The final round of the 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) kicked off to a wonderful start for Norbert Michelisz (BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse) here in Sepang where he emerged victorious in Race 1. Driving the Hyundai i30 N TCR, Michelisz now extends his lead in the driver’s championship with 351 points.
Aurélien Panis (Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing) also had something to celebrate as he crossed the chequered flag in second place. It was a tough battle, especially in the slightly wet conditions, but the 25-year-old Frenchman persevered with his powerful Seat Cupra TCR race machine to achieve his first ever WTCR podium finish. That’s 20 points added to his 2019 season which now totals at 122 points.
Michelisz’s teammate, Gabriele Tarquini, scored the final podium position in Race 1. It was also a tough race for the seasoned 57-year-old Italian, but his podium-finishing move was executed in Lap 4 when Néstor Girolami (ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport) and his Honda Civic dropped positions and ended the race in P22.
It was a mixed ending for the Cyan Racing Lynk & Co outfits as Yvan Muller managing to salvage P6 from an amazing P16 grid while Andy Priaulx and Yann Ehrlacher scored valuable team points when they finished Race 1 in P11 and P14 respectively. Thed Björk had some sort of mechanical issues at the beginning where he was forced to pit his Lynk & Co O3+ before going out again and finishing the race in dead last (P27).
Stay tuned for Race 2 and Race 3 results later where the battle for the best driver and team have yet to be decided between Cyan Racing Lynk & Co, BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, and ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport.
