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STANDINGS
GUEST COLUMNIST
THIRD
PAGE
I fell in love with TCR in 2016.
I have been able to visit the TCR Benelux
paddock throughout the season. And I never
got bored, as there were great battles in each
of the races. Stéphane Lémeret has
fully deserved the title by
resisting the comeback of
Pierre-Yves Corthals and Fred
Caprasse in their Opel
Astra until the very end.
For a car still under
development, the Astra
proved immediately to be
very competitive;
Corthals could have even
claimed the title if not for
a few points lost by his
young co-driver and himself.
We have also seen the
involvement of car importers such as
Honda, SEAT, Opel and Alfa Romeo,
something that has not happened for years.
And we have to thank Honda Belgium for
inviting star drivers like Tiago Monteiro or
Norbert Michelisz for racing against young
drivers who, in some cases, are only teenagers!
Thanks to TCR Benelux we have discovered
Romain De Leval (who was crowned champion
in the Junior class), Maxime Potty, Mathieu
Detry and Amaury Richard.
Not everything has been positive, tough. There
has been a maximum of 15 cars on the grid
and there was a lack of interest from our
Dutch neighbours, which was a bit
disappointing. And also, the Facebook vote to
decide the starting grid for the Qualifying Race
did not meet with the expected success. And I
have to say that I have never been a great fan
of the ‘Make the Grid’.
However, I am confident that we will see more
Dutch drivers and teams in 2017 and that a
return to ‘pure racing’ should convince those
who are still sceptical.
With the arrival of Audi and Kia, next season
promises to be even more exciting. I can’t wait
for it to start and this winter break seems too
long to me!
Martin
Businaro
Despite his young age of 23, Martin Businaro
has been able to carve out a place for himself
among Belgian motorsport journalists. He works
for La Dernière Heure – Les Sports, the most
important sporting newspaper in the
Francophone Belgium. He is also a contributor
to F1 Magazine. A real enthusiast of all motor
sports since he was a boy, he doesn’t hesitate to
take part in the occasional amateur race.
A great launching pad
for young drivers