The WTCR drivers about the Vila Real street circuit and the joker lap.
Thed Björk (YMR): “I’m a big fan of street circuits and I was strong in Vila Real last year. When we had ‘joker’ lap for the first time last year it worked well and I gained positions. You can do a risky tactic or a safe tactic to give you the possibility to overtake. This year there are a lot more cars on the grid so it will be more difficult. We also have to see where we qualify before we can decide the tactic.”
Yann Ehrlacher (ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport): “Vila Real is very, very tricky. There are fast sections and, like in every street circuit, there is no place for mistakes. The weather will be very hot so it will be tough for the engine temperature and for the drivers as well. It will be a very challenging weekend. The ‘joker’ lap is very good. It’s something which is new and attracts fans. On a street circuit, it’s really hard to overtake so it gives you a good opportunity to overtake.”
Pepe Oriola (Team OSCARO by Campos Racing): “I don’t know the track apart from what I have done on the Campos simulator. But for sure I enjoy street tracks having raced in Macau and Marrakech and also in Singapore in TCR International. At street tracks, you get close to the wall without touching it and I guess I have the confidence with the car and myself to get close to the wall and not touch it. That’s why normally I am okay and fast on street tracks. It’s a really important race for OSCARO, the sponsor of our team because they are trying to get bigger in Portugal and I would like to do a good result for them.”
Vila Real in 100 words
A street circuit oozing history and intrigue, racing has been held on Vila Real’s demanding hillside roads since 1931, when Gaspar Sameiro and Ercilio Barbosa conquered the original 7.150-kilometre course in a Ford Model A. Safety and financial factors meant races were held on an irregular basis until the WTCC’s arrival in 2015 provided stability and Vila Real’s first world championship-level event. The 4.785-kilometre layout now used is a challenging blend of fast turns, climbs and descents. While a handful of chicanes were installed for safety reasons, the spectacle remains unaltered with speeds nearing 230kph on the final downhill section.
Who’s on the grid?
World Touring Car champions: Thed Björk, Rob Huff, Yvan Muller, Gabriele Tarquini
WTCC Trophy winners: Mehdi Bennani, Tom Coronel, Norbert Michelisz
WTCC race winners: Yann Ehrlacher, Esteban Guerrieri, Gianni Morbidelli, Pepe Oriola
British Touring Car champions: Fabrizio Giovanardi, Gordon Shedden, James Thompson
TCR title winners: Aurélien Comte, Benjamin Lessennes, Jean-Karl Vernay
Young racing hopefuls: Denis Dupont, John Filippi, Mato Homola, Norbert Nagy, Aurélien Panis, Zsolt Szabó
International racers: Nathanaël Berthon, Frédéric Vervisch
Wildcards: Edgar Florindo, José Rodrigues
Five to watch
1 Pepe Oriola: WTCR Race of Portugal is as close as it gets to a home WTCR race for the Team OSCARO by Campos Racing Spaniard. And while Vila Real is all-new to Oriola, he has a penchant for doing well on street tracks, based on previous results in Marrakech and Macau.
2 Jean-Karl Vernay: The Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team driver will be hoping the old adage ‘you’re only good as your last result’ holds true in Vila Real following back-to-back wins in WTCR OSCARO and TCR Europe.
3 Rob Huff: When it comes to winning on street tracks, Sébastien Loeb Racing’s former WTCC champion has got it down to an art form with 11 round-the-houses victories during the World Touring Car Championship era. And when it comes to overtaking in Vila Real, Huff has that covered, too, based on his heroic charge from last to fifth in 2017.
4 Tom Coronel: While his home event was unkind to him in terms of results, the Boutsen Ginion Racing-run Dutchman is a former Vila Real winner at WTCC level, a feat matched by rival racers Mehdi Bennani and Norbert Michelisz.
5 Norbert Nagy: The Hungarian showed his potential with a pole-winning performance when the European Touring Car Cup visited Vila Real in 2017. He could have taken a win had it not been for a puncture, making a strong result this year high on the Zengő Motorsport driver’s agenda.
Obrigado ???? It’s great to meet the fans in the city centre of Vila Real ? See you on the track. #WTCR pic.twitter.com/FdLitZh14M
— Tiago Monteiro (@Tiagosworld18) June 21, 2018
