Target Competition’s Michel Nykjær took victory in the second TCR International Series race in Portugal, finishing ahead of WestCoast Racing’s Kevin Gleason and Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Jordi Gené to make it seven different winners out of the first eight races in the new championship.
Nykjær led the entire race from start to finish, getting the jump on pole sitter Kevin Gleason at the start of the race. The Dane went unchallenged thereafter, winning by a margin of 3.152 seconds over the American, after both of Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Audi TT cars retired from the race.
Gleason held on to finish in second, whilst behind him there was action aplenty in the race. Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Jordi Gené took the final podium spot, despite starting from ninth on the grid. The Spaniard took advantage of team-mate Pepe Oriola fighting with Stefano Comini on lap 12 to take the position, leaving Oriola forced to settle for fourth. Comini suffered as a result and dropped outside the points to 11th.
Local racer José Monroy finished fifth for Veloso Motorsport, ahead of fellow SEAT racer Mikhail Frachev in sixth.
Oscar Nogués continued a recent good run of form for the Campos Racingf team, bringing home his Opel Astra in seventh, ahead of Monroy’s team-mate Francisco Mora.
WestCoast Racing’s Igor Skuz collected his first points of the season in ninth, whilst Target Competition’s Andrea Belicchi was tenth, with the Italian losing out in the final laps of the race after challenging for third at one stage.
Both Liqui Moly Team Engstler Audi TT cars failed to finish the race. By lap nine Kelvin Van der Linde and Nicki Thiim were up to second and third respectively, but the duo both retired within a couple of laps of each other with problems on their cars – Thiim breaking a wheel on a kerb and Van der Linde crawling to a halt on track.
WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli also failed to finish the race, lasting just one lap after contact from Engsatler Motorsport’s Lorenzo Veglia put him out of the race. The young Italian was also out as a result of the incident.
The results keep Comini at the head of the championship standings with a 24-point advantage over Oriola, with Morbidelli a further point adrift.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME/GAP | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 17 | Michel NYKJÆR |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 13 LAPS | 1:55.344 | 2 |
| 2 | 24 | Kevin GLEASON |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 13 | 3.152 | 1:55.815 | 1 |
| 3 | 88 | Jordi GENÉ |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 6.36 | 1:55.297 | 9 |
| 4 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA | |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 7.02 | 1:55.823 | 8 |
| 5 | 18 | José MONROY |  |
Veloso Motorsport | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 7.496 | 1:55.708 | 15 |
| 6 | 8 | Mikhail GRACHEV |  |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 11.04 | 1:55.966 | 14 |
| 7 | 19 | Oscar NOGUÉS | |
Campos Racing | Opel Astra OPC | 13 | 12.03 | 1:56.000 | 13 |
| 8 | 50 | Francisco MORA | |
Veloso Motorsport | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 20.999 | 1:56.203 | 12 |
| 9 | 20 | Igor SKUZ |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 13 | 22.644 | 1:56.880 | 16 |
| 10 | 33 | Andrea BELICCHI |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 24.865 | 1:55.745 | 11 |
| 11 | 25 | Stefano COMINI |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 39.366 | 1:56.146 | 4 |
| R | 9 | Kelvin VAN DER LINDE |  |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Audi Sport TT Cup | 10 | — 10 laps — | 1:55.229 | 6 |
| R | 3 | Nicki THIIM | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Audi Sport TT Cup | 9 | — 9 laps — | 1:54.591 | 10 |
| R | 7 | Lorenzo VEGLIA | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | SEAT León Racer | 2 | — 2 laps — | 2:03.645 | 7 |
| R | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI | |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 1 | — 1 lap — | 2:20.917 | 5 |
| R | 77 | Sergey AFANASYEV | |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 0 | — 1 lap — | 2:02.917 | 3 |