Josh Files admits he took a ‘calculated risk’ when he attempted to pass Maxime Potty and Antti Buri in the second TCR Europe Trophy race at Adria, where contact with Buri ended the Brit’s title hopes.
Files started the reverse-grid race from ninth on the grid and knew that he would need to make progress in order to win the title.
The Target Competition driver was running in fifth position, which at the time would not have been enough to take the title, when he lined up a move on Potty and Buri into the first corner.
Unfortunately for Files, he made contact with the left-rear corner of Buri’s Audi, which broke the suspension on the Finn’s car.
Although Files was then able to catch and pass eventual TCR Europe Trophy winner Aurélien Comte, almost as soon as he had done so he was given a drive-through penalty, dropping him down the order and eventually leaving Files to finish in seventh.
“I believe my move at Turn 1 in race two was a calculated risk,” explained Files. “I actually made the apex, but it was just unfortunate that Antti Buri turned in.
“But, this is motorsport – I didn’t come here to finish second and just score points, I came here to win races.”
Files added that he enjoyed racing with touring car legend Gabriele Tarquini, who went on to win the second race after finishing the first in second.
“My goal was to get past Comte, which I did,” explained the two-time TCR Germany champion. “Then the team told me I had a drive through penalty, because I wanted to hunt down Tarquini for the win.
“I remember meeting Gabriele when I was three years old, in 1994 when he was racing in the BTCC. Not only did I get to race against him but also beat him in race one, so overall I’m very happy with the weekend.”