FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) title contender Yann Ehrlacher underlined the importance of striking back at Slovakia Ring this weekend to keep himself in a favourable position in the standings.
The ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport racer was caught up in the widely-publicised opening lap pile up during the opening race in Vila Real three weeks ago.
Though he was fortunate in that his Honda Civic Type R was able to contest the final two races of the weekend in Portugal, the gap to uncle Yvan Muller at the top of the standings is now 22 points, with a maximum score of 87 available this weekend.
The Frenchman is also currently tied for the runner-up spot in the points table, with another touring car veteran in Gabriele Tarquini (BRC Racing Team) to contend with.
Ehrlacher has never competed at the 3.6 mile Slovakia Ring before, but believes the inherent traits of his car put him in a good position heading into the weekend.
“After Portugal didn’t go the way we’d planned – through no fault of our own – it’s important to bounce back in Slovakia and put ourselves in a strong position as we head into the summer break,” commented Ehrlacher.
“Although I’ve never driven at the circuit, it has a lot of long, fast corners and the Honda Civic Type R TCR should be incredibly well-suited for it.
“A victory plus France winning the World Cup on Sunday would make it a perfect weekend for me.”
The action gets underway with the opening free practice session at 11:40 BST.