Yann Ehrlacher was delighted with victory in the second World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) race of the weekend, claiming it to be one of the best wins he has achieved.
The Frenchman started the race from second on the grid behind Münnich Motorsport’s Néstor Girolami, having conceded pole position to the Honda driver late in qualifying.
However, come race day Ehrlacher was the man with all the answers. After a swift move to get ahead of the Argentine along the Döttinger Höhe straight, he was untouchable for the rest of the race and brought the car home for an imposing victory; a victory which looked rather ominous for the championship.
Having shown great pace on Thursday, Ehrlacher did his best to keep a calm, level head after qualifying. But in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s adrenaline-fuelled race victory, his delight shone through.
“It was the best victory I’ve had in my career actually,” Ehrlacher claimed. “On the Nordschleife in wet conditions with overtaking, it’s absolutely insane.
“The feeling we have here, we can’t compare it to anywhere else. Honestly it’s so unbelievable what we feel in the car.
“This week though I think went really good for us, it’s good for the team and for the drivers’ championship, everything. I’m really happy about it and am looking forward to the next races.”
Although he himself suggested just two days ago that it was too soon to think about championships, the Frenchman now holds a 31-point lead in the driver’s championship over his nearest rivals, Néstor Girolami and Thed Björk.
Unless disaster strikes for Ehrlacher, Björk is unlikely to trouble his Cyan Racing team-mate, while the gap to Girolami certainly gives him room for error.
In fact, he might just need it. Last year at the Slovakiaring, the Lynk & Co cars struggled for performance. However, with a year’s experience of the car under their belt – and different Balance of Performance measures to work with – Cyan Racing will be keen not to let that happen again.
For now though, Yann Ehrlacher can celebrate, knowing that he now has a race victory to his name at one of the most demanding circuits on Earth.