BRC Racing Team’s Gabriele Tarquini put in an imperious drive to win the second FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) race at the Slovakia Ring.
The Italian racer made the better start from the front row in the Hyundai i30 N TCR and bested Norbert Nagy’s CUPRA on the run through the high-speed right hander at Turn 2.
In doing so, Tarquini wrests the lead of the championship away from fellow touring car veteran Yvan Muller heading into the final race around the 3.6 mile circuit tomorrow [15th July] by a mere 3 points.
Tarquini’s margin of victory at the chequered flag measured 2.1 seconds ahead of Zengo Motorsport racer Nagy, who in turn fended off a fast-charging Muller in the leading YMR machine.
Race 1 winner Pepe Oriola consolidated a strong weekend thus far in the CUPRA with fourth ahead of leading Honda Civic Type R racer Benjamin Lessennes and the sister Campos Racing machine of John Filippi.
The race start had been delayed after a decision to exclude three Hondas (Ehrlacher, Guerrieri and Coronel) for a boost violation, but following an protest were reinstated and competed from their original grid slots – minus Coronel who was wheeled off the grid with a mechanical fault.
Hungarian hero Norbert Michelisz takes seventh ahead of Frederic Vervisch’s Comtoyou Racing Audi, with Munnich Motorsport team mates Esteban Guerrieri and Yann Ehrlacher rounding out the top ten.
Thed Bjork managed to fight back to 11th in the second YMR machine, whilst local racer Mat’o Homola survived a scare at the first corner to come home 16th in the DG Sport Competition Peugeot 308 TCR.
There were contrasting fortunes for Jean-Karl Vernay after the Frenchman suffered a suspected brake problem as he ran wide into the gravel trap at Turn 3, seemingly all on his own.
Team mate Gordon Shedden’s frustrations continued, however, with the triple British Touring Car Champion coming home 18th in the second Lukoil-backed Audi RS 3 LMS.
Both re-built Sebastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Golf GTis were also casualties, pitting at half-distance with smoking braking discs.
Tarquini’s team mate Norbert Michelisz will start the final race of the weekend, scheduled to get underway at 10:45 BST tomorrow, from pole position.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 30 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 9 | 19:54.840 | 2:11.061 | 2 |
| 2 | 8 | Norbert NAGY |  |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA TCR | 9 | 2.150 | 2:11.289 | 1 |
| 3 | 48 | Yvan MULLER |  |
YMR | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 9 | 3.354 | 2:11.404 | 7 |
| 4 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Team Oscaro by Campos Racing | CUPRA TCR | 9 | 4.750 | 2:11.858 | 5 |
| 5 | 63 | Benjamin LESSENNES |  |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type R FK8 TCR | 9 | 5.313 | 2:12.048 | 3 |
| 6 | 27 | John FILIPPI | |
Team Oscaro by Campos Racing | CUPRA TCR | 9 | 5.892 | 2:12.126 | 6 |
| 7 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ | |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 9 | 5.895 | 2:11.710 | 10 |
| 8 | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH | |
Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 13.578 | 2:12.609 | 4 |
| 9 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R FK8 TCR | 9 | 14.194 | 2:12.516 | 8 |
| 10 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R FK8 TCR | 9 | 14.540 | 2:12.470 | 13 |
| 11 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK |  |
YMR | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 9 | 14.851 | 2:12.021 | 19 |
| 12 | 31 | Kevin CECCON | |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 9 | 15.084 | 2:12.904 | 14 |
| 13 | 23 | Nathanaël BERTHON | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 15.300 | 2:12.344 | 11 |
| 14 | 7 | Aurélien COMTE | |
DG Sport Compétition | Peugeot 308 TCR | 9 | 18.201 | 2:12.871 | 9 |
| 15 | 88 | Fabrizio GIOVANARDI | |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 9 | 18.330 | 2:13.396 | 15 |
| 16 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN |  |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 21.177 | 2:13.016 | 22 |
| 17 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Peugeot 308 TCR | 9 | 21.606 | 2:13.635 | 20 |
| 18 | 20 | Denis DUPONT | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 28.527 | 2:13.736 | 23 |
| 19 | 17 | Andrej STUDENIČ | |
Brutal Fish Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 28.904 | 2:14.171 | 26 |
| 20 | 66 | Zsolt Dávid SZABÓ | |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA TCR | 9 | 30.283 | 2:12.984 | 21 |
| 21 | 44 | Petr FULÍN |  |
Fullin Race Academy | CUPRA TCR | 8 | 1 Lp. | 2:12.397 | 17 |
| R | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 5 | DNF | 2:14.207 | 24 |
| R | 12 | Rob HUFF | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 5 | DNF | 2:14.053 | 25 |
| R | 21 | Aurélien PANIS | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 5 | DNF | 2:12.389 | 16 |
| R | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 5 | DNF | 2:12.498 | 12 |
| R | 9 | Tom CORONEL |  |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type R FK8 TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 18 |