Coronel launches into title race as Girolami’s bid crumbles
Dutch veteran Tom Coronel claimed his first win at world level since 2016 and Nestor Girolami’s bid for the title was effectively ended by a huge accident, as the World Touring Car Cup put on its first tripleheader of the season at the Slovakia Ring.
Coronel, 48, won the reversed-grid race two in the wake of his Comtoyou
Audi team-mate Nathanael Berthon claiming the opening encounter from pole position. Engstler Hyundai’s
Nicky Catsburg completed a hat-trick of maiden WTCR winners in race three.
Berthon claimed maximum points from qualifying by claiming pole for both the first and last races of the weekend. But he initially failed to capitalise in a damp race one when Catsburg got the drop on him from the drier side of the grid. Fortunately for the Audi driver, the Dutch racer was running on full-dry settings and struggled badly for pace. Berthon passed him on lap three to take a decisive lead, as the Hyundai slipped to an eventual 17th.
Gabriele Tarquini made a trademark strong start from fifth on the grid to finish second in his Hyundai on the South Korean manufacturer’s WTCR return, after it missed the previous Nurburgring round over a Balance of Performance row.
Girolami started the dry second race from pole, on a weekend when points leader Yann Ehrlacher struggled with the success ballast his Cyan Racing Lynk & Co was forced to carry. But any hopes Girolami had of closing the gap were dashed. In race one, his Munnich Motorsport team-mate Esteban Guerrieri had controversially muscled past him for fourth after a “miscommunication” on team orders; then in the next race Girolami made a poor getaway from pole and dropped to fourth, as Guerrieri and Coronel surged to the front from fifth and seventh on the grid respectively.
Coronel’s Audi was clearly quicker than Guerrieri’s Honda and the veteran took the lead at the long final corner when the Argentinian left a gap. Comtoyou rookie Gilles Magnus followed him through to complete a team 1-2. “Mama Mia! Now I remember how it feels because it’s been a long time,” said an emotional Coronel. “I knew I had a chance, we have always been fast here. I saw the gap and boom!”
Then on the last lap, Girolami was inadvertently tapped into a horrifying impact with a barrier by Jean-karl Vernay’s Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo. He was fortunate to escape injury, but his Honda was severely damaged and his day was done.
Berthon again failed to make the most of pole position in race three, as reigning champion Norbert Michelisz and Catsburg surged ahead. As Tarquini was nudged off for the second race in succession, the two leading Hyundais took Turns 1 and 2 side by side – until Vernay tapped the back of Michelisz’s i30 N TCR, claiming the Hungarian had braked in a corner usually taken flat. Michelisz collected the halfspin to finish 10th, as Vernay chased Catsburg to the flag before a penalty dropped him to fourth.
Points leader Ehrlacher was in damage limitation mode, taking a ninth, a seventh and an 11th. He now leads the standings by 21 points from Coronel, who has shot into second, with Girolami plummeting to seventh. The Hungaroring is next up this coming weekend and Munnich Motorsport will be hard pressed to get the 31-year-old on the grid.