It’s been seven long weeks since the FIA World Touring Car Cup was last in action at the Hungaroring. But now, albeit with a much-changed calendar due to Covid difficulties, the series is set to get up and running again this weekend. For the first time since adopting TCR regulations, world touring car racing is heading to Czechia.
What to expect from Autodrom Most
When the series last visited the Czech Republic between 2006-2011, the Masaryk circuit in Brno was the sole venue used. However, that trend is set to change in the new era of world touring cars, as Autodrom Most gets ready to become the championship’s second ever Czech host.
That said, this won’t be the first time that TCR cars have been raced here. Autodrom Most was actually part of the TCR Germany Series calendar between 2018-2019, with the races held there proving to be suitably entertaining. In fact, the WTCR’s very own Luca Engstler was on that 2018 grid, though the circuit may not hold the fondest of memories for the youngster.
While in close proximity to the two other leading cars, Engstler celebrated across the line a lap too early, gifting second place to Michelle Halder. The German still managed to salvage a podium finish on that occasion though, and is optimistic about the sort of racing we can expect to see at Most this weekend. “The track is really nice with a long straight,” he said. “So there will be a bit of slipstream strategy and many overtaking manoeuvres.”
Another driver with experience of the Czech circuit is Cyan Racing’s Thed Bjork, who competed there successfully in the early 2000s. Like Engstler, the Swede is feeling positive about what lies ahead. “I feel so familiar to the track and the surroundings and that gives me a really positive boost,” he said. “I like the track even though it was fourteen years ago since I was last there.
“We’re going to have some interesting races because it’s a track where a lot of things can happen with overtaking possibilities.”
However, keen to get up to speed, many of the other WTCR drivers have taken to their simulators to get some practice in around the Most circuit. One such driver is Esteban Guerrieri, and he too seems to be fairly convinced of the layout’s ability to produce a spectacle.
“It’s a lot of fun to drive in the simulator and maybe the first chicane will be the place for overtaking,” he explained. “There is a lot of combined corners, left-right and medium- speed corners where tyre consumption will be a factor.”
Changes to the entry list
Referring again to that ill-fated 2018 race, the eventual winner after Engstler’s blunder was none other than local driver, Petr Fulin. Now, three years later, the 44 year-old Czech driver will make his return to the Most circuit as a WTCR wildcard entry.
Fulin, who has appeared as a wildcard in both the 2018 and 2020 seasons of WTCR, considered it “inconceivable” for him not to be on the grid for the first world touring car race at his home track. Happily, a deal was struck which will see him join the grid in his privately-run CUPRA Leon. However, with 10kg of ‘wildcard ballast’ and a significant amount of time away from the race seat to contend with, it’ll be far from an easy homecoming for the multiple European touring car champion.
Sadly, while the paddock welcomes one team to the WTCR fold at Autodrom Most, it will also be saying goodbye to another. Target Competition embarked on their first full-season WTCR campaign this year, with siblings Andreas & Jessica Backman behind the wheel of two Hyundai Elantra Ns. Unfortunately though, the former TCR Europe stars were left feeling disappointed by the results that they’ve been able to achieve thus far on the world stage. As such, the amiable pair have decided to step back from driving duties for the remainder of the season.
For the Backmans, the focus is very much on being able to go away and come back stronger in the future, so hopefully this will only be a temporary farewell. Target Competition, meanwhile, intends to be back on the WTCR grid a bit sooner. With two new drivers, the Italian team aims to return to the championship in time for their home race at Adria International Raceway in November.
CUPRA, Hyundai and Lynk & Co dealt ballast blow
The latest WTCR compensation weight rulings have been announced ahead of the round at Autodrom Most. These ballast distributions are calculated from average lap times set across previous qualifying sessions and races, and this time around it’s the CUPRA contingent who have been the most hamstrung. Zengo Motorsport will have to run an extra 20kg of ballast onboard their quartet of Leon Competicions.
Elsewhere, Hyundai and Lynk & Co gain an extra 10kg of ballast each, compared to their respective kerb weights from the Hungaroring.
So, with that in mind, Honda may be feeling positive about their chances in Czechia – though the Civic FK8 TCR does still remain the heaviest car overall, weighing in at 1345kg (10kg heavier than the Hyundai and the Lynk & Co despite their ballast increases).
As a result, it may therefore be Audi who come out on top, especially given the high speed nature of this circuit which should be well-suited to the saloon body style of the RS3 LMS. However, touring car racing rarely pans out how you expect it to…
A mid-season refresher
It’s been quite a while since the last round of the WTCR, so here’s a quick reminder of the state of play heading into round five of the season.
At the moment, it’s all looking rosy for Cyan Racing Lynk & Co. Reigning drivers’ champion Yann Ehrlacher leads the standings with 103 points to his name. However, stablemate Santiago Urrutia is only two points further back, and only seems to be getting better as his touring car career progresses.
The first non-Lynk & Co equipped driver in the standings is Hyundai’s Jean-Karl Vernay. The Frenchman had led the standings for the majority of the year, but a brace of disappointing results last time out in Hungary saw him fall off his perch at the top of the table. Nevertheless, with plenty of points still up for grabs in 2021, the third-placed man is still firmly in contention.
The remainder of the top five is somewhat of a surprise. Belgian Audi drivers Gilles Magnus and Frederic Vervisch both endured a tough start to the season, but now after four podiums between them in the past three races (including a victory apiece), they find themselves in fourth and fifth overall.
CUPRA’s WTCR campaign has yet to really get going in truth. Two podiums for Mikel Azcona in Hungary has at least catapulted him up into eighth, while pole position for Rob Huff filled the team with hope. Unfortunately though, damage picked up in the opening race there couldn’t be repaired in time for the Brit to take his place on the starting grid for race two, meaning that it was another disappointing weekend for the marque overall. That state of play doesn’t look likely to change this weekend either, especially given their ballast hike.
Last but not least, we come to Honda. The ALL-INKL Munnich Motorsport team started the season with such promise. However, victories for Tiago Monteiro and Attila Tassi were soon followed by a rotten lack of performance in their cars at Motorland Aragon, and little improvement at the Hungaroring. Bizarrely, that has meant that their regular talisman Guerrieri has yet to set foot on the podium this season. He has, nonetheless, picked up points where he could, and remains just about within realistic title contention in ninth overall – 31 points behind Ehrlacher. Honda will desperately need a change of fortune though, and fast, if those title hopes are to remain genuinely credible.
WTCR action kicks off on Friday 8th October, with Free Practice One set to get underway at 12:00 local time (11:00 BST), ahead of qualifying on the same afternoon at 16:45 (15:45 BST).