Mikel Azcona declared himself ‘really happy’ with the performance of his CUPRA after topping the opening session of the TCR Europe title decider in Barcelona by half a second.
The Spaniard arrives at the 2.8 mile Catalan venue with a 19-point margin over the Audi RS 3 LMS of Jean-Karl Vernay, and will wrap up the title with a 7-point swing in the opener.
He believes his consistency has been key in the run of form leading up to this point, with only a solitary win at Zandvoort to his name in 2018.
“I think I am the most consistent driver of the season because I don’t have any non-scores, no crashes and this is the most important. It’s why I’m leading the championship,” Azcona told TouringCars.net.
“I only have one win, at Zandvoort, but I have the most points at the moment.”
A bumper 32-grid is bolstered this weekend by a number of high-profile guest stars – including FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) front-runner Norbert Michelisz and 2017 British Touring Car Champion Ash Sutton.
Despite that, Azcona believes competing for the title amongst such esteemed competition is only a benefit to him, allowing for a more direct comparison.
“I am very happy to compete with these professional drivers, like Michelisz, Berthon and Vernay,” he added.
“They are very good drivers and they come from the world championship, so for me, it’s perfect to drive with them and compare myself against them.
“I am ready to fight for the win with them.”
Reflecting on his work in the morning session, Azcona believes a number of changes to the CUPRA paid dividends, allowing him to go fastest on worn rubber.
“I was the fastest driver, on used tyres, making a lot of changes to the setup to make a good car, so I’m really happy.
“Now after FP1 I am more relaxed because I was P1.”
He also admitted that, realistically, his focus this weekend needs to be on the fortunes of Vernay and Dusan Borkovic, with the pair the only ones likely to disrupt Azcona’s title efforts.
“We need to think about Vernay and Borkovic because they are our rivals and we need to beat them. If we can win the races then that is better but we are focusing on those two in particular.”
The second practice session gets underway at 16:05 CEST.