WestCoast Racing were in more familiar territory as their 2017 TCR International campaign starts to show signs of a welcomed improvement, getting back towards the front of the pack at the Hungaroring track situated on the outskirts of Budapest today (18th June, 2017)
Giacomo Altoe delivered the team’s best finish of the season in the days second race with a well deserved fourth position to follow up on double points finishes in the days first race with the young Italian leading home teammate Gianni Morbidelli in eighth spot having passed his countryman on the final lap of the race.
The improved results show the team is getting to grips with the VW Golf TCR and was able to qualify inside the top ten with both cars giving the drivers the opportunity to fight with the leading cars in the races.
In race one Altoe drove superbly to his eighth-place finish whilst Morbidelli was unlucky to lose out with a hole in his boost system, caused whilst fighting for position with James Nash.
Race two saw both drivers make small start line mistakes from their front and second row starting positions respectively with Altoe driving extremely well to recover for his best TCR finish to date. Morbidelli was however less fortunate with a mistake dropping him into the pack where he found himself squeezed and the innocent bystander in a big race-ending collision.
Team Manager James Nixon put some perspective on the team’s performance in Hungary this weekend in comparison to what has been a disappointing start to the 2017 campaign.
“We are still far from our reference point in the Volkswagen, which we consider to be Jean Karl Vernay, who, having watched him again this week sets a strong reference point as I consider him to probably be the best driver in the series. Our cars are the same (as Vernay’s) so together our drivers and the team need to work harder to improve and bring ourselves nearer still to finish the season on a strong and positive note.”
On Altoe’s performance Nixon added: “He drove very well today and his chance to fight for victories will soon come. He learned a lot about becoming a great race driver from being in the mix at the front in race two and despite being apprehensive ahead of the front row start performed admirably.”
The series continues on now to Oschersleben Germany on the 9th July for rounds 11 and 12 of the 18 round Championship.