Josh Files says he is happy to have taken the advantage in the TCR Europe Trophy after qualifying in second, with the Target Competition driver bagging five points as a result of pole-sitter Gabriele Tarquini being ineligible for points.
Files trailed Hyundai’s Tarquini by 0.177 seconds on Saturday, but ended up securing five points nonetheless due to the temporary nature of the i30’s homologation.
That gives the two-time TCR Germany champion a total of ten points in the trophy, adding to the five points he secured in pre-qualifying.
“I’m really happy with the performance of the car, we worked very hard yesterday,” said Files. “We managed to save a lot of tyres throughout the free practice sessions as a result, so I could actually have two runs on new tyres in Q2, which was really important for that final lap.
“I couldn’t have beaten Tarquini, but I could have matched him had I not been held up, so I’m happy!”
Files is now one point ahead of team-mate Giacomo Altoè, who also scooped five points ahead of the event and took four for qualifying in third.
“It was quite good for me in qualifying,” said Altoè. “My aim was for pole position but I didn’t manage it.
“I’m proud because I was only slower than Josh by about three tenths, so it was good because Josh is a very good benchmark for me. The car is fast but not easy to drive, so I’m still getting used to it.”