Hyundai Espanã-supported crews begin new national rally season Three i20 R5 crews started the new Spanish Super-Championship season at the Rallye Sierra Morena (April 8-10). Of the three Hyundai Espanã-supported teams it was Francisco López and co-driver Borja Odriozola who took away the best overall result in eighth. However, there was also very strong pace from Surhayen Pernía who set the best times on the Qualification and Shakedown runs for the event and was in second overall at the end of the first day of action. On the opening stage of the following day though, he was forced to retire after damaging the car going off the road. Podium finishes as team prepare for TCR Italy campaign Several i30 N TCR customer teams and drivers used the first event of the Coppa Italia Turismo season at Mugello (April 9-11) as extra preparation for their upcoming TCR Italy campaigns. Mauro Guastamacchia and Adriano Visdomini finished on the overall podium in the opening race of the weekend – held in slippery conditions – to take first and second in the TCR class. For Visdomini the result came after battling up the order after starting only 11th in a field that mixed TCR cars in with machinery from other Touring Car categories. Guastamacchia repeated his result in Race 2 in his Aggressive Team-entered car, coming from the fourth row on the partially reversed grid up to second overall. From the back of the grid after an early retirement in Race 1 Ettore Carminati climbed up to eighth by the chequered flag – one place ahead of Visdomini in the final standings. Top-ten results as i30 N TCR teams show pace on Bathurst debut i30 N TCR driver Brad Shiels scored a trio of top-tens on TCR Australia’s debut outing at the famous Mount Panorama Circuit at Bathurst (April 2-4). The Tilton Racing driver qualified a highly impressive fifth for his home event on the calendar, and held a place among the top group throughout the weekend – finishing seventh, eighth and seventh across the three races for his best event in the championship so far. The HMO Customer Racing team grew to three cars for the weekend, with Duvashen Padayachee joining the squad for his first competitive starts in the TCR category. The team’s meeting started poorly, unfortunately, with their drivers being caught out by a red flag in qualifying which kept them from starting any higher than 15th. However, across the three races the handling of the i30 N TCR through the technical, wall-lined sections of the circuit allowed all three to move up the order. The racing ended with Nathan Morcom and Josh Buchan finishing Race 3 ninth and tenth - split by less than a second. Padayachee closed out his event in 12th. |