Mike Halder was hugely relieved for his team to score a 1-2 result in the opening weekend of TCR Europe at the Autodromo do Algarve, after having struggled for budget in 2021.
Halder Motorsport took part in the inaugural season of TCR Spain last year, having struggled to secure the budget to remain in TCR Europe.
The German outfit had previously contested TCR Europe in 2020, following a last-minute switch from TCR Germany, but was unable to keep continuity on its side.
Having regrouped in the winter, Halder announced a return to TCR Europe in 2022 with a three-car squad, as he and sister Michelle are joined by Northern Irishman Jack Young, who went on to win the opening race.
For Halder, 26, a 1-2 result in the opening race, after he had earlier put his Honda Civic on pole with Young in second, marked an ‘unbelievable’ result.
“It feels unbelievable,” admitted Halder. “Overall, it was a very bad year last year with our budget for the whole team.
“But now we come back to TCR Europe and like this it’s unbelievable to be first and second in the first race, and P1 and P2 in the Qualifying too.
“Jack did a really nice job, so my congratulations to him. He had a really good pace over the distance, I tried to keep with his pace and follow him as best as I could, but at the end of the day a double podium for us as a team is just unbelievable.”