WTCR Race of Hungary Honda’s WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup drivers clinched a sensational podium lockout in the final race at the Hungaroring, as Esteban Guerrieri ignited his 2020 title challenge with a brace of victories.
The Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCRs had one day earlier clinched a famous top-four sweep in qualifying, and were just as imperious come raceday as the car claimed five of the nine podium positions on offer across the three races.
Esteban secured his second victory of the campaign in race one by resisting a stern challenger from behind – a crucial result for his title aspirations, as his nearest challenger was the current points leader.
The Argentinian’s second win of the day looked more comfortable as he, Tiago Monteiro and Nestor Girolami swept the podium positions, but in truth it was more complicated – with Esteban nursing front-end damage for the majority of the race.
He was nevertheless able to control the pace, safe from attack from behind, as the leading trio ran unchallenged for the majority of the 15-lap finale, securing the first one-two-three race result for the Civic Type R TCR in the series.
A victory double moves ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver Esteban – who was classified seventh in race two – up to second in the drivers’ standings, 22 points behind the series leader with six races to go.
Tiago’s runner-up finish in race three was a welcome first podium of the year for the Portuguese racer.
Measured drives in all three races were rewarded with a cleanest weekend of the season yet for the ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport driver, though he still had to negotiate his way into the points from the back of the grid in race one after an engine change, finishing 14th, and also survived contact in race two to claim ninth.
That hit left his mechanics in a race against time to repair damage to the front of his Civic Type R TCR before the final race, but he repaid their efforts with a great launch from third on the grid to slot into second, holding station thereafter to secure his first top-three finish in almost a year.
Nestor’s podium in race three was his second third-place finish of the weekend, having achieved the same result in race one.
From sixth on the grid in the opener, Nestor made up two places on lap one before completing an overtake at the fast Turn 4 left-hander to seal third.
Though there was disappointment in race two for the Argentinian, who was eliminated after he was involved in a collision at Turn 2 on the opening lap, ‘Bebu’ nevertheless ended the day happy after securing his first podium finishes since victory in the season opener at Zolder last month.
Though there was no home podium for Attila Tassi, the Hungarian played his part in what was a landmark weekend of successes for Münnich Motorsport and the Civic Type R TCR in the WTCR.
Attila logged a strong fifth in race one, was eighth in race two, and completed a hat-trick of top-10 finishes with a determined run to sixth in the finale after losing out at the start.
The weekend’s results mean ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport remain second in the teams’ championship, 30 points behind the leading outfit, with ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport fifth overall.
There is now a two-week gap before the penultimate weekend of the six-round 2020 WTCR season, which will be held at Spanish circuit Aragon.
