WTCR Estoril: Tassi becomes youngest winner as loose bonnet costs Monteiro

Munnich Motorsport’s quartet of Civic Type Rs had qualified 1-2-3-5 on Saturday, but the team’s weekend unravelled over the course of two eventful races on Sunday.

In the reverse-grid race one, Nestor Girolami triggered a first-corner multi-car collision that left him with heavy front-end damage. The team was forced to break parc ferme rules to repair the Honda, so Girolami started the second race at the back instead of from third on the grid.

Then Argentine countryman Esteban Guerrieri blew his race two pole position by making a disastrous getaway, blaming a distraction caused by his engine’s anti-lag system for his slow start that left Monteiro clear to take the lead.

The former Jordan grand prix driver led comfortably, negotiating a safety car restart caused by Mikel Azcona pushing Tom Coronel off on lap one – but then became unstuck when the front-right corner of his bonnet flapped open. He was shown the black and orange flag and was forced to pit, thereby losing not only victory but the WTCR points lead he had earned with a solid fourth place from ninth on the grid in race one.

Tassi then faced down a trio of Hyundais that chased him home over the final five laps. At 22, the Hungarian becomes the youngest WTCR race winner.

“It was a mega race,” said Tassi. “First of all I’m really sorry for Esteban and even more for Tiago. But it’s déjà vu. Two years ago at Vila Real it was the same, but the other way around,” referencing a race at the Portuguese street track in 2019, when he’d been forced to retire from the lead and which Monteiro then won.

“This is my first win in WTCR and I’m very happy, but it should have been two years ago. But what happens comes around.”

Attila Tassi, ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCR

Photo by: WTCR

Vernay’s Engstler Hyundai Elantra N TCR headed the chase of Tassi from Norbert Michelisz and Gabriele Tarquini. Second place for the Frenchman earned him back the WTCR points lead he’d lost to Monteiro in race one, when he’d incurred a puncture in the first-corner corner contact caused by Girolami. The Honda had piled into the back of Michelisz, who was also forced out of the race by the incident.

Reigning champion Yann Ehrlacher won the reverse grid encounter after beating polesitter Tarquini to turn one. The Italian picked up a puncture caused by debris, which allowed Ehrlacher’s uncle Yvan Muller and Santiago Urrutia to make it a Lynk & Co 1-2-3, just days after parent company Geely had publicly criticised WTCR organiser Eurosport Events for its Balance of Performance management.

All four of the Chinese cars finished in the top 10 in race two, despite appearing to lack straightline speed. Urrutia was fifth, Ehrlacher sixth, Thed Bjork seventh and Muller ninth.

Rob Huff, who has returned to the WTCR this year in a Zengo Motorsport Cupra Leon Competicion, scored a pair of 10th place finishes in the two races.

Race 1 results

Cla	Driver	Chassis	Laps	Gap
1	Yann Ehrlacher	Lynk & Co	15
2	Yvan Muller	Lynk & Co	15	1.746
3	Santiago Urrutia	Lynk & Co	15	3.411
4	Tiago Monteiro	Honda	15	4.960
5	Esteban Guerrieri	Honda	15	5.369
6	Mikel Azcona	CUPRA	15	8.220
7	Attila Tassi	Honda	15	8.650
8	Thed Björk	Lynk & Co	15	10.848
9	Gilles Magnus	Audi	15	14.088
10	Rob Huff	CUPRA	15	16.651
11	Nathanael Berthon	Audi	15	19.214
12	Luca Engstler	Hyundai	15	19.360
13	Frederic Vervisch	Audi	15	21.118
14	Jordi Gene	CUPRA	15	22.500
15	Andreas Bäckman	Hyundai	15	25.079
16	Jessica Bäckman	Hyundai	15	26.858
17	Tom Coronel	Audi	15	27.690
18	Bence Boldizs	CUPRA	14	1 Lap
	Gabriele Tarquini	Hyundai	10	5 Laps
	Norbert Michelisz	Hyundai	6	9 Laps
	Jean-Karl Vernay	Hyundai	2	13 Laps
	Nestor Girolami	Honda	0
View full results

Race 2 results

Cla	Driver	Chassis	Laps	Gap
1	Attila Tassi	Honda	16
2	Jean-Karl Vernay	Hyundai	16	1.030
3	Norbert Michelisz	Hyundai	16	1.553
4	Gabriele Tarquini	Hyundai	16	2.165
5	Santiago Urrutia	Lynk & Co	16	7.814
6	Yann Ehrlacher	Lynk & Co	16	8.757
7	Thed Björk	Lynk & Co	16	11.661
8	Esteban Guerrieri	Honda	16	14.586
9	Yvan Muller	Lynk & Co	16	16.465
10	Rob Huff	CUPRA	16	19.010
11	Frederic Vervisch	Audi	16	20.807
12	Nathanael Berthon	Audi	16	22.168
13	Nestor Girolami	Honda	16	22.426
14	Gilles Magnus	Audi	16	22.588
15	Jordi Gene	CUPRA	16	29.028
16	Jessica Bäckman	Hyundai	16	36.145
17	Andreas Bäckman	Hyundai	16	37.342
18	Tiago Monteiro	Honda	16	1'02.081
19	Bence Boldizs	CUPRA	14	2 Laps
	Luca Engstler	Hyundai	10	6 Laps
	Mikel Azcona	CUPRA	8	8 Laps
	Tom Coronel	Audi	0
View full results