TCR World and life

8 EUROPE Athree-way battleforthe Europeancrown FILES, BRICHÉ AND BÄCKMANWILL BE THE CONTENDERS IN MONZA It will go all the way down to the wire: the fight for the TCR Europe title will be decided at the last event of the season, in Monza in mid-October, and it will reflect the prestige of that historic venue. It will be a three-way battle, with Josh Files and Andreas Bäckman, both at the wheel of Hyundai i30 N cars fielded by Target Competition, sandwiching in the standings the JSB Compétition Peugeot 308 of Julien Briché. The last stop at the Circuit de Barcelona- Catalunya clarified the number of contenders ahead of the decisive rounds and narrowed the gaps in the standings. The points leader, Josh Files, did not have the most fruitful weekend, taking only the points of a 5th position in Race 2, while Briché brought home a second and a third, after a very solid performance throughout the weekend. The harvest for the Frenchman could have been even better, as in Race 1 he crossed the line as winner, but was demoted to second following a penalty for an incorrect position in the starting grid. “It’s been a very good weekend, but I think it won’t be enough to go for the championship,” reckoned Briché, looking at the 48-point gap in the standings. Still, with a maximum of 85 points still on offer, everything is possible, though the Frenchman anticipated: “Our car at Monza will be too heavy.” The task looks even more difficult for Bäckman, who trails 83 points behind the leader, who is one of his teammates at Target Competition, the Italian squad from South Tyrol that has already secured the Teams’ title. In Spain, the Swede inherited victory in Race 1 after Briché was sanctioned, a success that came almost as compensation for Andreas after being on the receiving end of a similar misfortune at Oschersleben. Whatever the outcome will be, the Swede, who also took pole position at Barcelona, can be proud of his consistency in his first major international campaign. Barcelona saw also a remarkable lights-to- flag win in Race 2 by Dan Lloyd, with the Honda Civic of Brutal Fish Racing Team. It’s the second win for the 2018 TCR UK champion and the Slovak outfit, “but it feels like the first real one,” pointed out Lloyd, remembering that his maiden success at Oschersleben came after Bäckman’s exclusion.