Inaugural TCR World Tour season comes down to the wire in Macau

The first edition of the TCR World Tour will reach a gripping climax this weekend as a wide-open title fight sets up a compelling finale in the 2023 Macau Guia Race, featuring a grid of 18 cars.

Audi Comtoyou driver Rob Huff is tied with Lynk & Co Cyan Racing’s Yann Ehrlacher at the top of the standings, while BRC Hyundai’s Norbert Michelisz is just a single point adrift in third.

It makes for a thrilling title shootout between three of touring car racing’s contemporary greats, all driving for rival manufacturers and going head-to-head at one of the world’s most challenging circuits.

2012 WTCC champion Huff is arriving in the Macanese gambling metropolis as the man of the moment, having strung together five podiums from the last eight races. Also known as a proper Macau specialist, Huff is chasing a record-extending 12th (!) victory on the ultra-demanding Guia street track, being a European exception at the venue during the pandemic as he opted for lengthy quarantining to enable continued participation at his favourite event.

Huff graced the podium in three of the six World Tour races down in Australia over the last two weekends, including a win at Sydney Motorsport Park.

“I’m obviously delighted with the Australian tour, but even going back before that, we arrived in South America quite far from the lead. From there we just made really good steps forward with consistency, scoring well, being clever and huge amounts of teamwork,” said Huff to TouringCarTimes.

“Our mechanics and engineers have really put in an extra effort, but also having a great team-mate in Frédéric Vervisch who is probably the most amazing team-mate you could ever ask for.

“The cumulation of all of that has resulted in us going to my most successful circuit ever in a joint points lead, which is exactly what we have been aiming for. I’m hugely proud of what we have achieved so far and it’s all to play for in Macau.”

It sure is. Tied for the lead with Huff on 384 points, Yann Ehrlacher is well-placed for a third world touring car title in four years.

The 2020 and 2021 World Touring Car Cup champion has already helped secure the teams’ title for Cyan Racing Lynk & Co, and crucially can rely on three experienced stablemates in his quest for glory, backed up by Thed Björk, Ma Qing Hua and Santiago Urrutia.

Ehrlacher, however, is the only one of the title contenders to carry compensation weight in Macau, taking the maximum 40 kg.

That could obviously hurt the Frenchman’s chances, although he arrives on a high after winning the most recent race at Bathurst last Sunday.

“It’s a childhood dream to follow the likes of Yvan Muller and other great drivers to head to Macau in the world title fight. The title fight is very close, and anything can happen in Macau which is the paradise for gambling,” said Yann Ehrlacher.

“And it’s the same on track where you can win or lose everything in one moment. I have 40kg of compensation weight while my rivals have 0kg, so I have to go for maximum attack. But I feel relaxed, we have done a great job as a team to recover after Australia and claim the team title. Now we are just going to send it.”

With just a single point to make up on the leading pair, Norbert Michelisz is looking for his own return to title success. Since winning the 2019 WTCR crown, the Hungarian has slipped to 13th, eighth and fourth in the standings across the last three campaigns, but now finds himself duly back in the frame.

Michelisz is backed up by regular team-mate Mikel Azcona, who is fourth in the standings but out of the title equation. Also joining the BRC Hyundai squad for Macau is TCR Italy front-runner Marco Butti, racing a third Elantra N TCR with support from Hong Kong-based Evolve Racing. Butti previously contested the Vallelunga World Tour round back in June but has never before raced at Macau.

Another TCR World Tour returnee confirmed for the Macau finale is John Filippi, driving an Audi RS 3 LMS for Audi Sport Team Comtoyou. Filippi finished second in TCR Europe this season and is also a previous TCR World Tour race winner, having won at Spa earlier in the year.

Australia’s Ben Bergwanna also returns, once again driving a Peugeot 308TCR for Team Clairet Sport.

Néstor Girolami has performed gallantly in a solitary Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR this season, running for various teams to string together a full TCR World Tour campaign. For Macau, the Argentinian is entered for MacPro Racing.

Adding a touch of regional flare to the entry list are six drivers from TCR Asia Challenge, which raced at Macau last weekend to kick-start the event’s extended 70th anniversary celebrations, for a total of 18 cars on the grid.

Lo Sze Ho, who won Saturday’s first TCR Asia Challenge race, is back for the Guia Race weekend aboard an Evolve Racing-run Hyundai.

The other five TCR Asia Challenge drivers entered are Paul Poon Tak Chun (Teamwork Motorsport, Audi), Deng Bao Wei (109 Racing, Honda Civic FK7), Yan Chuang (Fancy Teamwork, Lynk & Co 03), Osborn Li Weng Ji (Z.Speed, Hyundai i30 N) and Ken Tian Kai (QMA Motorsports, Audi).

Running in Macau begins with practice on Thursday, followed by qualifying on Friday. Two nine-lap races are to be staged, one each on Saturday and Sunday.

Final entry list 2023 Macau Guia Race

1 – Lo Sze Ho (HKG) – Evolve Racing – Hyundai Elantra N TCR
6 – Osborn Li Weng Ji (CHN) – Z.Speed – Hyundai i30 N TCR
15 – Ken Tian Kai (CHN) QMA – Motorsports – Audi RS 3 LMS SEQ
18 – Marco Butti (ITA) – BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse – Hyundai Elantra N TCR
21 – Paul Poon Tak Chun (HKG) – Teamwork Motorsport – Audi RS 3 LMS
22 – Yan Chuang (CHN) – Fancy Teamwork – Lynk & Co 03 TCR
27 – John Filippi (FRA) – Audi Sport Team Comtoyou – Audi RS 3 LMS
33 – Deng Bao Wei (CHN) – 109 Racing – Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR
71 – Ben Bargwanna (AUS) – Team Clairet Sport/Hangcha Racing – Peugeot 308TCR
105 – Norbert Michelisz (HUN) – BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse – Hyundai Elantra N TCR
111 – Thed Björk (SWE) – Cyan Racing Lynk & Co – Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR
112 – Santiago Urrutia (URU) – Cyan Racing Lynk & Co – Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR
122 – Frédéric Vervisch (BEL) – Audi Sport Team Comtoyou – Audi RS 3 LMS
129 – Néstor Girolami (ARG) – MacPro Racing – Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR
155 – Ma Qing Hua (CHN) – Cyan Racing Lynk & Co – Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR
168 – Yann Ehrlacher (FRA) – Cyan Racing Lynk & Co – Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR
179 – Rob Huff (GBR) – Audi Sport Team Comtoyou – Audi RS 3 LMS
196 – Mikel Azcona (ESP) – BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse – Hyundai Elantra N TCR

Schedule*

Thursday – 16/11
11:10 – Free Practice 1
14:15 – Free Practice 2

Friday – 17/11
12:45 – Qualifying

Saturday – 18/11
12:50 – Race 1

Sunday 19/11
10:35 – Race 2

* = Times in CST (+7H CET)