WTCR – Magnus wins as WTCR concludes with a thriller

FIA WTCR – Race of Saudi Arabia – Race 2 report 

Gilles Magnus received the ultimate WTCR – FIA World Touring Automobile Cup race of the present period after Attila Tassi, the early Race 2 chief in Saudi Arabia, was knocked out in a dramatic collision at Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Tassi led from pole place in his LIQUI MOLY Workforce Engstler Honda Civic TCR. He survived a transfer from ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Esteban Guerrieri, who braked too late at Flip 1 on lap two and spun. Then the next lap Comtoyou Racing’s Franco Girolami made a transfer on the within of Nicky Catsburg’s BRC Hyundai N Racing Workforce Elantra N TCR for second place – and worn out each Tassi and Catsburg in a single go.

That left Magnus with a transparent lead, the Belgian scoring his third WTCR victory of the season in a race that completed underneath the Honda Civic Sort R Restricted Version security automobile following a collision between Nathanaël Berthon and Rob Huff. Berthon’s retirement confirmed ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Néstor Girolami as runner-up within the factors to new King of WTCR Mikel Azcona*.

“Man, did I want this,” stated a delighted Magnus. “For the workforce, for myself, for my confidence. We’ve been by means of robust instances. Bahrain was robust. Even now right here in Q3 I made a mistake which mustn’t have occurred. I used to be somewhat dissatisfied and this was precisely what I wanted to finish the season and to have some self-confidence for the upcoming  yr.”

Entrance row starter Viktor Davidovski dropped many locations initially, however the dramas forward of him allowed the Comtoyou Racing wildcard to rise again to complete second, finishing a workforce 1-2. “Spectacular, I’m actually impressed by Viktor and I’m actually completely happy for him,” stated Magnus, who ended the earlier spherical in Bahrain by taking out former team-mate Mehdi Bennani in a Race 2 collision. “I’d wish to take this second to thank Comtoyou for all they did in Bahrain,” he stated. “They didn’t sleep all night time and I felt so unhealthy for these guys. Now I may give one thing again I’m actually completely happy.”

“That is an incredible weekend for me,” stated Davidovski, from North Macedonia. “Possibly I put an excessive amount of strain on myself in the beginning and I made a mistake. However after three laps I returned to my place and I used to be behind Magnus, and completed second. I’m very completely happy. The sensation to take a podium in WTCR is improbable.”

Azcona additionally benefitted from the incidents forward of him to finish his WTCR title yr with one other podium end, in third place. “An excellent strategy to end the season,” he stated. “Actually I didn’t count on it after the primary race consequence, however in entrance of me within the first two laps had been many crashes and I used to be fortunate. I received fortunate, I took some positions due to that. However ultimately it’s a must to be there. So I’m very completely happy together with his podium place and a improbable season. Excellent to complete like this on the rostrum.”

Behind Azcona and his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team-mate Norbert Michelisz, who completed fourth, Berthon chased Huff for nearly the complete race, with Comtoyou DHL Workforce Audi Sport team-mate Tom Coronel using shotgun behind him. Berthon tried every little thing to cross the Zengő Motorsport CUPRA Leon Competición as he chased factors in his efforts to depose Néstor Girolami as WTCR runner-up, however Huff defended each transfer. Then on lap 18 the Audi went on the within of the CUPRA on the remaining flip, however the two vehicles made contact and Berthon was left stranded with a damaged right-front wheel. The clock was working down on the race and the season and it ran out earlier than racing might resume.

Huff stored going to complete fifth and win the WTCR Trophy forward of Coronel, with Dániel Nagy seventh for Zengő regardless of initially being left standing in the beginning. Néstor Girolami was eighth and secured second place within the factors, forward of Tiago Monteiro in ninth and native hero Ahmed Bin Khanen in P10. Guerrieri recovered from his lap two spin to be categorised in P11.

*Topic to affirmation of the outcomes by the FIA