Yann Ehrlacher has taken over the lead of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour standings after leading Valencia’s race 3 from the start to the finish, with just one lap where he was passed by Santiago Urrutia.
Ehrlacher got off the line well from pole position and moved to cover Urrutia into T1, while Néstor Girolami tried to get around the outside of Urrutia, but the Uruguayan stayed close to Ehrlacher and held the position.
Ruben Volt was the best-placed Honda at the start, fourth on the grid, but was passed by Esteban Guerrieri, with Norbert Michelisz in tow moving up to fifth ahead of the Estonian. On lap 2, Urrutia dived down the inside of Ehrlacher at T1 and took the lead of the race, but the Cyan Racing team ordered him to return the position a lap later and the pair continued in formation to the finish to claim an easy 1-2 for the team.
Girolami would have a safe run to third ahead of Guerrieri, while Michelisz would score another strong result after yesterday’s P4 with fifth.
Ignacio Montenegro was one of the main movers early in the race, moving up a few positions to go from tenth on the grid to finish eighth, passing Thed Björk and Mikel Azcona.
The race would only feature two retirements, with both wild cards Julien Briché and Eric Gené stopping with technical issues.
In the championship, Ehrlacher took the lead by six points over Urrutia, but Guerrieri’s fourth place finish kept him in close contention in third, just seven points back.
There’s a short turnaround before the next event, which takes place at Monza in Italy next weekend.
Race 3
- Yann Ehrlacher (Lynk & Co Cyan Racing, Lynk & Co 03 FL), 19 laps
- Santiago Urrutia (Lynk & Co Cyan Racing, Lynk & Co 03 FL), 3.731
- Néstor Girolami (BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, Hyundai Elantra N), 4.340
Championship points
- Y. Ehrlacher, 152 pts.; 2. S. Urrutia, 146; 3. E. Guerrieri, 145
Picture: WSC/Fastclick
