Sami Taoufik says he had the pace ‘to go even further forward’ after finishing third in the opening TCR Europe race in Barcelona.
Moroccan racer Taoufik started the race in sixth but gradually moved up the field before being involved in a great battle with Pepe Oriola for second in the closing stages of the race.
Despite his best efforts – several times he attempted a move past the Spaniard including at the chicane on the final lap – Oriola held on to take second, but the Moroccan was happy with the pace of his Audi RS 3 LMS.
“Ever since the first lap I was a bit nervous because we went to the grid with wet tyres just to make sure it wasn’t a damp race,” explained Taouik.
“We got a good start, but I got overtaken by my two teammates before I passed them again after a couple of laps.
“I knew I had the pace to go even further forward but sadly I got stuck behind Pepe Oriola in third place. In different circumstances I think I could have finished first but I’m happy with what I did.”
The ComtoYou Racing man, who was fastest in both free practice sessions earlier in the weekend, added: “Tomorrow we’ll hope for the best and hopefully aim for the same kind of result or even better.
“We had a radio problem in Qualifying and I thought they were calling me to the pits in Q2, so I came in one lap too early.
“They managed to do the setup and the whole session we intended to do so that put us in sixth position. Tomorrow we start from P5, so positive vibes we can do the same as we did today.”
Race two in Barcelona is set to get underway tomorrow at 13:55 CEST (12:55 BST).