The WTCR has had a somewhat turbulent start to the season and although everything returned to normal at the Hungaroring, the World Touring Car Cup wants to continue to recover its pulse. It will do so in Spain, specifically at the MotorLand Aragón circuit. The Alcañiz appointment will be special for Mikel Azcona and not only for the fact of competing at home, but for doing so as the leader of the WTCR standings. The CUPRA TCRs will also be at homealthough the involvement of the brand in the championship is almost anecdotal.
MotorLand has gained weight in the WTCR after its double appearance on the 2020 calendar, a movement that occurred after losing the celebration of the official pre-season test due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Far are these antecedents, but Alcañiz returns to dress up to host the fourth round of the World Touring Car Championship. The layout of 5,345 meters in length and 16 curves It will be the perfect setting to see an intense battle between the five TCR vehicles that compete in the series.
Mikel Azcona is the great protagonist of the WTCR. In addition to being the host at MotorLand, the Spanish driver faces the appointment in Alcañiz as leader of the classification. The Navarrese has achieved two victories in the four races held to date, proving that the signing of him by Hyundai Motorsport was a success. Mikel is ten points ahead of Néstor Girolamialthough not far from the Argentine pilot are also Santiago Urrutia and Yann Ehrlacher, pilots of Lynk & Co. All of them are called to be protagonists in the Spanish route.
Even so, riders like Esteban Guerrier, Ma Qing Hua, Nathanaël Berthon, Yvan Muller and Rob Huff have stepped on the podium throughout the first three events of the season, even if the planned two tasks were not held at the Nürburgring. In this aspect, Rob Huff is also one of the drivers to watch closely, as CUPRA competes at home. It is true that the Spanish firm has practically no involvement in the WTCR, but both Huff and his partner Dániel Nagy will be at the controls of the only TCR born in Spain.
On the performance scale that can be seen in Alcañiz will have a lot to say about compensation weights that each TCR vehicle will have in MotorLand. In this aspect, the Honda is still dragging 40 kilograms of ballast and has a running weight of 1,325 kilos. Of course, the Lynk & Co and the Audi have gained 10 kilograms of ballast, which equals the maximum weight of the cars of the firm associated with Cyan Racing with the Honda. For its part, the Audi now have the same weight as the Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
WTCR 2022 schedules at the MotorLand Aragón circuit
Photos: FIA WTCR