Occasion preview: FIA WTCR Shuffle of Macau
WTCR – FIA World Touring Automobile Cup introduced by OSCARO 2019
Rounds 25, 26 and 27 of 30, Circuito da Guia, 14-17 November
From Gigantic Suzuka to Mighty Macau, the flee to rep the 2019 WTCR – FIA World Touring Automobile Cup introduced by OSCARO continues unabated from 14-17 November with the driving force and team title battles wide open and hotly contested.
Esteban Guerrieri leads Norbert Michelisz on the #RoadToMalaysia – venue of the season perfect-finale subsequent month – by six aspects. But with a maximum of 85 up for grabs on Macau’s ultra-traumatic Circuito da Guia avenue tune, a complete host of drivers are firmly in the title combine.
They embody third-placed Thed Björk, the 2017 FIA World Touring Automobile champion, and his Cyan Racing Lynk & Co team-mate, the 2-time Macau Guia Shuffle winner Yvan Muller, judicious because the sphere’s most fine touring automotive driver.
Mikel Azcona, the tip rookie in fifth overall for CUPRA-powered PWR Racing, and Guerrieri’s ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda-equipped team-mate Néstor Girolami stay firmly in competitors for title glory. But while a 2nd consecutive WTCR / OSCARO crown stays mathematically that you would possibly also accumulate for Gabriele Tarquini, the Italian is prioritising helping BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team-mate Michelisz to help out the season on the tip of the table.
Measuring 6.120-kilometres in dimension, the Circuito da Guia is cherished and feared in equal measure. It blends tight turns and slim blasts with long, wide-open straights and sweeping corners – plus gradient changes – to create arguably the most traumatic and spectacular avenue circuits in existence.
Snatch Huff, whose nine Macau wins are more than any other driver or rider, is braced for the massive remark that awaits him and the different 31 drivers that would possibly contest the illustrious Guia Shuffle.
“Macau fully terrifies the life out of me,” acknowledged Huff, who drives a Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR for Sébastien Loeb Racing. “There isn’t very one of these thing as a room for error, but you rep to contain a tiny more in every nook. But the adaptation the build you are at and the build you rep to contain a tiny more is a day commute to sanatorium! On every nook. And it’s so simple as that. When you occur to open using the flit mirrors on the walls and also you attain out of every nook pondering ‘how on earth did I continue to exist that nook’, you’re virtually there, no longer moderately, but you’re virtually on the level, but then you undoubtedly’ve to transfer to at least one other step. You relief your breath for 2 minutes, 30 seconds every lap.”
Touring automotive racing has been held in this Special Administrative Position of the Americans’s Republic of China for more than half a century, with the illustrious Guia Shuffle first bustle in 1972. Having welcomed abet the WTCC in 2017 when Huff bagged a sage ninth rep, Macau hosted the thrilling seven-methodology inaugural WTCR / OSCARO season showdown in November 2018 when Tarquini beat Muller to the title by three aspects.
WTCR Shuffle of Macau, which counts because the Suncity Community Guia Shuffle, begins with free apply on Thursday 14 November followed by First and Second Qualifying on Friday 15 November. Shuffle 1 takes situation over eight laps from 14h55 local time on Saturday 16 November, with Shuffle 2 and Shuffle 3 scheduled for 08h45 and 11h25 on Sunday 17 November. Whereas Shuffle 2 is an eight-lap affair, Shuffle 3 is bustle over 11 laps. Click on here to hunt recordsdata from the timetable.
Local wildcards complete 32-automotive WTCR Shuffle of Macau line-up
Six local drivers were handed the probability to produce their skills in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Automobile Cup introduced by OSCARO. Billy Lo from Macau, who made his WTCR debut at his house occasion in 2018, shall be joined by Hong Kong-primarily based totally mostly drivers James Tang, Kwai Wah Wong, Arthur Rules and Terence Tse. These 5 are the wildcard racers nominated by Macau’s ASN, the Automobile Total Association Macao-China (AAMC). Jim Ka To, who made his WTCR debut for all-season entrant KCMG’s offshoot KC Motorgroup at WTCR JVCKENWOOD Shuffle of Japan final month, completes the wildcard checklist. Click on to hunt recordsdata from the clicking start.
Huff goes for sage-extending 10th Macau rep wary of advanced job
Snatch Huff shall be ‘scared’ when he bids for a sage-extending 10th victory on the streets of Macau. Huff has gained the Macau Substantial Prix’s legendary Guia Shuffle nine conditions, an achievement that has topped him the unofficial King of Macau, as no driver or rider has gained in the occasion’s other classes on more conditions. Click on to hunt recordsdata from the clicking start.
Macau success traditional to the build I am on the present time, says Priaulx
Andy Priaulx starts WTCR Shuffle of Macau hoping that passe glories can provide the impetus he must kick-open his, at conditions, “in point of fact demanding” first season in WTCR / OSCARO. Support in 2005, Priaulx arrived in Macau on the cusp of winning the FIA World Touring Automobile Championship. He duly delivered, going on to salvage it a hat-trick of WTCC titles with BMW, collectively with an towards-the-odds triumph in 2007. Click on to hunt recordsdata from the clicking start.
Dahlgren will get WTCR reward with PWR for house title triumph
Robert Dahlgren will salvage his WTCR – FIA World Touring Automobile Cup introduced by OSCARO debut at WTCR Shuffle of Macau as his reward for winning TCR Scandinavia this season. Dahlgren takes over the PWR Racing-bustle CUPRA TCR campaigned to this level in 2019 by team co-founder Daniel Haglöf in a transfer that’s also designed to bolster Mikel Azcona’s title remark. Azcona is fifth in the aspects and prime rookie in his first WTCR / OSCARO season for PWR Racing and would possibly presumably presumably additionally just be ready to count on Dahlgren’s skills and data of the Circuito da Guia, which dates abet to 2011 when the Swede topped the first qualifying session. Click on to hunt recordsdata from the clicking start.
Twenty-four races, 12 winners and a tightly-poised WTCR title tussle
Twelve drivers contain gained races in 2019, while all seven customer racing brands contain well-known flee victories to underline one other vastly competitive WTCR / OSCARO season. Click on here to hunt recordsdata from the provisional 2019 standings.
Welcome to the #WTCR2019SUPERGRID
The #WTCR2019SUPERGRID celebrates the actual fact that of the 26 all-season racers, seven contain gained 14 FIA world titles, while the others contain shared 29 main championships between them.
Gabriele Tarquini, who started his world title defence with the Shuffle 2 rep on the season-opening WTCR AFRIQUIA Shuffle of Morocco, carries the #1 on his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse i30 N TCR. The vastly experienced Tarquini took his 2nd victory of 2019 when he beat team-mate and residential hero Norbert Michelisz in the third flee in Hungary.
After lacking out on the inaugural WTCR / OSCARO crown by three aspects in a seven-methodology title decider in Macau final November, four-time world champion Yvan Muller is abet in a Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 TCR developed by Geely Community Motorsport from China. He took his first wins of the season at Lynk & Co’s house occasion in September to remark his emergence as a title contender.
Thed Björk partners Muller at Cyan Racing Lynk & Co and started his affirm for a 2nd FIA world crown by giving Lynk & Co an ancient victory in Morocco. After the Hungary and Slovakia weekends proved demanding compared, the Swede hit abet standard with a rep double in The Netherlands. The Swede climbed up to third in the rankings with a Shuffle 3 podium in Japan.
Snatch Huff (SLR VW Motorsport Golf GTI TCR), the 2012 WTCC champion, is one of 12 of the 15 winners from 2018 abet in skedaddle in 2019. After a traumatic open to the year, the Briton led in Slovakia and scored his first podium of the season in Japan final month.
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Group’s Augusto Farfus, has been compelled to leave out WTCR Shuffle of Macau attributable to the actual fact he’s defending his FIA GT World Cup title from 2018. Rising German star and TCR Asia champion Luca Engstler replaces him at BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Group.
Double FIA World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson (SLR Volkswagen) became a double WTCR winner with victory in Japan’s third flee. Then again, Macau is unchartered territory.
Fancy Kristoffersson, three-time WTCC champion Andy Priaulx (Cyan Performance Lynk & Co) is new to WTCR for 2019, but he’s but to savour the the same success as his Swedish rival, even supposing he led in China and used to be quickest in the gap two phases of Second Qualifying in Japan.
Winner of Shuffle 1 in Marrakech, Esteban Guerrieri (ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Form R TCR), topped the standings after the first flee in Hungary most attention-grabbing for his remark to unravel when broken steering brought about his Shuffle 3 shatter. He made amends with a combating 2nd situation in Shuffle 2 on the Slovakia Ring and retook prime map in the title table by winning Shuffle 2 at Zandvoort. Having held first overall for the length of the summer, a demanding Ningbo weekend intended the Argentine dropped to 2nd in the table. But he fought abet standard in Japan by winning Shuffle 1 and ending the weekend because the TAG Heuer Most Treasured Driver. He also gained Shuffle 3 in Macau final season.
Jean-Karl Vernay (Leopard Racing Group Audi Sport) had excessive hopes of his first 2019 victory in Hungary when he lined up on the reverse-grid Shuffle 2 pole. But a clutch remark intended a sluggish open ensuing in the Frenchman settling for 2nd sooner than impressive newcomer Daniel Haglöf (PWR Racing), who fingers over his CUPRA TCR to Robert Dahlgren for Macau, with the TCR Scandinavia champion making his WTCR / OSCARO debut.
Vernay’s team-mate Gordon Shedden and Comtoyou Racing pair Niels Langeveld and Frédéric Vervisch complete the Audi-powered attack with Vervisch winning in Slovakia – the tip outcomes of a formidable payment from ninth on the grid – and taking a podium double in Germany. In his first season in WTCR / OSCARO, Langeveld took a leap forward podium in Japan. Shedden gained as soon as final season and gained’t be giving up on his efforts to emulate that achievement in Macau, the build Vernay and Vervisch had been both victorious in 2018.
A different of keen younger weapons are traumatic the established dispute in 2019. They embody Mikel Azcona, who graduated to WTCR because the TCR Europe champion to flee a PWR-bustle CUPRA, and his discontinuance rival in most up-to-date seasons, Attila Tassi, the 20-year-mature Honda-powered KCMG driver. Although Vila Valid used to be unchartered territory for both abet in July, Tassi took the DHL Pole Region for Shuffle 3, while Azcona scored a leap forward rep in Shuffle 2. Azcona, the appropriate-placed rookie in the standings, used to be a podium finisher again in China, the build Honda-powered Tassi produced his highest-scoring weekend.
Kevin Ceccon (Group Mulsanne) and Yann Ehrlacher (Cyan Performance Lynk & Co) are already winners in WTCR, but at 26 and 23 respectively, they continue to be amongst an inventory of proficient kids that also contains Aurélien Panis, who has switched to CUPRA energy for 2019 with Comtoyou Group DHL CUPRA Racing and situation the fastest lap in Shuffle 1 in China. Ex-single-seater racer Ceccon scored a podium brace in Slovakia, while Ehrlacher led and used to be the TAG Heuer Most Treasured Driver in Vila Valid.
Tom Coronel, who has intensive skills in Macau, partners Panis at Comtoyou. His fellow Dutchman Nicky Catsburg (BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Group) is new to WTCR in 2019 having triumphed in the World Touring Automobile Championship previously. Benjamin Leuchter made the most of his Nordschleife data to attain an emotional house victory in Germany. Then again, Macau is a day commute into the unknown for the SLR Volkswagen driver.
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Honda-powered Argentine Néstor Girolami, one other series newcomer for this year, is a WTCC flee winner with three WTCR / OSCARO victories also to his title. Having became the first Chinese language to attain WTCR aspects in 2018, Ma Qinghua made more history because the first Chinese language driver to rep a WTCR / OSCARO flee when he triumphed in Shuffle 3 on the Slovakia Ring in his Group Mulsanne Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce by Romeo Ferraris.
Tiago Monteiro is in his first fleshy season since serious head and neck injuries ended his hopes of winning the WTCC title in 2017. The Portuguese, a System One podium finisher previously, drives a Honda Civic Form R TCR for Hong Kong-primarily based totally mostly KCMG. He returns to Macau the build he gained the Guia Shuffle in 2016 and stays on a excessive following his emotional house rep in Vila Valid in July.
Monteiro’s passe team-mate, Norbert Michelisz, is 2nd on the #RoadToMalaysia after collectively with victories in China and Japan to his triumphs in Germany and Portugal for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse. Mehdi Bennani, meanwhile, is playing rep-up in the WTCR / OSCARO standings but will survey abet to his Guia Shuffle triumph in 2017 for inspiration.
They acknowledged what? WTCR drivers on Mighty Macau
Right here is what a pair of of the #WTCR2019SUPERGRID people contain needed to teach about Macau.
Tom Coronel (Comtoyou DHL Group CUPRA Racing, CUPRA TCR): “Ought to you say a avenue circuit already a racing driver starts to salvage angry. You contain gotten gotten Monaco but then you undoubtedly’ve the following step and it’s Macau. You contain gotten gotten the excessive bolt, it’s so tight and it’s easy for somebody in front of you to salvage a mistake and that would possibly give you a enormous handicap ought to you shatter into them. When you’ve touched the barrier and had difficulty to your automotive it’s at all times a handicap all weekend. Your self belief shall be one step down and also you are going to by no methodology salvage it abet, by no methodology. When you contain a remark you are going to lift it admire a backpack fleshy with led for the the rest of the weekend. It is most reasonable to salvage in the Macau mode, in point of fact feel the atmosphere and taste the tune, the bumpiness, to soak up the stress of the whole remark at Macau. Right here is one of these numerous feeling you by no methodology contain that at a extra special flee tune.”
Esteban Guerrieri (ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, Honda Civic Form R TCR): “A really important fragment of Macau is to kind an correct qualifying and to kind that we contain to be competitive and contain an correct baseline from final year after we would possibly presumably presumably additionally rep. To qualify successfully it’s compulsory to kind Mandarin flat out. It’s a enormous-balls nook and this would presumably presumably give you additional time for free ought to you are prepared to transfer fleshy throttle in that nook in qualifying. It’s also compulsory to nail the 2nd sector, the mountain. It’s one of many nicest emotions as a driver to drive that sector in qualifying to the limit because it’s appropriate incredibly traumatic and I in point of fact rep to originate to the appropriate and provides all the pieces that you would possibly also accumulate. There would possibly be repeatedly enormous risks in Macau but I strive to be right and kind the appropriate I will be able to.”
Snatch Huff (SLR VW Motorsport, Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR): “I’m in point of fact all in favour of the Macau weekend, repeatedly, however the out of doorways rigidity will get increasingly more more after I was given the King of Macau title. I’ve had nine wins and folks request of you to blitz all americans again. But yearly it will get more difficult and more difficult. It is most reasonable to rethink the build I will be able to secure that further bit of time [that] I appear to contain had all my life in Macau. The WTCR is a knowledgeable championship and the extent is amazingly excessive, but it’s a sage I must elongate. We didn’t contain the starts we wanted in the races [last year]. The bolt used to be there and I had a spacious battle with Esteban [Guerrieri in Race 3]. The Audis would possibly presumably presumably additionally with out remark overtake on the straights even supposing. That’s no longer supreme but you contain to salvage the most of it. But I like avenue circuits, Macau is the avenue circuit and it appears to be like to were my toddler for more than 10 years and I hope that continues.”
Ma Qinghua (Group Mulsanne, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR by Romeo Ferraris): “It’s a 2nd house flee for me. It’s repeatedly been keen to flee in Macau attributable to the tune, what’s round and the oldsters. It’s going to be a tight flee and a traumatic flee. We now contain a automotive with the prospective to be competitive and we’ve made moderately a pair of progress in the previous couple of races. I was no longer doing a fleshy season after I raced at Macau final year so this year I shall be better willing. In 2017 I did the quickest lap in the flee, but previously after I raced in Macau there would possibly be one thing repeatedly no longer going too proper. I by no methodology had a possibility to build all the pieces collectively in Macau so fingers crossed for this year.”
Norbert Michelisz (BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, Hyundai i30 N TCR): “Macau for me is at possibility of be or the most traumatic circuit in the sphere along with the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Okay, it’s shorter than the Nürburgring, but you contain corners the build you are doing 230kph with concrete walls on the exit and it is crucial to protect moderately a pair of possibility to be fast. I repeatedly revel in being there, it’s a in point of fact high-quality situation, very high-quality ambiance, extra special tune and it’s an intense title battle. I request of Macau to be compulsory for the championship fight.”
Yvan Muller (Cyan Racing Lynk & Co): “The remark is 100 conditions bigger in Macau than wherever else. But Macau is Macau and we will by no methodology predict what goes to occur. In 2007 my automotive stopped on the final lap after I was in the lead and used to be the digital champion. But in 2008 I claimed my first world title in Macau.”
Jean-Karl Vernay (Leopard Racing Group Audi Sport, Audi RS 3 LMS): “I accumulate we’re going to contain a in point of fact appropriate automotive, no longer heavy, which on the whole makes a enormous distinction. Closing year we did a spacious qualifying with moderately a pair of ballast and gained a flee. I must kind the the same this year, that’s the main purpose on the tip of the season. I in point of fact feel confident and I am confident my team will give me the appropriate Audi RS 3 LMS, but now we contain to peek what the different guys kind, even supposing the long straights are appropriate for our automotive as we don’t contain too important stir. All I will be able to kind is drive at 100 per cent.”
All it is crucial to understand about WTCR Shuffle of Macau
THE ESSENTIALS
Rounds: 25-27 of 30
Venue: Circuito da Guia, Macau
Date: 14-17 November 2019
Region: 207 Avenue da Amiazade, Edif. kind Grande Premio, Macau
Dimension: 6.120 kilometres
Time zone: GMT 8 hours
Shuffle 1 distance: 8 laps (43.960 kilometres)
Shuffle 2 distance: 8 laps (48.960 kilometres)
Shuffle 3 distance: 11 laps (67.320 kilometres)
WTCR qualifying lap sage:
Snatch Huff (Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR), 2m29.040s (147.80kph), 16/11/18
WTCR flee lap sage:
Snatch Huff (Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR), 2m31.038s (145.80kph), 17/11/18
THE CHALLENGE
Macau’s 6.120-kilometre Circuito da Guia blends twisty turns and slim blasts with long, wide-open straights and sweeping corners – plus gradient changes – to create one of many most traumatic and spectacular avenue circuits in the sphere. Touring automotive racing has been held in this Special Administrative Position of the Americans’s Republic of China for more than half a century, with the illustrious Guia Shuffle first bustle in 1972. Having welcomed abet the WTCC in 2017 when Snatch Huff bagged a sage ninth rep, Macau hosted the thrilling seven-methodology inaugural WTCR season showdown in November 2018 when Gabriele Tarquini took the title.
FROM BEHIND THE WHEEL WITH ROB HUFFF
“Macau fully terrifies the life out of me. There isn’t very one of these thing as a room for error, but you rep to contain a tiny more in every nook. But the adaptation the build you are at and the build you rep to contain a tiny more is a day commute to sanatorium. On every nook. And it’s so simple as that. You would maybe presumably presumably perhaps’t educate somebody to kind what I kind in Macau. It comes down to relatively bit of whether or no longer you’ve bought it or haven’t bought it and that comes down to being a racing driver. All americans in WTCR has bought it, no question, but whenever you open using the flit mirrors on the walls and also you attain out of every nook pondering ‘how on earth did I continue to exist that nook’, you’re virtually there, no longer moderately, but you’re virtually on the level, but then you undoubtedly’ve to transfer to at least one other step. You relief your breath for 2 minutes, 30 seconds every lap.”
FIVE MACAU FACTS
1: The important thing flee on Macau’s streets took situation in 1954 with the inaugural Guia Shuffle held for the first time in 1972.
2: With nine wins, no driver or rider has gained in Macau on more conditions than Snatch Huff, who claimed his first Guia Shuffle rep in 2008. Huff also holds the Guia Shuffle lap sage, a 2m27.009s situation in 2014 in a LADA Granta.
3: The Circuito da Guia measures seven metres in width at its most slim level but 14 metres at its widest level.
4: Chinese language and Portuguese are the official languages of Macau, a Special Administrative Position of the Americans’s Republic of China, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Web declare.
5: Of the 26 drivers racing at Macau with all-season discipline six are Circuito da Guia inexperienced persons. They are Mikel Azcona, Luca Engstler, Johan Kristoffersson, Niels Langeveld, Benjamin Leuchter and Attila Tassi.
PROVISIONAL KEY TIMINGS*
Wednesday 13 November
Macau Substantial Prix media occasion: 13h00-16h00 (Institute for Tourism Experiences)
Thursday 14 November
Free Practice 1: 09h00-09h45
Free Practice 2: 13h40-14h10
Friday 15 November
First Qualifying: 08h50-09h30
First Qualifying DHL Media Zone (paddock): 09h30-09h40 (estimated)
First Qualifying press convention (Media Centre): 09h45-10h00 (estimated)
Second Qualifying Q1: 13h35-14h05
Second Qualifying Q2: 14h10-14h25
Second Qualifying Q3: 14h35 (first automotive starts prime 5 DHL Pole Region shootout)
Second Qualifying DHL Media Zone (paddock): 1435-15h00 (estimated)
Second Qualifying press convention (Media Centre): 15h05-15h20 (estimated)
Saturday 16 November
Shuffle 1: 14h55 (8 laps)
Shuffle 1 podium: 15h30 (estimated)
Shuffle 1 press convention (Media Centre): 15h40 (estimated)
Sunday 17 November
Shuffle 2: 08h45 (8 laps)
Shuffle 2 podium: 09h20 (estimated)
Shuffle 2 press convention (Media Centre): 09h30 (estimated)
Shuffle 3: 11h25 (11 laps)
Shuffle 3 podium: 12h05 (estimated)
Shuffle 3 press convention (Media Centre): 12h15 (estimated)
*All timings are local (GMT 8 hours) and field to alternate
Media Dart Sequence Counter location:
Reverse Macau Ferry Terminal, a long way actual-hand facet as you face the Substantial Prix Constructing
Media Accreditation Centre opening hours:
09h00-18h00: Tuesday 12 November
09h00-18h00: Wednesday 13 November
07h00-18h00: Thursday 14 November
07h00-18h00: Friday 15 November
07h00-18h00: Saturday 16 November
07h00-16h00: Sunday 17 November
Media Centre location:
1F, Substantial Prix Constructing
Media Centre opening hours:
09h00-18h00: Tuesday 12 November
09h00-18h00: Wednesday 13 November
07h00-18h00: Thursday 14 November
07h00-20h00: Friday 15 November
07h00-20h00: Saturday 16 November
07h00-till final journalist leaves: Sunday 17 November
11h00-13h00: Monday 18 November
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