Michelisz clinches Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title in Macau
Norbert Michelisz has won his second consecutive drivers’ title for the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team at the 2024 Macau Guia Race, which saw a 1-2-3 finish for GOAT Racing Honda led by Serbian driver Dušan Borković, who also won his first world touring car race
With Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk having won Saturday’s first race, the Swedish driver was just five points behind going into today’s race, but would start four places behind Michelisz on the grid in tenth position, and so needed to pass him on track to deprive him of the title.
The first attempt to start the race was aborted due to heavy rain falling at the Guia circuit throughout the morning, with the race rescheduled for just after 1pm in the afternoon on what was now a drying track.
The two local drivers Andy Yan and Martin Cao, racing for the TCR China Hyundai team started from the front row on wet tyres, with Cao moving ahead of his team-mate at Dona Maria and leading the early phase of the race.
Michelisz started the race on wets, and moved ahead of team-mate Néstor Girolami into Lisboa at the start of lap one, who’d started the race on slick tyres, but despite the developing performance advantage of slicks on the drying track, the Argentinian stayed in position in order to fight off any charge from Björk’s Lynk & Co, who’d also opted for the conservative choice of starting on the Kumho wet tyre.
This meant the slick-shod Hondas of the three GOAT Racing drivers were free to climb the order. Borković, who started the race fourth, soon moved into the lead, overtaking Cao at Lisboa on lap six, while on the next lap Borković’s team-mate Guerrieri overtook six cars in one lap to move up to second position behind him, with the team’s third driver Marco Butti in tow.
The race was put behind the safety car for two laps when the Hyundai of Max Hart stopped in a precarious position at the fast Mandarin bend on lap nine with damage, after which a one-lap sprint followed. Borković led a formation finish for the Catalan Honda squad to win the race, while fifth place for Michelisz was enough to secure him the championship, with Björk crossing the line just behind the three Hyundais in eighth.
“What a beautiful day it has been,” said Michelisz. “I think that this was a season from where from the first moment we did not put a foot wrong if you consider my positions throughout the season. I scored in every single race, and we had great teamwork in every race.
“I know that since my first years in racing, if you have an efficient team you have a good chance to fight for a championship, and thanks to my team, and to my team-mates Mikel (Azcona) and Néstor (Girolami), I am incredibly grateful as without their support I would not be here.”