Tom Coronel scored a sensational first victory within the WTCR – FIA World Touring Automobile Cup as Néstor Girolami suffered a heavy accident within the reverse-grid Speed 2 at WTCR Speed of Slovakia.
Coronel, in a Comtoyou DHL Crew Audi Sport Audi RS 3 LMS, made a gargantuan initiating from seventh on the grid to upward thrust to 2d position on the opening lap, then took the lead from Esteban Guerrieri’s ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Form R TCR through Slovakia Ring’s prolonged simply-hander at the terminate of the lap.
On the last lap, Girolami change into nudged into a large accidident when Jean-Karl Vernay change into unable to protect some distance from making contact with the rear of the Honda, which change into sent exhausting into a barrier. Girolami escaped from the impact uninjured but change into taken to the circuit scientific centre for well-known tests.
“I knew I had an alternative, we absorb now repeatedly been quick here,” said Coronel, who last won a jog at world level in 2016. “I knew I needed to handle the tyres. Sooner or later! You are repeatedly working for this, we absorb now a apt car and we absorb now performed the attempting out – and it change into time.”
On his pass for the lead, he said: “I seen the gap and utter! It is what we’re repeatedly preventing for. I had a mega initiating, then I change into on the grass!”
Girolami began from the DHL Pole Pickle and his project gave the impression to absorb been made more easy before the action began when fellow entrance-row man Luca Filippi hit danger. A seize failure supposed his Crew Mulsanne Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR by Romeo Ferraris needed to be pushed off the grid and the Italian change into forced to sit down out the jog.
From the initiating, Girolami swept simply to do away with the within line, but had now not made a rapid getaway. On the corner, 2d-row starters Santiago Urrutia and Jean-Karl Vernay made contact, Urrutia operating wide into the gravel and dropped down to P17. The incident allowed Guerrieri to earn a solid jog on the skin line and he led from fifth on the grid. Coronel had moreover benefitted and change into up to 2d from seventh on the grid, before Gilles Magnus and Girolami, who had extra contact with Vernay in a while within the opening lap. Vernay change into now eighth.
Then a security car interruption change into induced as four autos ran aspect by aspect. Attila Tassi’s Honda change into nudged and he then clipped Gabriele Tarquini’s Hyundai, sending both into the gravel.
Racing resumed on lap 5, with Guerreri leading a prolonged educate of autos. The Honda change into struggling for straightline tempo and Coronel took his chance when the Argentine left a earn 22 situation on lap eight. As they began lap 9, Gilles Magnus slipped previous the Honda for 2d to total a Comtoyou one-two.
“Congratulations to the final team,” said the WTCR Rookie Driver. “We had a victory this morning with Nate [Nathanaël Berthon] and now we absorb now a one-two. It’s now not a miracle it’s down to exhausting work. I made a heart-broken initiating, but I took some risks within the indispensable corners and I change into P3. Tom change into quicker at the terminate and I didn’t opt to attack and take away any risks for the team.”
Guerrieri claimed third position, but his fundamental explain change into for his team-mate friend Girolami. “I change into bowled over it change into such a large fracture, I seen it in my mirrors,” he said. “But he’s OK. That’s the sure. As for the jog, it is what it is. The assorted autos spherical us had been quicker on the straights, so P3 is a apt initiating.”
Vernay finished fourth after his incident with Girolami, the Frenchman having raised his hands in apology as the contact took position. Mikel Azcona took a remarkable fifth position for Zengő Motorsport having began his CUPRA Leon Competición in P17, before the Hyundais of Nicky Catsburg and Norbert Michelisz.
Goodyear #FollowTheLeader Yann Ehrlacher finished eighth before his uncle Yvan Muller and Tiago Monteiro finished the tip 10. The head 15 change into finished by Luca Engstler (Honda) in P11, wildcard entry Petr Fulin (CUPRA), Aurélien Comte in Vuković Motorsport’s Renault Mégane RS TCR, Bence Boldizs (CUPRA) and Urrutia.
Coronel has now shot from sixth within the points to 2d, on 82, with Ehrlacher 25 points ahead on 107.
Speed 3 for WTCR Speed of Slovakia takes position at 14h45 local time.
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