Target Competition’s Stefano Comini took his secon win of the year ahead of team-mates Michel Nykjær and Andrea Belicchi in an eventful second TCR International Series race in Valencia.
Pole man Gianni Morbidelli got off to a slow start in the race, which allowed Campos Racing’s Oscar Nogués Farré to draw alongside. However the duo made contact along the main straight, which pitched Nogués into the path of the fast-starting SEAT of Jordi Gené. Both drivers were out of the race on the spot after contact with the barriers just after the pit exit.
The incident brought out the safety car, but there was further drama as Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Mikhail Grachev crashed into the back of team-mate Franz Engstler, putting the Russian out of the race whilst Engstler continued.
The race resumed on lap five, with Comini leading team-mate Nykjær and Craft-Bamboo Lukoil’s Sergey Afanasyev. At this point, the fastest man on the circuit was race one winner Pepe Oriola, who got past Afansyev at turn four on lap five.
Oriola then spent the next laps challenging Nykjær for second, but contact with the Dane on lap seven allowed Dutch youngster Bas Schouten to slip into third, with Oriola in fourth. The Spniard would remain in fourth until he, along with several other drivers, was handed a drive-through penalty for having overtaken under the safety car, dropping him to sixth, where he finished.
A raft of penalties for overtaking behind the safety car for Pepe Oriola, Afansyev, Belicchi, David Cebrian, Lucile Cypriano and Lorenzo Veglia meant that Belicchi took third, although the Italian did not serve his penalty and will be investigated after the race.
As a result of the penalties, Morbidelli finished in fourth ahead of team-mate Kevin Gleason, although both drivers struggled for pace during the race.
Pepe Oriola was sixth after taking his earlier penalty, keeping the Spaniard in championship contention.
David Cebrián Ariza was seventh, ahead of Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s only finisher Lorenzo Veglia. Bas Schouten was classified in ninth, with the Dutch driver holding his own in a podium position in the first half of the race, before he slowed dramatically exiting the final turn with mechanical problems on his SEAT. Afanasyev completed the top ten, one lap down.
Top ten result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME/GAP | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 25 | Stefano COMINI |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 17 | 33:54.125 | 1:43.456 | 8 |
| 2 | 17 | Michel NYKJÆR |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 17 | 7.775 | 1:43.403 | 7 |
| 3 | 33 | Andrea BELICCHI |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 17 | 9.205 | 1:43.918 | 9 |
| 4 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI | |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 17 | 17.732 | 1:43.814 | 1 |
| 5 | 24 | Kevin GLEASON |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 17 | 29.735 | 1:44.280 | 12 |
| 6 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 17 | 31.723 | 1:43.251 | 10 |
| 7 | 32 | David CEBRIÁN Ariza | |
JSB Compétition | SEAT León Racer | 17 | 32.501 | 1:43.563 | 11 |
| 8 | 7 | Lorenzo VEGLIA | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | SEAT León Racer | 17 | 35.679 | 1:43.468 | 16 |
| 9 | 34 | Bas SCHOUTEN |  |
ST Motorsport / Bas Koeten Racing | SEAT León Racer | 16 | 1 Lap | 1:43.427 | 2 |
| 10 | 77 | Sergey AFANASYEV |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 16 | 1 Lap | 1:43.663 | 6 |