Attila Tassi claims breakthrough first WTCR win at Estoril

Münnich Motorsport’s Attila Tassi claimed his maiden FIA World Touring Car Cup victory in a dramatic second race of the weekend at Estoril.

The Hungarian, driving a Honda Civic Type-R TCR, started fourth on the grid but made the most of a poor start for pole sitting team-mate Esteban Guerrieri to move into second behind the third Münnich Honda of Tiago Monteiro early on.

Monteiro look for all money to claim the win on home soil but was hamstrung by a loose bonnet, costing the Portuguese a near-certain triumph.

Tassi therefore had to defend heavily from a trio of Hyundai Elantras in the closing stages, and did so with success, beating Jean-Karl Vernay to the win by just over a second, with Norbert Michelisz completing the podium in third.

Having finished fifth in the opening race, Guerrieri had been hoping for a better result from pole in Race 2, but made a terrible start off the start and was engulfed by more than half the field into Turn 1 for the first time.

Guerrieri admitted to being distracted by an engine system issue on the grid, and subsequently missed the lights going out as he attempted to rectify the problem.

He dropped to 14th place at the end of the first lap, but found respite thanks to an early safety car intervention following contact between the Zengo Mototsport Cupra of Mikel Azcona and the Comtoyou Racing Audi RS 3 LMS of Tom Coronel which sent the latter heavily into the barrier at Turn 5.

Azcona received a drive-through penalty for his role in the incident, despite appearing to be hit by Coronel’s team-mate Nathanaël Berthon as the Frenchman returned to the track after being pushed wide on the exit of Turn 4.

The main beneficiary of Guerrieri’s poor start was local star Monteiro, who seemed likely to claim a second victory in Portugal in three years and extend a points lead he took after the first race.

Monteiro held a largely comfortable lead over Tassi after the restart and began to pull away at a steady pace to open up a lead of nearly two seconds, helped in part by Tassi needing to fend off the attentions of Vernay behind.

But Monteiro’s race unravelled after his bonnet suddenly came loose down the main straight on the right hand side, forcing stewards to show the Honda driver the black and orange flag.

Instead of pitting, Monteiro initially stayed out on track but let the leading quartet of Tassi, Vernay, Michelisz and Tarquini through. The Portuguese driver eventually did pit to fix the bonnet but ended up finishing 18th at the end.

That left Tassi as the lone Honda out front, with Vernay attempting several overtaking moves either side of the leader, at Turn 6 and into the first corner.

But Tassi held on impressively, and claimed the victory – despite dipping two wheels into the Turn 8 gravel trap on the penultimate lap, by just 1.030s.

Vernay contented himself with second place which, in the absence of Monteiro in the points paying positions, gave the Frenchman the lead of the standings. Tassi, courtesy of his victory, has now vaulted up to second in the points just five behind Vernay and level with Cyan Racing’s Yvan Muller.

Behind the leading quartet at the finish, Santiago Urrutia finished a somewhat subdued fifth in the first of the Cyan Racing Lynk & Cos. He led home team-mate and Race 1 winner Yann Ehrlacher, who got close towards the end, and Thed Björk.

Guerrieri made up for his start-line mishap by producing a charging drive to finish eighth at the flag, after executing a number of assertive overtakes – including barging past the Cupra of Rob Huff towards the end. Muller was ninth with Huff tenth.

Having started from the back of the grid following a neutralisation of parc fermé, Néstor Girolami salvaged some pride from an otherwise difficult race day with 13th in his Münnich Motorsport Honda, while it was a frustrating day all-round again for the Audis.

Vernay still heads the standings on 61 points with Tassi up to second, sharing the position with Muller and Urrutia, five points from the lead.

The next WTCR race takes place at Motorland Aragon on July 10-11.