Mikel Azcona had spoiled his followers to achieve a victory in each event of the WTCR. A remarkable streak, but very difficult to maintain over time. In Vila Real it has been clear, although the Navarrese has once again shown the best version of himself to get a podium that saves the weekend and continue to lead the general classification of the World Touring Car Cup. Reached the halfway point of the championship, at least on paper in the absence of the ‘reconstruction’ of the calendar, Mikel Azcona is the leader of the WTCR with 153 points.
The inverted grid race has been key for Azcona in Portugal. Despite having a slight scare in the ‘Joker Lap’ that ended with an investigation that exonerated the Spaniard, Azcona managed to finish third in the second heat, adding enough points to maintain the leadership and an income of 16 units over Santiago Urrutia, winner of the main race and poleman of the weekend. In this sense, the Uruguayan has been the great protagonist in Vila Real after closing the gap with Azcona.
The truth is that in general the fight for the title has been compactedas all of Mikel’s closest rivals have cut points from the Hyundai driver. Yann Ehrlacher was second in the first race which has led him to add five points more than Azcona, while Rob Huff claimed his first victory of the season in the reverse grid moto. Thanks to this victory, Huff is now fourth overall with 130 points, three less than Yann Ehrlacher and 23 behind the leader.
A step behind the four strongest drivers in the championship appears Néstor Girolami. The Honda rider also managed to save the furniture in Portugal and has 113 points. With less than 100 units, Gilles Magnus, Ma Qing Hua or Nathanaël Berthon appear. None of the three is part of the classification of the WTCR Trophyintended for pilots who do not have direct support from a brand. A classification led by Rob Huff with 85 points for Mehdi Bennani’s 49 units. Dutchman Tom Coronel is third.
In the image and likeness of the classification of pilots, the BRC Hyundai N team of Mikel Azcona and Norbert Michelisz maintains the lead with 218 points in the overall team standings. However, here the differences are even smaller since the two dependent teams of Cyan Racing and Lynk & Co appear with 211 units. Despite not having its best weekend in Vila Real, with Esteban Guerrieri’s final accident, the Münnich Motorsport team is fourth with 180 points.
Photos: FIA WTCR