Reigning TCR World Tour champion Norbert Michelisz claimed victory in the opening race of the 2024 season at Vallelunga, the Hyundai racer fighting back past Cyan Racing’s Yann Ehrlacher for the win.
Having qualified on pole, Michelisz then lost the lead at the start as Ehrlacher got off to a stronger getaway than his rival.
But the two-time WTCR champion would only lead the opening lap, as Michelisz got a better run out of the final corner on lap two to power past the Lynk & Co on the run to the end of the second lap.
Michelisz was then able to build a near two-second advantage to Ehrlacher over the following laps, to claim his fifth TCR World Tour win.
Ehrlacher had no answer to Michelisz’s pace after being passed and had to settle for second, whilst the podium was completed by GOAT Racing’s Esteban Guerrieri, who had kept Ehrlacher honest for much of the race.
An exciting battle for fourth quickly developed in the 15-lap sprint race. Initially the place was held by Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk ahead of GOAT’s Marco Butti, but as Butti tried to overtake Björk on the second lap it allowed Hyundai’s Mikel Azcona to have a look.
The Swede’s defensive driving saw a six-car train develop, and on lap eight Butti finally got by the Lynk & Co driver for fourth, with Azcona following through then quickly also taking Butti in the process.
However, the young Italian was having none of it, and seized the place back from Azcona as they headed along the start-finish straight at the end of the next lap.
Butti then was able to hold on to fourth for the final laps, ahead of Azcona in fifth.
Björk had subsequently allowed team-mate Santiago Urrutia past on lap ten in the hope that the Uruguayan could catch and pass Azcona ahead, but as Urrutia lacked the pace to close in on the Spaniard, he yielded the place back to Björk on the final lap.
Urrutia thus finished in seventh, ahead of the final Cyan car of Ma Qing Hua in eighth.
The top ten was completed by Volcano Motorsport’s John Filippi and Hyundai’s Néstor Girolami, the latter having stalled from tenth at the start and dropped to the very back of the pack.
Volcano’s Sami Taoufik was the only retirement of the race, having picked up front-right damage to his Audi.
Race results
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP | GD |
| 1 | 105 |  |
Norbert MICHELISZ | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 15 | 25:41.522 | 1:41.846 | 1 | |
| 2 | 168 |  |
Yann EHRLACHER | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 15 | 1.758 | 1:41.746 | 2 | |
| 3 | 186 |  |
Esteban GUERRIERI | GOAT Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 15 | 2.911 | 1:41.682 | 3 | |
| 4 | 199 |  |
Marco BUTTI | GOAT Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 15 | 6.962 | 1:41.691 | 6 | |
| 5 | 196 |  |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 15 | 7.809 | 1:41.763 | 4 | |
| 6 | 111 |  |
Thed BJÖRK | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 15 | 12.217 | 1:41.993 | 5 | |
| 7 | 112 |  |
Santiago URRUTIA | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 15 | 13.142 | 1:41.822 | 9 | |
| 8 | 155 |  |
MA Qing Hua | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 15 | 13.812 | 1:41.994 | 7 | |
| 9 | 127 | |
John FILIPPI | Volcano Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 15 | 14.480 | 1:41.911 | 8 | |
| 10 | 129 | |
Néstor GIROLAMI | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 15 | 26.940 | 1:42.041 | 10 | |
| 11 | 15 | |
Filippo BARBERI | Aikoa Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 15 | 36.566 | 1:43.387 | 14 | |
| 12 | 1 | |
Sandro PELATTI | PMA Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 15 | 44.370 | 1:43.677 | 13 | |
| 13 | 82 | |
Jacopo CIMENES | MM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 15 | 44.758 | 1:43.466 | 11 | |
| 14 | 77 |  |
Philipp MATTERSDORFER | Duller Motorsport | Opel Astra TCR | 15 | 1:13.711 | 1:45.557 | 17 | |
| 15 | 39 |  |
Tony VERHULST | MM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 15 | 1:23.951 | 1:45.283 | 18 | |
| 16 | 4 | |
Giulio VALENTINI | GRT Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 14 | + 1 LAP | 1:48.174 | 19 | |
| 17 | 5 |  |
Demir ERÖGE | Aikoa Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 14 | + 1 LAP | 1:48.626 | 16 | |
| 18 | 34 | |
Ramazan KAYA | BF Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 14 | + 1 LAP | 1:48.100 | 20 | |
| 19 | 41 | |
Victor FERNÁNDEZ Gil | Auto Club RC2 Valles | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 13 | + 2 LAPS | 1:43.960 | 12 | |
| R | 212 |  |
Sami TAOUFIK | Volcano Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 2 | DNF | 1:44.406 | 15 |