PCR Sport’s Mikel Azcona held off KCMG’s Attila Tassi for victory in the opening TCR Europe race of the weekend at Zandvoort, as a big start-line accident wiped out three cars.
At the start pole-sitter Jaap van Lagen made a poor getaway, dropping to fifth as Tassi took the early lead.
However, a big shunt further back in the pack meant that there would be just one lap of racing, with Azcona passing Tassi for the lead at Turn 8 before encountering the safety car.
The accident at the start occurred when Target Competition’s Reece Barr moved over into M1RA’s Dániel Nagy, with the wheel-to-wheel contact sending Barr across the circuit and into the barriers.
As Barr bounced back into the pack, Igor Stefanovski took avoiding action and pushed the Peugeot of Julien Briché into the pit wall, with both the Hyundai and Peugeot out on the spot.
When the race resumed after two laps behind the safety car, Azcona got a strong restart and controlled the rest of the race, with Tassi unable to take the fight to the CUPRA driver and having to settle for second.
However, the Hungarian’s position was not assured and a comeback drive from the Audi of Jaap van Lagen, who had worked his way into third three laps earlier, almost secured him second.
In the end Van Lagen had to settle for third, ahead of the second KCMG Honda of Josh Files, who took fourth after losing out on a podium on lap seven to the Dutchman.
Dušan Borković was the best-placed of the Target Competition drivers in fifth, although Azcona has cut his points lead to just eight after the race.
Stian Paulsen came through from tenth on the grid to take sixth, having past Nagy for the position on the fourth lap when racing resumed.
Nagy himself was seventh, ahead of the second PCR CUPRA of Danny Kroes in eighth.
M1RA’s Francisco Mora and Jens Reno Møller completed the top ten after the duo spent much of the second part battling for position.
Comtoyou Racing’s Maxime Potty retired from the race on lap five after the Volkswagen driver appeared to lock his brakes at Turn 1 and went straight on into the Tarzan gravel.
The second TCR Europe race takes place at 14:55 CEST (13:55 BST) on Monday.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 25 | Mikel AZCONA |  |
PCR Sport | CUPRA TCR | 12 | 12 LAPS | 1:46.373 | 2 |
| 2 | 9 | Attila TASSI |  |
Hell Energy Racing with KCMG | Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR | 12 | 1.806 | 1:47.237 | 3 |
| 3 | 46 | Jaap VAN LAGEN |  |
Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 12 | 2.188 | 1:46.939 | 1 |
| 4 | 99 | Josh FILES |  |
Hell Energy Racing with KCMG | Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR | 12 | 5.352 | 1:47.721 | 6 |
| 5 | 62 | Dušan BORKOVIĆ |  |
Target Competition | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 5.956 | 1:47.917 | 4 |
| 6 | 34 | Stian PAULSEN |  |
Stian Paulsen Racing | CUPRA TCR | 12 | 10.652 | 1:47.184 | 10 |
| 7 | 999 | Dániel NAGY | |
M1RA | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 12.978 | 1:47.944 | 7 |
| 8 | 38 | Danny KROES | |
PCR Sport | CUPRA TCR | 12 | 13.052 | 1:47.629 | 9 |
| 9 | 26 | Francisco MORA |  |
M1RA | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 14.112 | 1:48.044 | 17 |
| 10 | 11 | Jens Reno MØLLER |  |
Reno Racing | Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR | 12 | 17.730 | 1:48.190 | 8 |
| 11 | 23 | Francisco ABREU | |
Sports & You | Peugeot 308 TCR | 12 | 20.237 | 1:48.492 | 14 |
| 12 | 20 | Márk JEDLÓCZKY | |
JLG Sport | CUPRA TCR | 12 | 22.847 | 1:48.941 | 15 |
| 13 | 14 | Loris CENCETTI |  |
Autodis Racing by Piro Sports | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 26.130 | 1:48.997 | 20 |
| 14 | 94 | Kris RICHARD |  |
Target Competition | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 26.426 | 1:48.877 | 22 |
| 15 | 10 | Viktor DAVIDOVSKY |  |
PSS Racing Team | Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR | 12 | 33.466 | 1:49.626 | 18 |
| 16 | 17 | Martin RYBA |  |
Brutal Fish Racing Team | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 12 | 40.273 | 1:49.656 | 19 |
| 17 | 13 | Cedric PIRO |  |
Autodis Racing by Piro Sports | Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR | 12 | 40.541 | 1:49.554 | 16 |
| R | 88 | Maxime POTTY |  |
Comtoyou Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 4 | DNF | 1:49.501 | 13 |
| R | 21 | Marie BAUS-COPPENS |  |
JSB Compétition | CUPRA TCR DSG | 2 | DNF | N/A | 21 |
| R | 8 | Reece BARR |  |
Target Competition | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 5 |
| R | 7 | Igor STEFANOVSKI | |
Stefanovski Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 11 |
| R | 4 | Julien BRICHÉ | |
JSB Compétition | Peugeot 308 TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 12 |