‘Inside the World of TCR’ episode #6

The sixth episode of the video magazine ‘Inside the World of TCR’ has been produced and can bee seen HERE.
Every month this 30-minute magazine reports on the races for TCR cars all around the world; the magazine is produced by Alessandro Dragosei and edited by Francesco Toso, with an English-language voice over by Mark James.

This issue features:
   - WTCR: Wuhan and Suzuka
   - TCR Europe and TCR Benelux: Barcelona
   - TCR Asia and TCR China: Shanghai
   - TCR Russia: Fort Grozny
   - TCT Italy: Monza
   - TCR UK: Donington Park
   - Special feature: TCR Europe prize giving

TCR Portugal @ Portimão
Double win for Parente in Algarve

Armando Parente, driving a Team Novadriver Volkswagen Golf GTI, won both of TCR Portugal’s final races at Portimão’s Autódromo Algarve. This helped him to finish the season as runner up in the championship behind Speedy Motorsport’s Pedro Salvador.
Salvador had arrived at the closing event with a 49-point margin ahead of the Sports & You duo of Francisco Abreu and Rafael Lobato; despite the fact that his Cupra did not finish any of the Portimão races, Salvador clinched the TCR Portugal title.
At the start of the first race Abreu’s Peugeot 308 took the lead ahead of pole sitter Parente; Francisco Carvalho stalled the engine of his Audi RS3 LMS and dropped to the back of the field. Salvador retired on lap 4 with broken suspension, while Carvalho managed to recover to third.
For most of the race the positions remained unchanged, but on lap 10, Parente overtook Abreu for the lead and then the latter also lost second place to Carvalho during the final lap.
Parente encored with a lights-to-flag victory in Race 2. Behind him Lobato and Carvalho were fighting for second until the latter’s Audi retired with a gearbox problem. With three laps to go Lobato made a mistake and went off, his Peugeot stranded in the gravel; this handed second place to Gião who took the first-ever podium for the STARD-built Kia cee’d TCR. Telmo Gomes completed the podium in the Speedy Motorsport Audi he shared with Moura.

Photos: Full Eventos-Nuno Organista

TCR Thailand @ Buriram
The title goes to Jakraphan Davee 

Jakraphan Davee arrived at Buriram for the TCR Thailand series finale with a one-point gap in the standings behind Pattarapol Vongprai. However, the driver of the Alphafactory Racing Team by Pulzar was able to reverse the situation with victory in the first race at the Chang International Circuit and then was content with a third place in Race 2 that secured the title.
Davee and his Cupra started from pole position in Race 1 and led for the whole 15 laps. Vongprai tried to chase him and was able to reduce the gap midway through the race, but then lost contact and eventually retired when his Vattana Motorsport Honda Civic suffered from a broken clutch.
Morin Racing Team’s Nattanid Lewattanavaragul completed a Cupra 1-2 finish, with Chariya Nuya's Honda Civic in third.
It was Nuya who then concluded the season with a victory in Race 2. The Billionaire Boy Racing driver led from the start to the chequered flag, scoring his second win of the year. Behind him, Davee pipped Lewattanavaragul to take second, but the lady driver did not give up. She kept Vongprai at bay and closed in on Davee. Halfway through the race she began to put pressure on Davee and eventually managed to pass him on lap 11.
Vongprai cruised in fourth position throughout the race as he never showed the pace to catch the front runners; he dropped to third in the standings behind Nuya.

Photos: Thailand Super Series

TCR Japan
The 2019 calendar was unveiled at Suzuka 

The upcoming TCR Japan Touring Car Series was officially launched during a press conference at Suzuka Circuit in the frame of the WTCR weekend.
Akira Kuroshita, president of Japan TCR Management, Marcello Lotti, WSC president and Yoshiiaki Abe, General Manager of Yokohama Motorsport, sat at the conference table in front of large media representative.
The new championship will kick off in 2019, promoted by Japan Race Promotion Inc. the same company that organises the successful Super Formula series.
Yokohama has been appointed as the official tyre supplier, while BS Fuji will be the official TV broadcaster.
The calendar will be set of six events with Super Formula, plus one pre-season official test.

26/27 March: Official Test, Fuji Speedway
18/19 May: Rounds 1 & 2, Autopolis
22/23 June: Rounds 3 & 4, Motorland Sugo
13/14 July: Rounds 5 & 6, Fuji Speedway
28/29 September: Rounds 7 & 8, Okayama Int. Circuit
26/27 October: Rounds 9 & 10, Suzuka Circuit
Date TBA: Rounds 11 & 12, Circuit TBA

TCR Scandinavia
The calendar expands from 6 to 7 events

The TCR Scandinavia’s calendar for the 2019 season was unveiled, featuring an expansion from six to seven rounds.
“The expanded calendar for 2019 is an important part in our long term work to develop TCR Scandinavia on all fronts,” said Karin Bååth, Chief Operating Officer for STCC AB. “The step from six to seven races is also an important part in our development plan, and our ambition is to host more races in the future.”
A new venue is Skellefteå that will host a midnight race on June 15-16. The Norwegian round at Rudskogen and that at Anderstorp have been dropped from the calendar, while the venues of the second and sixth events are still to be named.

3/4 May: Rounds 1 & 2, Knutstorp
Date TBA: Rounds 3 & 4, Circuit TBA
15/16 June: Rounds 5 & 6, Skellefteå
13/14 July: Rounds 7 & 8, Falkenberg
17/18 August: Rounds 9 & 10, Karlskoga
Date TBA: Rounds 11 & 12, Circuit TBA
4/5 October: Rounds 13 & 14, Mantorp Park

TCR Australia
Arrival of the first Volkswagen Golf GTI 

The third brand of TCR race car has landed in Australia; a Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR has arrived at Melbourne Performance Centre, the official agent for the Volkswagen Group Motorsport TCR cars. It joins the Audi RS3 LMS that the Centre already has in its fleet.
Lee Burley, Managing Director Melbourne Performance Centre said: “Seeing the car in the flesh is exciting. There has been great interest since the series was announced, but nothing beats having a car in the workshop that people can come and look at. We’re looking forward to the first customer coming along, put their hand up and take it onto the track.”
Matt Braid,
Director Australian Racing Group, added: “It’s great to see another car arrive in Australia after Audi and Honda. You can feel the momentum starting to build and it’s very exciting. The Golf will certainly attract its own set of followers, so we’re really looking forward to seeing it on track."