Mike Halder was delighted with his first TCR Europe win of the season at the Norisring, describing it as ‘a dream come true’ and that the street circuit is ‘like a small Monaco’.
Halder claimed a lights-to-flag win in Saturday’s opening contest in Nuremberg, although it was far from a straightforward victory for the German driver.
The 26-year-old almost lost the lead on the opening lap when Felice Jelmini passed him before the first corner, although the Italian carried too much speed in and spun in front of the field.
Even then, Halder had to sustain race-long pressure from both Josh Files and Mikel Azcona before claiming what would be his third outright victory in the European TCR series.
“What a race here in Germany,” said Halder. “I was very happy after P1 in qualifying and now P1 in the race, what a feeling!
“All the sponsors, all our teams, everybody is here and it’s so amazing to win here. Thanks to the whole team; this win was for the mechanics.
“We had a lot of work to do with the cars for the last few weeks, and now we won and that’s the result of that hard work.
“I think every German driver dreams of winning a race here and now I have done it and it’s incredible. It’s like a small Monaco for us here in Germany and it’s very special. Perfect!”
Halder has leapt up to sixth overall in the drivers’ standings after his first win on the year, although he is 101 points from the top of the table.
Race two is on Sunday at 17:00 CEST (16:00 BST).