Points leader Gabriele Tarquini says he will focus on scoring consistently in this weekend’s FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) races at Ningbo in China, the first of two consecutive events in the country.
Tarquini currently leads the standings by just three points ahead of fellow Hyundai racer Yvan Muller, thanks in part to claiming his fourth victory of the season last time out in Slovakia in July.
But the BRC Racing driver is not taking anything for granted, knowing that he could easily suffer from a point-less weekend again, just as he did in the third event in Germany.
“Like the previous races I will approach each event race by race because everything can happen,” said Tarquini. “At some race weekends I scored more than 60 points, at other weekends I had three zeros.
“It is easy to have a strange weekend and to lose a lot of points. The best thing is to be concentrating on points every race. It’s important to score 20 or 25 points per weekend, this could be very important until the end of the season.
“There are three races each weekend and the gap is small. Other drivers will join the title battle, not just me and Yvan.”
Tarquini admits it is unlikely that his experience of the Ningbo International Speedpark in last year’s WTCC races will prove to be much of an advantage, due to the circuit being a washout all weekend for its first major event.
“It’s finally time to start again – it was a long break from the races and I can’t wait to get back in the Hyundai i30 N TCR in Ningbo.
“I took the opportunity during the summer for a mountain holiday with my family and the only chance I had for some driving was during my visit to the first TCR Korea race.
“I raced last year in Ningbo in the WTCC, but unfortunately it was a totally wet weekend and we could never try dry tires.
“If it rains again, it would be a small advantage for those who raced last year. The track is very interesting, and I think that our Hyundai should be competitive.”