Esteban Guerrieri remains in contention for the 2020 WTCR – World Touring Car Cup after making it through three punishing races at Motorland Aragon to score a hat-trick of important points finishes.
The ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver finished 13th in race one, 10th in race two and ninth in race three as he and his fellow Honda Civic Type R TCR racers battled through the pack on a tough Sunday at the Spanish circuit.
That haul marked a strong recovery for 2019 WTCR runner-up Esteban, who had qualified 19th on Saturday – in part as a consequence of the 60kg compensation weight assigned to the car for the weekend.
Importantly, his run to ninth in race three also included an overtake on the standings leader, which allowed him to claw back two points in the title fight.
It means he lost only four points across the weekend – a fine example of damage limitation – and will therefore start the season finale second in the standings, 26 points from the summit.
Esteban’s team-mate Nestor Girolami also secured a top-10 finish in the opening race as he battled to keep his Honda Civic Type R TCR in touch with the frontrunners.
‘Bebu’ then made excellent starts in each of the day’s final two races; he gained a place off the line in race two to run eighth, ultimately dropping back to 11th to boost Esteban’s Championship prospects, while in race three he made up four positions at the start.
He was running seventh and among the leading contenders when the car behind lost control under braking and speared into the side of the Civic Type R TCR. That damaged the car’s front-left suspension and brought a promising race for Nestor to a premature finish.
ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport pair Tiago Monteiro and Attila Tassi also encountered early ends to their weekends in race three.
Tiago claimed 14th then 13th respectively in races one and two, showing a strong turn of pace to run with the top 10 at the beginning of both before ceding position to Esteban.
His final race was over almost as quickly as it began, however, as he struggled to get off the line and stopped soon after with a mechanical issue.
Attila meanwhile battled from lowly starting positions to bag points in the first two races, finishing 15th in race one and 14th in race two.
He was on for a third score in the finale before an engine issue midway through the race meant he retired on the spot.
There is now a two-week gap before the final round of the season, which will also be staged at Aragon following a late change to the calendar.
Eurosport Events, the WTCR promoter, announced on Saturday that the track would host another round of the 2020 season following confirmation that work to extend Adria International Raceway, where the finale was due to be staged, would not be completed in time for the 14-15 November weekend.
Esteban Guerrieri #86 – ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport : « Considering the compensation weight we were carrying this weekend and the effect it had on the Civic Type R TCR, we can be pleased with the outcome. All we could really try to do was stay clean in the first laps and take positions where possible, so it was great to get very good starts in all three races and finishing in the top 10 in races two and three was a good save from where we were. I am a bit further back than I was last year ahead of the final round, but it’s nice to leave this weekend with our goal – of becoming champions – still intact. »
Nestor Girolami #29 – ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport : « It was a shame the final race ended the way it did, because the car felt good in race one – where I was able to fight with the pack for some time – and race two, where we did what we could to help Esteban. The starts just seem to be amazing in every type of condition in the Honda Civic Type R TCR and I took advantage of this again in race three, gaining positions off the line. I was really excited to see if I could keep that position and try to stay with the frontrunners to score some good points, but then the car behind lost his reference at the final corner and crashed into me. I’m a bit disappointed; I know he lost the car, but he could have taken more precaution and waited for a bit as it was only the first lap. »
Tiago Monteiro #18 – ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport : « We’re here to play the team game and to take Esteban to the title, so in races one and two it was a matter of finding the right time to exchange positions. The car felt very good, I was very happy and felt quick considering everything that was not in our favour this weekend. It just confirmed that we couldn’t really fight with the others, but I’m not complaining – we knew it was going to be the case, this is the way it is going to be some tracks. Then in race three on my way to the grid, I felt something snap. It’s not clear exactly what, but it’s a mechanical issue on the front axle. We were here to support Esteban and we also made quite a few changes on the set-up that I wanted to try, so it’s a shame we missed those opportunities.”
Attila Tassi #9 – ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport : « A bit of a disappointing end to the day considering how hard we had worked to at least score some points in races one and two. I had a very good start to race three, the best of the day. There was just one car separating me and Esteban and I felt like my pace was similar to his, but in the middle of the race suddenly on the back straight I had a water temperature alarm. I reported it to the team and asked whether I should continue or stop, but as I was doing this I felt the engine let go so I just stopped in a safe place. We will be doing our best now to improve over the next couple of weeks ahead of the final round. »
Dominik Greiner – Team Manager – Münnich Motorsport : « Considering how difficult this weekend could have been, it’s good not to have lost so many points – the most important thing is that we are still in the game with Esteban in the Drivers’ championship and in the Teams’ championship also. It’s a shame for Tiago, Nestor and Attila that their races ended early but at the same time, at least we have one car still in the title hunt. It won’t be ideal coming back here in two weeks given that the car is not best-suited to the track, but we will be working between the races to make sure we are in the best position possible for the final races of the season. »
Mads Fischer – TCR Project Leader, JAS Motorsport – JAS Motorsport : « We knew this was likely to be a punishing weekend on the Honda Civic Type R TCR due to the compensation weight, so to at least bring back three top-10 finishes is some reward for the hard work of the drivers and everyone at Münnich Motorsport. It was important to try to minimise the points Esteban would lose in the title fight, so a big well done to him for sticking at it and of course to Nestor, Tiago and Attila for helping his cause. The final round will be tough again, but the circumstance should be slightly better for the Civic Type R TCR – if that is the case, who knows what could happen. »
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