last year’s TCR International Series.”
There are three European crowns in the long list of Touring Car titles won by Giovanardi who raced Alfa Romeo cars for most of his racing career.
“I’m enthusiastic about racing again at Monza in such a competitive series like TCR Europe. This is the opportunity to try and harvest the fruits of the hard work we have done throughout the season. The fans have always cheered for me here and this gives me great motivation. I promise to put in a show and entertain the spectators!” said Giovanardi.

Photo: Paulo Maria-DPPI

Tavano to race in TCR Europe at Monza

Current TCR Italy points leader, Salvatore Tavano, will make his maiden appearance in the TCR Europe series at Monza the upcoming weekend.
Tavano will drive the very same Cupra TCR he uses in the Italian series, run by the Scuderia del Girasole team.
For the Sicilian driver, Monza will also mark the comeback to international Touring Car competition, twelve years after his victory at Puebla in the 2006 World Touring Car Championship.
“It’s a great personal reward. I wish to thank Cupra Racing and SEAT Motorsport Italia for giving me this great opportunity. It won’t be an easy task, because we are newcomers in very competitive series, but I will do my best to put in a good show. We want to show off and do a good job for Cupra Racing, but with a sense of responsibility, because we don’t have to forget that our focus is on clinching the TCR Italy title two weeks later,” Tavano said.

Photo: ACI Sport-Photo 4

Baldan joins M1RA for the Monza event

After making his debut with M1RA, last week at Vallelunga in TCR Italy, Nicola Baldan will drive one of the team’s Hyundai i30 N cars in this weekend’s TCR Europe Series at Monza.
The reigning Italian champion, who came back to racing at Vallelunga after a long break for the consequences of an incident in which he broke his collarbone, will team up with M1RA’s regular Dániel Nagy.
“Despite Vallelunga did not go the way we wanted, we are happy to continue with Nicola in TCR Europe. He is fast and with his experience at Monza he can give valuable contribution,” team principal Dávid Bári commented.
“The M1RA people helped me in Vallelunga, allowing me to be competitive despite I wasn’t at my hundred per cent yet. The level of the European series is so high, but I know I am in the right place at the right time. I can't wait to seat back into my car to face this new challenge,” said Baldan.

Photo: ACI Sport-Photo 4

Two Subaru cars in the Monza races

Two Top Run-built Subaru WRX STI TCR cars will take part in the TCR Europe's Monza event, with support from Race Republic.
One will be run by NOS Racing and driven by double Abarth Trophy champion Cosimo Barberini, who is currently on his way for clinching a third consecutive title. Barberini's previous experience with TCR cars dates back to last year, when he appeared in a few events of TCR Italy in a NOS Racing SEAT León and then drove a V-Action Racing Alfa Romeo Giulietta in the TCR Germany finale at Hockenheim.
Roberto Russo will drive the second Subaru entered by Top Run Motorsport itself.
The only previous apperance of a Subaru in the series was at Le Castellet for the season's opener when the Top Run Motorsport car was driven by Stefano Comini. 

Photo: TCR-Photo 4

Argentine youngster debuts in TCR Europe

The TCR Europe Series welcomes its first South American driver, as Argentina’s José Manuel Sapag will make his maiden appearance in the Monza event.
The 22-year old from Buenos Aires, will drive a Cupra run by the Spanish outfit Baporo Motorsport.
Sapag has already built himself a reputation in the Argentine TC2000 and Top Race series; he is currently fifth in the TC2000 at the wheel of a Citroën C4 and had already the opportunity to drive a TCR racing car with success, winning the Alcañiz round of the Campeonato España Resistencia in a Baporo Motorsport Cupra. 
“I’m very happy with this opportunity. TCR is an excellent platform for my apprenticeship as a Touring Car driver and to race at an historical circuit like Monza in a top level series fits perfectly within the sporting programme I am going through in Argentine Touring Cars,” Sapag commented.

Photo: Trazando Fino

Section Title

“TCR World & life”, the e-magazine dedicated to all the TCR series and championships worldwide.

In this issue:
   - Spotlight: Aces and Queens
   - TCR China @ Ningbo
   - TCR Germany @ Sachsenring
   - TCR Italy @ Vallelunga
   - TCR Portugal @ Braga
   - TCR Russia @ Sochi
   - TCR Scandinavia @ Rudskogen
   - TCR UK @ Croft
   - Pirelli World Challenge @ Watkins Glen
   - Endurance: 24H TCE Series @ Barcelona
   - Endurance: IMSA CTSC @ Laguna Seca
   - Endurance: VLN @ Nürburgring
   - Standings of all TCR series
   - Three questions to: Oliver Taylor

 Read ‘TCR World & life’ now !

TCR Italy @ Vallelunga
Salvatore Tavano is closer to the title

Salvatore Tavano has staked a serious claim on the TCR Italy title.
The SEAT Motorsport Italia driver had arrived in Vallelunga with a margin of 40.5 points over V-Action Racing Team’s Luigi Ferrara; during the penultimate event, Tavano only lost five points compared to his rival and so keeps a 35.5-point advantage. That is actually 31.5 if we take into account the two dropped scores requested by the Sporting Regulations but, with just 43 points to be awarded in the final race meeting at Imola on October 6th and 7th.
In Vallelunga’s Race 1, César Machado converted his pole position to a victory. The Portuguese driver and his Target Competition Honda Civic made a perfect start from pole, while Kevin Ceccon – second on the grid – dropped behind the Ferrara and Eric Scalvini. After two safety car periods, the race resumed with four minutes left. With the first three positions frozen, Tavano settled in seventh, winning a front-row spot on the grid for Race 2.
He, then, dominated Sunday’s race, sprinting away at the start and bidding the pack farewell; he posted the fastest lap and scored the associated point in the process
Massimiliano Mugelli kept second position for a while until he retired with a broken driveshaft; the fight for the podium places became frantic with Nicola Baldan chased by Ferrara, Scalvini, Bettera, Ceccon, Greco and Machado. While Ferrara was able to move up to second, a number of front-runners ran into troubles with the tyres. The final stages of the race saw Ferrara cutting off 1.5 seconds per lap from Tavano’s margin in a desperate attempt to catch him, but time was running out and had to settle for second. A consistent Federico Paolino was classified third in his BRC Racing Hyundai.

Photos: ACI Sport-Photo 4

TCR Portugal @ Braga
Pedro Salvador dominates in Braga

Pedro Salvador continued his domination of TCR Portugal; he won both races at Braga’s Circuito Vasco Samerio, increasing his tally to five victories from six races and stretching his leading margin in the championship classification.
In Race 1, Salvador made good use of his pole position to take the lead at the start in his Speedy Motorsport Cupra. He built a comfortable margin ahead of Francisco Carvalho's Audi and won by eight seconds. Francisco Abreu (Peugeot) challenged Armando Parente (Volkswagen), but couldn’t get close enough to threaten his third position.
In the second race Salvador took the lead at the start once again, but Rafael Lobato (Peugeot) overtook Carvalho and began chasing him. Halfway through the race, Salvador began  to pull away and built a 3.5-second advantage over Lobato. Carvalho completed the podium in third position.
In the standings, Salvador leads the pair of Abreu-Lobato by 49 points, while Carvalho is third, one further point adrift.
TCR Portugal’s season’s finale will be held at Portimão’s Autódromo Algarve on 27/28 October.

Photo: Nuno Organista

TCR Scandinavia
PWR Racing wins appeal before the final event

A few days before the TCR Scandinavia finale at Mantorp Park, the Swedish Motorsport Authority SBF, has upheld the appeal lodged by PWR Racing against the exclusion of their Cupra cars from rounds 7 and 8 that took place at Karlskoga on August 19th. Then, Daniel Haglöf, Philip Morin and Robert Dahlgren were excluded after finishing first, second and fourth in Race 1, while Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulisnky suffered from the same penalty after ending first in Race 2. The reason was the use of an exhaust system not in compliance with the homologation paper.
Following a clarification bulletin published by the TCR Technical Department and support from Cupra, the team successfully asserted that rules had been misinterpreted.
The verdict of the SBF has reshuffled the championship standings that are now led by Dahlgren with 167 points ahead of KMS' Johan Kristoffersson (160), Haglöf (146) and Lestrup Racing's Andreas Wernersson (130).
55 points are still on offer Saturday at Mantorp Park.

Photo: Micke Fransson

TCR Germany
A three-way fight for the title at Hockenheim

Luca Engstler and Harald Proczyk are split by just five points when the ADAC TCR Germany lands in Hockenheim for the season finale.
With a double victory at the Sachsenring, Engstler and his Hyundai i 30 N have moved on top of the standings, ousting the Austrian who had led from the start of the season in his Opel Astra.
Niels Langeveld is the third party in the titlle flight, as the Dutchman and his Audi RS3 LMS are currently in third position, a further six points adrift.
With 85 points on offer in the weekend, Mike Halder (Honda Civic) is mathematically kept in contention, however his 62-point gap makes his chances slim.
in 2017, the Hockenheim races where won by Proczyk's Opel and Josh Files' Honda Civic; the Briton ended on a high note a season that crowned him German champion for the second year in a row.

Photo: ADAC Motorsport-Gruppe C Photography

WTCR
Ma Qing Hua joins for China races

Ma Qing Hua, the first Chinese driver to win an FIA world championship motor race, will make his debut in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup in the next two events on his homeland at Ningbo (28/30 September) and Wuhan (5/7 October).
The 30-year-old from Shanghai will replace Benjamin Lessennes in one of the Honda Civic Type R TCR cars run by the Boutsen Ginion Racing.
“It’s really good to be in this series, even though I don’t know the car and have not had one lap at either of the circuits. I’m also jumping in at the middle of the season when everybody else has a lot more experience than me. It will be tough with only two practice sessions before qualifying,” said Ma, whose TCR experience is limited to a one-off appearance in last year’s TCR China, when he shared a TeamWork Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTI with Alex Hui at Shanghai; the pair was classified second in the 60-minute Race 3.