Last-lap mistake from Franco Girolami hands Isidro Callejas maiden win

Volcano Motorsport’s Isidro Callejas won his first race in TCR Europe at Spa-Francorchamps, after race-long leader Franco Girolami made a mistake on the final lap of the race.

At the start, pole-sitter Girolami moved into a clear lead, as Klim Gavrilov, who had started alongside on the front row, made a poor start in his CUPRA.

That allowed Callejas to leap into second, whilst Target Competition’s Josh Files, from sixth on the grid, immediately fived for the inside line at the La Source hairpin and claimed third.

Thereafter, the order looked to be set, despite a two-lap safety car period at the end of the opening lap to clear up the stricken Audi of Rubén Fernández, who had come together with Martin Ryba’s Honda.

Girolami was never more than around half a second in front of Callejas throughout the rest of the race, and on the final lap the Argentine made a mistake at Les Combes.

Locking up slightly, Girolami went wide and cut the corner, gifting the lead to Callejas, who held on for the rest of the lap to claim his first win in TCR Europe – in the process becoming the youngest winner in the series’ history at just 17 years old.

Girolami and Callejas were just under four seconds clear of Files by this stage, meaning the Argentine was able to hold on to finish second.

Files completed the podium, the Hyundai driver having seemingly no answer to the pace of the leading duo as he gradually fell back over the course of the race.

Nicola Baldan moved ahead of Gavrilov at the start, but also lost out to team-mate Files. Thereafter, the Target driver held station in fourth, unchallenged behind as he circulated largely in clear air.

Comtoyou Racing’s Tom Coronel gained two places at the start and then sat behind Gavrilov for several laps. When Felice Jelmini went wide at the first corner following the restart, Coronel moved up to sixth, and he found a way past Gavrilov for fifth on the penultimate lap, having applied pressure to the CUPRA driver throughout the race.

Gavrilov took sixth, ahead of the recovering Jelmini – who had dropped to eighth briefly – in seventh.

Halder Motorsport’s Jack Young was eighth, the Northern Irishman struggling to make gains in the race and unable to capitalise on Jelmini’s mistake, despite briefly being in front.

Indeed Young was under heavy pressure from behind, and on lap seven he was hit by the Hyundai of Jáchym Galáš at Les Combes, although he held the slide. Young prevailed to end the race as the best-placed Honda driver.

The top ten was completed by Galáš, who has pole for race two, and Volcano Motorsport’s Evgenii Leonov, the latter after a mistake from Viktor Davidovski, who ran wide through the gravel.

John Filippi looked set for a top ten finish, the Sébastien Loeb Racing driver having run in ninth with three laps to go. But on lap eight he went through the gravel and dropped to 12^th, taking the chequered flag just behind Davidovski.

As well as Rubén Fernández, the two Brutal Fish Racing Hondas of Pepe Oriola and Martin Ryba retired on the opening lap. Oriola was knocked into the gravel on the exit of the first corner, whilst Ryba came together with Fernández and picked up damage.

Mat’o Homola retired to the pits after six laps with an issue on his Hyundai.

Race two is scheduled to get underway at 11:35 CEST (10:35 BST) on Sunday.

Race result

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	26			Isidro CALLEJAS	Volcano Motorsport	CUPRA Leon Competición TCR	10	29:20.887	2:32.620	3
2	72			Franco GIROLAMI	Comtoyou Racing	Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021	10	1.606	2:32.492	1
3	99			Josh FILES	Target Motorsport	Hyundai Elantra N TCR	10	3.866	2:32.643	6
4	8			Nicola BALDAN	Target Competition	Hyundai Elantra N TCR	10	4.363	2:33.147	4
5	33			Tom CORONEL	Comtoyou Racing	Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021	10	9.964	2:34.153	9
6	14			Klim GAVRILOV	Volcano Motorsport	CUPRA Leon Competición TCR	10	11.95	2:34.389	2
7	44			Felice JELMINI	Target Competition	Hyundai Elantra N TCR	10	12.462	2:34.309	5
8	62			Jack YOUNG	Halder Motorsport	Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR	10	17.384	2:34.588	7
9	24			Jáchym GALÁŠ	Janík Motorsport	Hyundai Elantra N TCR	10	18.777	2:34.526	10
10	16			Evgenii LEONOV	Volcano Motorsport	CUPRA Leon Competición TCR	10	20.407	2:34.893	16
11	110			Viktor DAVIDOVSKI	Comtoyou Racing	Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021	10	23.695	2:35.514	15
12	27			John FILIPPI	Sébastien Loeb Racing – Bardahl Team	CUPRA Leon Competición TCR	10	24.250	2:34.874	11
13	7			Mike HALDER	Halder Motorsport	Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR	10	24.717	2:35.655	13
14	19			Felipe FERNÁNDEZ Gil	RC2 Junior Team	CUPRA Leon Competición TCR	10	25.175	2:35.053	20
15	111			Marco BUTTI	Élite Motorsport by Comtoyou	Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021	10	26.311	2:34.956	14
16	53			Michelle HALDER	Halder Motorsport	Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR	10	30.073	2:35.847	18
17	37			Sergio LÓPEZ	RC2 Junior Team	CUPRA Leon Competición TCR	10	34.478	2:35.949	22
18	3			Giacomo GHERMANDI	Lema Racing	CUPRA Leon Competición TCR	10	35.714	2:36.413	17
R	70			Mat’o HOMOLA	Janík Motorsport	Hyundai Elantra N TCR	6	DNF	2:35.372	8
R	17			Martin RYBA	Brutal Fish Racing Team	Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR	1	DNF	3:06.213	21
R	74			Pepe ORIOLA	Brutal Fish Racing Team	Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR	1	DNF	3:49.616	12
R	12			Rubén FERNÁNDEZ Gil	RC2 Junior Team	Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021	0	DNF	N/A	19
NS	46			Caren BURTON	Burton Racing	Peugeot 308 TCR	–	WDR	N/A	–