Two lights-to-flag victories in Spa as Bargwanna taken out

The TCR World Tour saw two lights-to-flag victories scored by both Yann Ehrlacher and John Filippi at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

Round 2 of the TCR World Tour also saw Australian Ben Bargwanna, competing for the second time in the TCR World Tour after topping the rookie classification in Portugal earlier this month, taken out in Race 1 before a 12th place finish in the reverse-grid Race 2.

Race 1 saw Ehrlacher’s only genuine threat came after a slow start when Nestor Girolami mounted a brief challenge around the outside into La Source, yet the Cyan Racing driver held the lead before controlling the nine-lap contest to win by 1.63s at the chequered flag.

His Cyan Racing team-mate, Ma Qing Hua, completed the front row of the grid but was left stranded on the grid, eventually getting off the line after falling down the order, leaving Girolami and Kobe Pauwels to move into second and third.

Bargwanna’s race lasted only two laps as he and Dusan Borkovic – who he’d passed at the Chicane on the opening lap for 14th – made heavy contact at La Source. The #62 Hyundai clouted the Australian’s Peugeot, driving it off the hairpin, with the nose of Borkovic’s Hyundai also T-boning Hyundai team-mate Mikel Azcona in the process.

The Safety Car was deployed for a single tour of the 7.004km circuit as marshals recovered both Bargwanna and Borkovic’s cars. While Bargwanna was uninjured, Borkovic was sent to hospital for further checks where a sprained hand was confirmed.

Both drivers made it back for Sunday’s Race 2, Borkovic given a three-place grid penalty for the incident, while the front-end panel and suspension damage on Bargwanna’s Peugeot repaired by Team Clairet crew on Saturday evening.

Following the dust-up, a Lap 4 restart saw Santiago Urrutia take third from Pauwels around the outside at Les Combes to snatch the final podium spot, with Ehrlacher replacing Norbert Michelisz at the top of the TCR World Tour standings after taking the Race 1 win.

Filippi won Race 2 from the reverse-grid pole, becoming the first TCR Europe competitor to win a round of the TCR World Tour.

The Comtoyou Racing Audi driver led off the line but was under constant pressure from Michelisz throughout the race, the BRC Squadra Corse driver having passed Felipe Fernandez through Eau Rouge to take second on the opening lap.

Filippi was able to stave off Michelisz and hold the Hungarian at bay to finish 1.6s ahead and take another lights-to-flag victory of the Spa weekend, while Tom Coronel was third.

Race 1 winner Ehrlacher came home fifth, behind Urrutia.

Bargwanna improved four places from his grid position to finish 12th, just outside points.

With second place Michelisz took back the lead in the TCR World Tour standings on 94 points, three head of Ehrlacher with Urrutia third in 76.

The third round on the TCR World Tour calendar sees the field race at Vallelunga Circuit, Italy, on June 9-11.