Roberto Colciago took victory in the opening TCR International Series race in Bahrain, after a superb start saw the Honda driver move into the lead before the first turn.
Honda racer Colciago got the best start of any one in the field to squeeze between pole-sitter Pierre-Yves Corthals and Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Hugo Valente to lead before turn one.
The M1RA driver was then unchallenged for the remainder of the race, taking a comfortable victory – his second in TCR International – by a margin of over five seconds.
Valente took second to secure his first true podium finish after having previously lost his podium result in the season opener in Georgia.
The podium was completed by Leopard Racing’s Jean-Karl Vernay, who was involved in a race-long duel with the Alfa Romeo of Dušan Borković. As the race went on, the duo even caught the Opel of Corthals, and on the penultimate lap Borković tried to squeeze down the inside into Turn 11. However the Serbian braked marginally too late, allowing Vernay into third and a position he wouldn’t lose.
That left Borković to take fourth, ahead of Corthals in fifth, who still managed to secure his best result to-date in TCR.
Craft-Bamboo Racing duo Pepe Oriola and James Nash swapped places late in the race to finish in sixth and seventh respectively, ahead of the Audi of Comtoyou driver Stefano Comini in eighth.
WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli and Giacomo Altoè completed the top ten, despite Morbidelli having been clouted by the Opel of Mat’o Homola on the second lap of the race.
Ferenc Ficza just missed out on points in 11th after slipping back during the race, whilst Homola himself was unable to make progress from his back row starting position, ending up in 13th at the chequered flag.
The only retirement of the race was for the GE-Force Alfa Romeo of Davit Kajaia, who thus loses the championship lead he carried into the meeting.
The result gives reigning TCR Italy champion Colciago the joint lead in the drivers’ championship on 40 points, tied with Vernay. Oriola moves up to third on 39 points, with the Spaniard also tied with Kajaia.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 5 | Roberto COLCIAGO |  |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 9 | 20:15.241 | 13.690 | 1 |
| 2 | 7 | Hugo VALENTE |  |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 5.502 | 13.884 | 3 |
| 3 | 2 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 7.637 | 13.978 | 6 |
| 4 | 62 | Dušan BORKOVIĆ |  |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 9 | 8.763 | 13.972 | 5 |
| 5 | 23 | Pierre-Yves CORTHALS |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 9 | 9.661 | 14.033 | 2 |
| 6 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 9.912 | 14.070 | 4 |
| 7 | 54 | James NASH |  |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 11.284 | 14.653 | 9 |
| 8 | 1 | Stefano COMINI |  |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 9 | 11.581 | 14.658 | 10 |
| 9 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 12.200 | 14.688 | 13 |
| 10 | 21 | Giacomo ALTOÈ | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 19.061 | 15.130 | 7 |
| 11 | 55 | Ferenc FICZA |  |
Zele Racing | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 20.396 | 14.958 | 12 |
| 12 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 9 | 21.870 | 16.001 | 14 |
| 13 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 9 | 21.918 | 15.606 | 11 |
| 14 | 88 | Michela CERRUTI | |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 9 | 24.481 | 16.257 | 15 |
| 15 | 18 | Duncan ENDE |  |
Icarus Motorsports | SEAT León TCR | 9 | + 2 LAPS | 17.819 | 16 |
| R | 16 | Davit KAJAIA |  |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 4 | DNF | 13.635 | 8 |