Josh Files maximised his front row grid position to claim victory in the first TCR Europe Trophy race at the Adria International Raceway in Italy, with the Target Competition driver finishing ahead of Hyundai’s Gabriele Tarquini.
Files seized the lead at the very start of the race, passing pole-sitter Tarquini into the first turn as behind them the second Target Competition Honda of Giacomo Altoè tried to make it a three-way battle for the lead.
The shape of the race then emerged by the end of the first lap, with the leading trio breaking free from the rest of the pack, making it clear that it was either going to be Files, Tarquini or Altoè on the top step of the podium.
In the end Tarquini, who is not eligible to score points this weekend, failed to muster a move on Files, allowing the Brit and three-time TCR Champion to take the win and the advantage in the battle for the prized Trophy.
Tarquini was within a second of Files for much of the race, but the veteran Italian eventually finished just under two seconds adrift, with Altoè completing the podium and looking faster than the Hyundai ahead of him late in the race.
Fourth in the early stages of the race had been held by the V-Action Alfa Romeo of Luigi Ferrara, but the Italian was given a drive-through penalty for not respecting track limits early on and he dropped out of the position.
That handed fourth to DG Sport Compétition’s Aurélien Comte in his Peugeot 308, with the Frenchman having got off to a superb start when the lights went out to move from ninth on the grid to fifth by the end of the first lap.
LMS Racing’s Antti Buri finished in fifth, the Finn having made all of his progress on the first lap, ahead of WRT Racing’s Maxime Potty in sixth, who was the leading Volkswagen driver.
Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Florian Thoma was seventh and the sole finisher from the German team after Luca Engstler developed a technical issue on his Golf after 11 laps whilst running in tenth.
Giovanni Altoè, the brother of Giacomo, took eighth and was the leading driver racing with a DSG gearbox, ahead of the recovering Ferrara in ninth. Sandro Pelatti completed the top ten ahead of Ermanno Dionisio in 11th who took the final point due to Tarquini’s transparency in the points-paying positions.
Contact on the final lap between Olli Kangas and Lev Tolkachev dropped the Russian two places, whilst Kangas crossed the line in 12th overall, ahead of Plamen Kralev and Tolkachev.
Tecnodom’s Kevin Giacon failed to take the start due to turbo issues on his Opel Astra TCR.
The second race takes place at 14:35 CET (13:35 GMT).
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 99 | Josh FILES |  |
Target Competition | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 20 | 20 LAPS | 1:20.534 | 2 |
| 2 | 30 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 20 | 1.980 | 1:20.367 | 1 |
| 3 | 21 | Giacomo ALTOÈ | |
Target Competition | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 20 | 2.495 | 1:20.385 | 3 |
| 4 | 7 | Aurélien COMTE |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Peugeot 308 Racing Cup | 20 | 28.785 | 1:21.500 | 9 |
| 5 | 10 | Antti BURI |  |
LMS Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 20 | 31.460 | 1:21.545 | 7 |
| 6 | 88 | Maxime POTTY |  |
WRT Racing Team | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 20 | 31.951 | 1:21.608 | 6 |
| 7 | 39 | Florian THOMA |  |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 20 | 34.575 | 1:21.516 | 10 |
| 8 | 52 | Giovanni ALTOÈ | |
Giovanni Altoè | Volkswagen Golf GTi DSG | 20 | 36.743 | 1:21.695 | 12 |
| 9 | 16 | Luigi FERRARA | |
V-Action Racing Team | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 20 | 42.058 | 1:21.473 | 5 |
| 10 | 53 | Sandro PELATTI | |
Sandro Pelatti | Volkswagen Golf GTi DSG | 20 | 46.153 | 1:21.922 | 17 |
| 11 | 54 | Ermanno DIONISIO | |
Ermanno Dionisio | Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG | 20 | 56.837 | 1:22.688 | 18 |
| 12 | 4 | Olli KANGAS | |
LMS Racing | SEAT León TCR | 20 | 1:03.118 | 1:22.811 | 15 |
| 13 | 44 | Plamen KRALEV |  |
Kraf Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 20 | 1:04.471 | 1:22.122 | 11 |
| 14 | 15 | Lev TOLKACHEV |  |
Innocenti – AMG Motorsport | SEAT León TCR DSG | 20 | 1:08.532 | 1:22.723 | 14 |
| 15 | 77 | Denis GRIGORIEV | |
Innocenti – AMG Motorsport | SEAT León TCR DSG | 20 | 1:19.536 | 1:22.855 | 16 |
| 16 | 11 | Francisco ABREU |  |
Team NOVADRIVER | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 19 | + 1 LAP | 1:21.550 | 8 |
| 17 | 76 | Daniele CAPPELLARI | |
Daniele Cappellari | SEAT León TCR DSG | 18 | + 2 LAPS | 1:22.089 | 19 |
| 18 | 8 | Luca ENGSTLER |  |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 17 | + 3 LAPS | 1:21.494 | 4 |
| NS | 5 | Kevin GIACON | |
Tecnodom | Opel Astra TCR | – | DNS | N/A | 13 |
| NS | 55 | Giovanni BERTON | |
Giovanni Berton | Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG | – | DNS | N/A | 20 |