日: 2022年11月12日

Norbert Michelisz sliced by Esteban Guerrieri in Race 2 at WTCR Race of Bahrain to score his first WTCR − FIA World Touring Car Cup victory of the season.

The BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse driver climbed from seventh on the partially-reversed grid at the Bahrain International Circuit, made it through a frenetic first lap and overtook Guerrieri’s ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCR to take the win.

Wildcard Nicky Catsburg scored a fine third place on his first weekend back in the WTCR since 2020, while crucially Goodyear #FollowTheLeader Mikel Azcona charged from P10 on the grid to be classified fourth. That leaves him with a healthy 60-point advantage over title rival Néstor Girolami with only 65 points still available from the final event, WTCR Race of Saudi Arabia, which takes place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit from November 25-27.

Guerrieri made a flying start from the second row to take the lead in Turn 1 from pole position starter Mehdi Bennani, whose hopes of a podium were ruined at Turn 4 by his Comtoyou team-mate Gilles Magnus. The Belgian was late on the brakes and the two blue Audis collided, as Attila Tassi’s LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler Honda tapped the other front row starter Franco Girolami into a spin. Tassi then made further contact with the battered Audi of Bennani.

At the end of lap one Guerrieri led from a charging Michelisz. Catsburg had risen from sixth on the grid to run third, ahead of Nathanaël Berthon and Néstor Girolami, with Azcona already up to sixth.

Michelisz tracked Guerrieri and always looked faster. Sure enough, on lap five he made his move and easily passed the Honda into Turn 1 for what proved the decisive place change.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Michelisz. “I was a bit lucky after the start, there was some carnage. I managed to overtake some people there and I was just trying to find the right place to attack Esteban. My car was just brilliant again today, all weekend it was, so big credit to the team. Sometimes it looks easy from the outside but it was not easy today. Although it was a bit easier because of the equipment I had! It’s not been an easy season, but now I’m getting things together.”

“Congrats to Norbi, he did a very good job,” said Guerrieri. “To the Hyundai team as well, very good weekend. To my team also, we did all we could. Pretty happy. Obviously disappointed to lose the lead, but they had a better pace this weekend. He surprised me with a very good move, I was not very confident in the brakes. It’s been a while since I had a podium.”

Catsburg was delighted with his third place. “Man, it’s so hot in these cars,” he said. “Every time I come back in a WTCR car I realise it’s like a sauna in there. Very hot but super-happy to have a podium on my Wildcard event, so let’s hope for even better in Jeddah.”

Behind the top three Berthon headed Azcona on the road, but the Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport driver picked up a five-second penalty which left the points leader safe in the knowledge he had no need to make a move to be classified fourth. Berthon dropped to fifth ahead of team-mate Tom Coronel, who took WTCR Trophy honours.

Franco Girolami and Bennani recovered from their first lap troubles to finish seventh and eighth respectively. Bennani prevailed from an entertaining late duel with Néstor Girolami. The Honda driver defended brilliantly, but having slipped back from fifth on lap one he just didn’t have the pace to thwart the Audi, which got a better drive out of Turn 10 on the final lap. Girolami shook his head in the cockpit of his ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport entry after finishing ninth, in the knowledge his WTCR title hopes now hang by a thread.

Dániel Nagy completed the top 10, the Zengő Motorsport CUPRA Leon Competicións once again starting from the pitlane to avoid lap-one damage. Team-mate Bence Boldisz was in P11, ahead of Tiago Monteiro (Engstler Honda), wildcard Viktor Davidovski and Tassi.

It’s WTCR Race of Saudi Arabia next for the 2022 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup with Jeddah Corniche Circuit hosting the action from November 25-27.

World Touring Car Cup

WTCRWTCRSEASON 2022SportCircuit1SportWorld Touring Car CupCircuitWTCRSEASON 2022WTCR01Saturday, November 12, 2022 – 3:45pmSaturday, November 12, 2022 – 3:45pm

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FORUM8 Rally Japan is set for a thrilling finale on Sunday as just four seconds cover the leading two crews in the chase for FIA World Rally Championship success.

hierry Neuville is in front for Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, but Elfyn Evans, the leader after Friday’s action, remains in firm contention for victory on the deciding round of the 2022 season.

Welshman Evans began Saturday’s penultimate leg with a 3.0s advantage over Neuville and underlined his intent by winning the day-opening 20.56 kilometres of Nukata Forest to stretch his lead to 5.9s. Neuville then outpaced his British rival by 1.2s on the following Lake Mikawako stage and closed to within 4.7s of top spot as Sébastien Ogier set the fastest time in his Toyota.

Evans was the quickest of the victory chasers through the single-use Shinshiro City stage, SS10, to return to midday service with a margin of 6.5s over Neuville, who reckoned his pacenotes weren’t as good as they could have been after setting the fifth fastest time.
 
But Neuville hit back on the re-run of Nukata Forest to close to within 3.9s of Evans by going second fastest through the stage behind pacesetter Ogier. 

It would get even better for Neuville on SS12. Although Ogier was fastest again, Neuville outpaced Evans by 5.9s to take the overall lead by 2.0s heading to the day-closing Okazaki City superspecial. “It was actually not a very good run,” Neuville said afterwards. “I did a good stage but I had some real trouble with the diff spin. Luckily it was the last [long] stage of the day.”

Summarising Saturday’s action, which included a win on the Okazaki City test, Neuville said: “The day has been good for us, but it has been a challenging one. We have been struggling a bit with the balance throughout the day, but we got it better for the afternoon. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Evans, who had led from SS5 but now faces the prospect of finishing the 2022 season without a victory, said: “I’ve lost the feeling with the front of the car a bit this afternoon.”

Kalle Rovanperä endured a tough second day on Toyota’s home round of the WRC. The Finn, co-driven by countryman Jonne Halttunen, was 2.1s adrift of second place at Friday’s overnight halt, but damage to a front-right wheel on SS8 – the result of his Yaris striking a rockface – caused a puncture. A further impact on SS9 damaged their lone spare wheel and triggered a significant time loss as the world champions battled through the morning loop to reach midday service at the Toyota Stadium.

“There was something on a right-hand corner where we got a bit close but it was not a big hit,” he said after SS9. “I have no spares and the car is not 100 per cent on the right corner. It’s not working and turning in as well as it should.”

With his car repaired, Rovanperä headed into the afternoon loop in 12th overall but more than five minutes off the lead having also incurred time penalties for running out of order. However, with his focus switching to car set-up work, the 22-year-old was unduly concerned by his lack of pace this afternoon. 

Rovanperä’s misfortune elevated Ott Tänak into third overall with home hero Takamoto Katsuta a fine fourth ahead of Ogier, who dropped out of the lead fight after picking a puncture on Friday’s first stage.

Katsuta, one of the most consistent performers in this year’s WRC, was third fastest on SS10 having found SS9 “very, very slippery”, adding: “I had no info about the end of the stage. I could not drive like this.”

Gus Greensmith is the leading M-Sport Ford World Rally Team runner in sixth, although the Briton had been hampered by a powersteering issue earlier in the day. After crashing out on Friday morning, Craig Breen restarted in the second Ford Puma Rally1 and set a succession of top-six stage times alongside new co-driver James Fulton.

Emil Lindholm’s hopes of winning the FIA WRC2 title remain strong after he moved into the category lead following a delay for Sami Pajari. After Teemu Suninen was handed a time penalty for a reported technical issue, Grégoire Munster climbed up to third in class and just 12.6s behind Pajari, who adopted a cautious approach to the day’s stages. 

The provisionnal classification can be consulted here.

World Rally Championship

Rally JapanWRCSEASON 2022FIARallies1FIAWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2022Rally Japan01Saturday, November 12, 2022 – 10:45amSaturday, November 12, 2022 – 10:45am