14 / 44
14
WORLD AND LIFE
TCR 2018
NEWS
HOME
DRIVERS TEAM
It will be a thrilling season finale
and a fantastic battle for the title!
Barcelona is bound to be a
memorable closing event for the first
edition of the TCR Europe held as a
fully-fledged series, with six drivers
heading for the Circuit de Catalunya
with mathematical chances to clinch
the crown. It is, however, more than
likely that the decisive battle will be
a three-way fight between Mikel
Azcona, Jean-Karl Vernay and Dušan
Borkovi
ć
, who are on top of the
standings.
The penultimate event at Monza gave
an indication of how hot things have
become in TCR Europe, and not only
because of the glorious summer
weather enjoyed in Italy. Tension,
both on track and off it, marked the
double-header at the Temple of
Speed. One man kept his cool and
emerged as the biggest winner of the
weekend: Jean-Karl Vernay, who
brought home the maximum possible
score, with pole position and two
race wins, effectively relaunching his
title bid. The Frenchman of the
Leopard Lukoil Team, an expert in
handling difficult situations, is now
second in the standings, 19 points
behind Azcona.
“It was exactly what we needed and
what we were seeking,” explained
‘JK’. “We used to the fullest the
opportunity given to us by Monza, a
track where the Audi RS3 LMS
performs perfectly, and by the low
success ballast we were carrying.
Barcelona will be another story, but
at least we will be in the battle.”
The other happy man in Monza on
Sunday afternoon was Azcona. The
young Spaniard harvested 32 points,
including a P2 in Race 1, and
regained the lead in the standings,
Vernay delivers
a title fight showdown
THE FRENCHMAN TOTALLY DOMINATED THE MONZA EVENT