Three weeks after the 2022 TCR Europe season got underway at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, the action resumes at the Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet in southern France this weekend. Unlike the ‘rollercoaster’ twists and turns and elevation changes of the Portuguese circuit, the French track is virtually flat and is best-known for its 1.8km long Mistral Straight and the colourful striped asphalt runoff areas that surround the racetrack.

In 2021, the Le Castellet event was dominated by the Peugeot 308 cars of Team Clairet Sport, with Teddy Clairet fastest in Qualifying and then winning Race 1 while his brother Jimmy won Race 2. The pair have elected not to compete in TCR Europe this year, although the team will be represented by Gilles Colombani and Stéphane Ventaja in a pair of CUPRA cars.

It’s tough to forecast who will win this weekend, with the Portimão event already having confirmed that the 2022 TCR Europe series will be extremely competitive. Mike Halder (Halder Motorsport Honda Civic Type R) was beaten in Race 1 by his teammate Jack Young, but Halder won at Le Castellet in 2020 and so will be out to prove a point. Similarly, Pepe Oriola (Brutal Fish Racing, Honda Civic Type R) was denied victory in Race 2 in Portimão by Franco Girolami (Comtoyou Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS TCR) and so the Spaniard will be hungry for his first win of the season.

Others to watch this weekend include the 2019 TCR Europe champion Josh Files (Target Competition, Hyundai Elantra N), Isidro Callejas (Volcano Motorsport, CUPRA Leon Competición) and Mat’o Homola (HYUNDAI | Janík Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), all of whom set session-topping times during the early build-up to the two Portuguese races. Similarly, Klim Gavrilov (Volcano Motorsport, CUPRA Leon Competición), John Filippi (Sébastien Loeb Racing – Bardahl Team, CUPRA Leon Competición), Nicola Baldan and his teammate Felice Jelmini (Target Competition, Hyundai Elantra N), and Tom Coronel (Comtoyou Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS TCR) all set top-six times during the Test, Free Practice and Qualifying sessions in Portugal.

A number of other drivers, however, will be out to improve on their performances over the championship’s opening weekend, including Michelle Halder (Halder Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R), Evgenii Leonov (Volcano Motorsport, CUPRA Leon Competición) and Jáchym Galáš (HYUNDAI | Janík Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N). As a result, together with the reversed grid for Race 2, it’s almost impossible to predict with any confidence who will take a decent points haul away from the Le Castellet event.

After the first two races of the season, Franco Girolami holds a nine-point lead over Jack Young in the Drivers’ series with Mike Halder one point behind Young in third place. In the Teams’ championship, Halder Motorsport is five points ahead of Comtoyou Racing and Volcano Motorsport is in thrd place, a further nineteen points adrift.

In the series’ Diamond Trophy, Viktor Davidovski (Comtoyou Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS TCR) has taken an early lead after winning the class in both races in Portimão. Martin Ryba (Brutal Fish Racing, Honda Civic Type R) is in second place, seventeen points behind Davidovski, and Giacomo Ghermandi (Lema Racing, CUPRA Leon Competición) is six points behind Ryba in third place.

Event timetable

Friday, May 20^th

12.36 – 13.06 Free Practice 1

17.32 – 18.02 Free Practice 2

Saturday, May 21^st

09.38 – 10.13 Qualifying

13.40 – 14.15 Race 1

Sunday, May 22^nd

12.15 – 12.50 Race 2

Both races will be streamed live via the TCR Portal tcr-series.tv and on the TCR Europe social media channels.

2022 TCR Europe Series – calendar

30 April/1 May – Autodromo do Algarve, Portugal

21/22 May – Circuit Paul Ricard, France
18/19 June – Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
02/03 July – Norisring, Germany
27/28 August – Nürburgring, Germany

24/25 September – Monza ENI Circuit, Italy
15/16 October – Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Spain