Circuit
Zandvoort, Netherlands – 19 / 21 May 2018
RACE 1 REPORT
Mikel Azcona
wins Race 1 after a pile-up at the start
Dušan Borković retains the lead in the standings
Mikel Azcona claimed his
and PCR Sport’s first victory in the TCR Europe Series at the end of a
race that was influenced by a pile up at the start that eliminated three
cars and resulted in a safety car period.
Local hero Jaap Van Lagen who was on pole position in the Leopard Lukoil
Team Audi RS3 LMS spoiled his chances with a slow start that dropped him
down to fifth, while Azcona managed to keep the Hell Energy Racing’s duo
of Attila Tassi and Josh Files behind into the first turn and laid down
his success on that move. When the race resumed after the safety car
intervention, the young Spaniard and his Cupra managed to build a gap
ahead of Tassi’s Honda, while Van Lagen was able to overtake Dušan
Borković’s Hyundai and Files to take third and also victory in the TCR
Benelux.
Borković retained the lead in the standings, but Azcona has closed the
gap to eight points; Nagy is third, 22 points behind the leader.
Race 2 will start
tomorrow at 14:55, with Danny Kroes on pole on the top-ten reverse grid.
Live streaming on www.tcr-series.com
and www.tcr-series.tv.
Key facts
Grid – Richard has been dropped from seventh to last following an engine
change
Start – From the second row, Tassi squeezes among Azcona and van Lagen, but
the Spaniard resists and keeps the lead into the Tarzan bend; there is
chaos behind as Barr tangles with Nagy, spins and crashes under the
grandstand; Stefanovski swerves in avoidance and collides with Briché who
hits the pit wall
Lap 1 – The safety car is deployed
Lap 2 – Baus-Coppens pits with a technical issue
Lap 4 – The race resumes with 14 minutes left; Azcona leads from Tassi,
Files, Borković and van Lagen; Paulsen overtakes Nagy for sixth; van
Lagen overtakes Borković for fourth
Lap 5 – Potty misses the braking point at the Tarzan and stops in the
gravel trap; Kroes overtakes Møller for eighth; Mora overtakes Abreu for
tenth
Lap 6 – Mora overtakes Møller for ninth
Lap 8 – Van Lagen overtakes Files for third at the Tarzan; Mora overtakes
Kroes for eighth
Lap 10 – Cencetti punts his teammate Piro into a spin while fighting for
13th
Lap 11 – Van Lagen is on the tail of Tassi’s car
Lap 12 – Azcona wins and Tassi successfully defends second place from van
Lagen; Files, Borković and Paulsen take the positions from fourth to
sixth
Quotes after the first race at Zandvoort
Mikel Azcona (winner): "I am very happy, it has
been a great day and yes, my championship starts looking good. First
start was lively, but I managed to pass the Audi and then fought with
Tassi for a couple of turns. I was on the inside though and could keep
the line and the advantage. At the restart after the safety car period, I
could build some gap and it was a pretty uneventful race. It's never
easy, especially on a track like this, but did no mistakes and kept a
good pace. The car was perfect and I really enjoyed driving on a track
with so much history and in front of such a huge crowd."
Attila Tassi (second): "I had a very good start
and fought with Azcona for the lead. He touched me and sent me onto the
grass, but he apologized right away after the race, so everything is
fine. My tyres got dirty and spent most of the race trying to preserve
them and not to do mistakes. In the final laps, I had to defend from van
Lagen, but everything went ok. It's a good result and I am very satisfied
with the car."
Jaap van Lagen (third): "It has been a good and fun
race, except for the start, of course. I was too low on the revs and
couldn't get the right grip. Unfortunately, I lost some positions, and
with the long safety-car period, there was not enough time to catch up.
Still, the pace and the car were good, I had nice fights and two
overtakes, and made it to the podium. I hope we can do better tomorrow,
but it won't be easy starting from P10."
2018 TCR Europe Series – calendar
5/6 May
– Circuit Paul Ricard, France (International GT Open)
19/21 May – Circuit Zandvoort,
Netherlands (Jumbo Racing Days) *
9/10 June – Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (International GT Open)
*
7/8 July – Hungaroring, Hungary (International GT Open) *
18/19 August – TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands (Gamma Racing Days) *
22/23 September – Autodromo di Monza, Italy (International GT Open)
20/21 October – Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Spain (International GT
Open) **
*
With TCR Benelux
** With TCR Benelux and TCR Portugal
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