Thed Björk will not start from pole position for the second race of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour weekend at Vila Real, as the Swedish driver has picked up a three-place grid penalty for the accident with Jimmy Clairet.
Björk and Clairet collided at the Turn 11/12 chicane on lap 9, which saw both drivers out of the race and the safety car deployed for a second time, affecting the race strategy, especially that of the race leaders.
“At T11 he tried to overtake me, and I don’t think it’s possible to overtake there,” said Clairet. “So, I cut the chicane to avoid the contact, and when I came out of the chicane we crashed. I don’t know if what would have happened if he’d been able to lift.”
“There’s quite a difference in speed between the cars,” said Björk. “I tried to overtake Clairet, but we ended up in an accident after something broke on his car when he went across the chicane, and then we both went in the wall. It was I who started it, because when you feel fast you feel you can overtake. I’ve been very optimistic two times here at Vila Real in trying to pass, and both times I’ve ended up on the tow truck, so from now on I’ll only pass through joker laps.”
Björk drops to fourth on the grid, promoting the Hyundai of Norbert Michelisz to pole position ahead of Jenson Brickley’s Honda.
Picture: WSC/Fastclick-AvensImages
