Algumas imagens, artigos e opiniões irão ser colocadas tendo por base principalmente o meu arquivo, assim como o contributo de outros entusiastas sobre automóveis.
José Rodrigues não vai estar presente em Vila Real
Após 5 anos consecutivos de grandes recordações em Vila Real, infelizmente não vou estar presente no melhor evento da velocidade nacional. Desejo a maior sorte a todos e que continue a ser um grande evento para todos os amantes do automobilismo. Vila Real continua no meu coração e, de certeza que voltarei com mais vontade do que nunca! Todos a apoiar o @tiagosworld18 no @fia_wtcr 💪 After 5 consecutive years of great memories in Vila Real, unfortunately I have to announce that I will not be there! I wish best luck to everyone and that continues to be a great event for all. I will come back stronger than ever for sure!
Thed Björk stamped his mark on Race 3 at WTCR Race of Portugal with an emphatic lights-to-flag victory. 👊🏻
Thed: “The speed in my car, I felt it in Race 2 so I didn’t want to risk anything, just finish it and do this race. I was flying. I love the streets in Vila Real and I was just flying."
Yann Ehrlacher battled to a pair of top-10 finishes on the streets of Vila Real to keep himself in contention for the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup.
The Frenchman and his ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport team-mates Esteban Guerrieri and James Thompson were innocent victims of a major opening-lap incident on Saturday that involved nearly the entire 27-car grid.
While Esteban’s car was able to take Saturday’s re-started race, the Honda Civic Type R TCRs of Yann and James looked beyond repair.
Incredible work overnight by the German team miraculously returned Yann’s car to near-showroom condition, enabling him to qualify fifth and finish the day’s two races in seventh; results that keep him second in the championship at the season’s midway point.
After finishing second on Saturday, Esteban’s car suffered a mechanical issue in qualifying that restricted him to 19th on the grid.
Having been put into the wall in Race Two by another driver, the Argentinian had to start Race Three from the back and came home 13th; the allowed ‘repair time’ not being sufficient to fix the damage to the left-front corner. James’ car was unfortunately too-badly damaged to fix on-site.
Belgian teenager Benjamin Lessennes scored a fine eighth place in Race Three for Boutsen Ginion Racing.
Having started 12th, he took his joker lap early. His team’s canny strategy paid off as several safety-car periods meant that the majority of the field were forced to wait until the final lap, which gained him four places in one go.
Team-mate Tom Coronel showed top-six pace in morning qualifying, but was unlucky to suffer front punctures in Q1 and both races, which ended his chances of adding to his points total.
Portuguese wildcard Jose Rodrigues kept his nose clean as attrition levels were high. Driving an older-spec Civic Type R TCR, the Target Competition racer qualified 23rd and finished Race Two in 16th place.
He was on the verge of a points-scoring top-10 finish in Race Three when he sustained a last-lap front puncture, which put him in the wall. Although he did not cross the finish line, he was classified in 15th spot.
The next WTCR round takes place at the Slovakia Ring near Bratislava, on July 13-14.
Yann Ehrlacher 68
“I cannot even begin to describe how amazing the mechanics are in this team. The worked all night without sleep and got my car ready for today’s races. It was a fast car too and if I hadn’t made a mistake on my Q3 lap, I could have been on the front row. Two seventh places could be very important for the championship, because it could easily have been two non-starts today. I’m second in the points and we have a fast car, so there’s every reason to stay optimistic for the next event in Slovakia.”
LL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Esteban Guerrieri 86
“Yesterday we had a great result with a podium, but today didn’t go so well. A couple of little mechanical issues in qualifying left me 19th and put me in fightback mode for the Races. Unfortunately, in Race Two, Frederic Vervisch made a completely amateur move and simply drove me into the wall. The car had too much damage to fix without breaking Parc Ferme and that meant I started last in Race Three. From there, it’s impossible to recover.”
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Benjamin Lessennes 63
“I feel pretty good about today. On the one hand, I missed the reversed-grid pole by just two hundredths of a second, but I did the maximum possible with the car in that session. In Race Two I was battling with Nathanael Berthon on the first lap and he came across on me way too late and we had contact, which put me out. In Race Three I went from 12th to eighth because we made a great call on the joker lap strategy, and I have to thank my team for that.”
Boutsen Ginion Racing
Tom Coronel 9
“It’s been a frustrating day. I had a front puncture in qualifying, so I hit the wall and had to start at the back. Then I got front punctures in both of the races, which made a good result possible. It’s a real shame because in Q1 the car was extremely fast. I lost a couple of laps because of minor track-limit violations, but my best lap would have put me in Q2 with a top-six time and that speed was genuine as well.”
Boutsen Ginion Racing
Jose Rodrigues 26
“What a day! I’ve raced here five times now, and that final race today was by far the toughest I’ve had. The heat was incredible and my car is heavier and less powerful than anything else here due to the compensation weight, wildcard weight and BoP, but despite this, I think I could have points in Race Three because I was up from 24th to 12th and keeping pace with Tom Coronel and Esteban Guerrieri. Unfortunately, I got a puncture and hit the wall, but I’m so pleased with the job we’ve done as a team today in the circumstances.”
Target Competition
Dominik Greiner
Team Manager
“Today’s results were only possible because of the incredible effort that the entire team made to get Yann’s car ready. They didn’t sleep and they worked all night and those two seventh places might be the most important results of the year when we get to the crunch time for the championship. They’re superhuman and deserve all the credit. Unfortunately, James’s car wasn’t repairable, and Esteban had some misfortune too, but we’re still in the hunt and we’ll bounce back in Slovakia.”
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Olivia Boutsen
Team Manager
“It’s been a very hectic weekend, but Benjamin has come through very well with a strong eighth position in Race Three. We had some luck because the number of safety cars in Race Three meant that our joker-lap strategy worked perfectly, but it was also our decision to get him to take it when he did, and that paid off. It’s a real shame that the punctures stopped Tom from scoring the points that he deserved, because he had strong pace today.”
Boutsen Ginion Racing
Andreas Gummerer
Team Principal
“In the circumstances, today’s race results were OK. It was incredibly tough on track with the temperatures and with a lot of hard racing, so Jose did a good job to be classified in both races. We made some improvements overnight and they definitely made things better today. The reality is we have the oldest car here and the BoP and compensation weight also makes it the heaviest, so keeping up with some of the other cars was a big challenge. It was an interesting experience to come here as a wildcard entrant.”
Target Competition
Mads Fischer
TCR Project Leader, JAS Motorsport
“Today showed what incredible levels of team spirit exist within our customer WTCR teams. The Münnich team did an amazing job to fix Yann’s car and Boutsen Ginion Racing have also done a very good job to get both cars on-track today. Yann is still in the hunt and I’m sure the Civic Type R TCR will be competitive when we get to Slovakia next month. I think this weekend we’ve seen a lot of cars take a lot of damage and I’d like to see less contact in races from now on, because nobody benefits when these kinds of weekends happen.”
Honda customer teams prepare for battle in Vila Real
WTCR Race of Portugal
Circuito Internacional de Vila Real, Portugal
Honda’s WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup customer teams are braced for action as the series moves onto the spectacular Vila Real street circuit in Portugal this weekend.
At 4.8 kilometres in length and with laptimes of over two minutes, the Circuito Internacional do Vila Real is one of the longest on the WTCR calendar and will provide a huge challenge for the drivers of the six Honda Civic Type R TRCs contesting the city-centre event.
A win and a second place at Zandvoort last month put Yann Ehrlacher on top of the Drivers’ Championship and moved ALL-INKL.COM Münnich to the head of the Teams’ points race.
With a nine-point advantage over his nearest rival, the Frenchman aims to maintain the momentum that has delivered two victories and nine points finishes from the 12 races held so far.
His Argentinian team-mate, Esteban Guerrieri, has a win and one further podium to his name in 2018. He knows that three solid points finishes are likely to move him up from his current seventh spot in the points table.
Fellow Münnich driver James Thompson raced at Vila Real in World Touring Cars in 2016 and is aiming to use that experience to his advantage after scoring his first podium of the season at Zandvoort last month.
Benjamin Lessennes has been one of the stars of the season; the 18-year-old TCR Benelux Champion stepping up to world level for the first time with Boutsen Ginion Racing and achieving three top-five finishes already.
This will be the young Belgian’s first time racing at Vila Real, but he will have Tiago Monteiro on hand for assistance while the local hero continues his recovery from injuries sustained in a testing incident last year.
His team-mate, Tom Coronel, was victorious on Vila Real’s streets in 2016, but missed last year’s Portuguese races due to a practice incident that left his car with irreparable damage.
After scoring his best result of the year with seventh at his home event at Zandvoort last time out, he’s determined to carry that momentum to the challenging Portuguese street circuit.
For the third time in 2018, a sixth Honda will be on the grid as a wildcard entrant. In Portugal it will be Tiago Monteiro’s protégé, Jose Rodrigues, who will be run by Target Competition.
The Vila Real event marks the WTCR debut for both; TCR Italy regular Jose having raced at the circuit last year in the FIA European Touring Car Cup in a Honda Civic Type R TCR, and Target having won back-to-back TCR Germany titles with Hondas in 2016-17.
Uniquely, the Vila Real circuit is the only one on the WTCR calendar to feature a Joker Lap. This rallycross-inspired concept is an additional section of track that all drivers must use once during each race; the aim being to increase overtaking.
Yann Ehrlacher
Yann Ehrlacher 68
“I could only have dreamed that the season would have started this well. To be leading the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships is beyond expectations and everybody at ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport has worked so hard to get every last bit of speed out of the car and make sure we had the right tactics on race weekends to maximise every possible point. I like the track, but there’s almost nowhere to pass, so getting the most out of qualifying and choosing the right joker-lap strategy will be crucial.”
- ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Esteban Guerrieri
Esteban Guerrieri 86
“The victory at the Nürburgring really kicked my season into life, but, championship-wise, I’m a little lower than I expected to be because we haven’t really had a weekend free from any little issues yet. If we can have that in Portugal – and I believe we can – then I could go into the mid-season break in a very strong position and I have a great team behind me to help me achieve this.”
- ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
James Thompson
James Thompson 15
“Vila Real is an amazing place for a race. Unlike some other street tracks, we racing right in the town centre. It feels like everyone comes out to watch and that we’re at the centre of a huge festival of motor racing. I’m on a high after my podium at Zandvoort and I have experience of racing here before. As a team, we’re working better than ever and I’m sure we can put in a strong performance across the weekend.”
- ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Benjamin Lessennes
Benjamin Lessennes 63
“After racing at Zandvoort, we’re now back to my normal situation for 2018 in racing at a circuit I’ve never been to before, but I think we’ve proved together that we learn very quickly and that we can do well at any kind of track. We have not only a new circuit but also a new concept with the joker lap, all of which will take a little time to learn, but a challenge is always a good thing and we’re all looking forward to it.”
- Boutsen Ginion Racing
Tom Coronel
Tom Coronel 9
“I love street circuits because you have to be just as committed as regular tracks, but the punishment for getting it wrong is huge and it’s hugely rewarding to do well, as I have with my wins in Marrakech and Vila Real in 2016 and my good results in Macau. I’ve seen the highs and lows at this track; winning two years ago and then suffering a wheel failure that led to me crashing in practice in 2017. I’d prefer to have a little less drama this time!”
- Boutsen Ginion Racing
Tiago Monteiro
Tiago Monteiro 18
“I would dearly love to have raced in Vila Real; a circuit at which I took the most emotional win of my career in 2016, but unfortunately, despite making amazing progress with my physical condition in recent months, I’m just not yet at the point at which I need to be to return to competition. I’m very sorry for all my fans, who give me incredible belief and energy, and who wanted to see me race, but at least I know that this time I can spend some time giving something back to them for all the support they’ve shown me over the years.”
- Boutsen Ginion Racing
Jose Rodrigues
Jose Rodrigues 26
“To make my WTCR debut is extremely exciting, but to do it int front of such a passionate home crowd is doubly so. I have never raced at such a high level before, so I’m not sure what to expect, but I can’t wait to get on track. The big positives are that I know the circuit from racing in the ETCC and that the Honda I will race is the same Target Competiton car I’ve been competing with in TCR Italy this year. This gives me a big advantage over the drivers who are new to the track and I aim to use that to help me achieve the best results possible.”
José Rodrigues o segundo wildcard na prova de Vila Real
José Rodrigues foi hoje confirmado como o segundo wildcard na prova de Vila Real da Taça do Mundo FIA de Carros de Turismo (WTCR) que assim se junta- a Edgar Florindo, como os dois pilotos convidados para esta prova.
O piloto de Bracarense compete está este ano no TCR Italy com o Honda Civic Type-R TCR
“Estou muito feliz por vos anunciar a minha presença no WTCR em Vila Real. Chegar a um Campeonato do Mundo FIA é um sonho de criança. É incrível chegar à "F1" dos carros de turismo. Mas é também, o culminar de alguns anos de muito esforço e paixão de todos os que me apoiaram até aqui. Representar Portugal é um motivo de grande orgulho para mim. Conto com todos vocês.” 🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹 Todos juntos faremos uma grande festa...!"
Depois do TCR alemão, no European Touring Car Cup, em Vila Real, José Rodrigues está de volta aos grandes palcos europeus para mais uma aposta internacional na sua carreira, ao optar em 2018 pelo TCR Itália, ou seja, o Campeonato italiano de Turismo
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Yann Ehrlacher 68
Esteban Guerrieri 86
Benjamin Lessennes 63
Tom Coronel 9
Jose Rodrigues 26
Dominik Greiner 
Olivia Boutsen 
Andreas Gummerer .jpg?size=l "5b2e37733e330-320x320 (1).jpg")
Yann Ehrlacher
Esteban Guerrieri
James Thompson
Benjamin Lessennes
Tom Coronel
Tiago Monteiro
Jose Rodrigues
