WTCR Race of Czech Republic Nestor Girolami led a Honda Civic Type R TCR 1-2 at Most from Esteban Guerrieri, who scored two WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup podiums on a strong day for the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport team.
The two secured the result in Sunday’s opening race, though their paths to those positions were vastly different.
From second on the grid, Nestor launched well and took the lead on the run to the first corner. He held that position through Turn 1 – despite a nervous moment when he was hit from behind – to lead the pack before the intervention of the Safety Car.
The Argentinian controlled the race when it resumed, heading team-mate Esteban over the line to claim his first victory of the season.
‘Bebu’ was less fortunate in Race Two as multiple hits at the start, before which he looked on course to make ground from ninth place on the grid, relegated him down the order.
Another impact at the restart pushed him further back, but despite ending the race with a solitary point he nevertheless ended the weekend having climbed to seventh in the Drivers’ Championship.
Esteban’s route to runner-up spot in Race One was, on the face of it, harder from ninth at the start, but an excellent judgement call meant he avoided a melee at Turn 1 and advanced to third, before passing a car around the outside exiting the second corner.
With Nestor in the lead, Esteban kept the chasing pack at arm’s length; his reward for doing so was a first podium of the season.
His second came soon after, too, as another hard-fought drive to keep cars behind earned a third-place finish.
The defining move came on the opening lap, as he beat his fellow second-row starter into third at the first corner, but he faced a constant challenge for the position when the race resumed after an early red flag.
That double podium, coupled with the seven points Esteban scored in Friday qualifying, elevated him to second in the Drivers’ standings with six races of the 2021 WTCR season remaining.
There were contrasting fortunes for the ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport team, as Tiago Monteiro and Attila Tassi both fought hard for little reward.
Despite both receiving hits, good starts from the pair in Race One meant they ran 10th and 11th in the early stages, but Tiago was ruled out of the hunt for points when he served a drive-through penalty after the early Safety Car, and a cut tyre from debris on the track forced Attila to pit late on.
Attila was luckless in Race Two; despite getting another strong start, he was hit from behind into Turn 1 which broke the car’s intercooler. He was able to bring the car back to the pits but could not continue.
Tiago did at least manage to get points on the board by finishing 12th, but was again the innocent victim of contact as a frustrating weekend came to a conclusion.
All four drivers are in action again next weekend when the WTCR makes its first visit to the Pau-Arnos circuit in France.
