Title race wide open as FIA TCR World Tour prepares for Macau showdown
The FIA TCR World Tour will go down to the wire this weekend with a host of drivers still in contention for the title going into the final round of the season in Macau.
The top tier of international touring car competition is poised for another spectacular finale on the Macanese street track, which has seen so much drama in the past – including Norbert Michelisz’s run to the inaugural TCR World Tour title last year.
It’s Michelisz who headlines the field once again as he returns to the legendary Guia circuit 12 months later, with the Hungarian leading the 2024 standings going into this weekend’s pair of all-deciding races.
The BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse driver can be far from certain of a second consecutive crown, however, as he is heavily chased by a group of rivals all eager to dethrone the reigning champ.
These include primarily the quartet of Esteban Guerrieri, Thed Björk, Yann Ehrlacher and Mikel Azcona – Michelisz’s own Hyundai team-mate – who all sit within 27 points of the championship leader with 75 still up for grabs in Macau.
Beyond the main challengers, there are another two drivers still in mathematical contention as well in the form of Santiago Urrutia and Néstor Girolami.
Facing a deficit of 61 and 72 points respectively, however, the South American pair need a miracle to upstage the order – but they can still both play a huge role in the outcome of the championship.
That is because both Urrutia and Girolami each have two team-mates battling firmly for the title, with Girolami completing the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse line-up alongside Michelisz and Azcona, and Urrutia backing up Lynk & Co Cyan Racing colleagues Björk and Ehrlacher.
It comes as little surprise that these two well-established squads are the sole remaining contenders for the teams’ title, with Lynk & Co Cyan Racing leading BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse by 55 points heading into the finale.
Threatening to unseat the usual suspects, however, is the impressive Guerrieri. The Argentinian has enjoyed a strong season for the all-new Spanish-based GOAT Racing team, campaigning a Honda Civic Type R TCR all the way into title contention. Guerrieri sits just ten points adrift of leader Michelisz, and nine clear of Björk, as he continues to chase his first ever world touring car title.
In terms of compensation weights, Michelisz has the best situation among the title contenders, adding nothing to his Elantra N TCR courtesy of a difficult weekend last time out in Zhuzhou. Guerrieri carries 20kg, Björk 10kg, while both Ehrlacher and Azcona arrive with 30kg each aboard their cars.
The Macau Guia Race weekend is set to feature a bumper grid of 32 cars, with the FIA TCR World Tour regulars again joined by TCR China in a joint season-finale that will see the Chinese series also crown its champion. Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang of Teamwork Motorsport Lynk & Co is taking a slender one-point lead over reigning champion Martin Cao Hong Wei, Hyundai Elantra N, into the decider.
Also joining the grid are four TCR Asia competitors, including this year’s race winners Max Hart, Hwang Doyun and Umar Abdullah, as well as Macau specialist Rob Huff, who returns to his favourite track once again having previously joined the field last time out in Zhuzhou.
Huff is driving an Audi RS 3 LMS TCR for Spanish outfit Volcano Motorsport.
As per tradition, the Macau weekend begins on Thursday with a pair of practice sessions. Qualifying is on Friday, with Race 1 on Saturday and Race 2 on Sunday. Both will run to ten laps.
Time table – FIA TCR World Tour – Macau Guia Race
Thursday 14 November
Free Practice 1: 10.15-10.45
Free Practice 2: 13.45-14.15
Friday 15 November
Qualifying 1: 12.55-13.25
Qualifying 2: 13.35-13.50
Saturday 16 November
Race 1 (10 laps): 12.35
Sunday 17 November
Race 2 (10 laps): 10.55
All times local (CET+7)
