Drivers will have eyes on more than one prize in Monza

Following a summer break of nearly nine weeks, this weekend sees the Autodromo Nazionale Monza host the penultimate event of the 2023 TCR Europe championship. The ‘Temple of Speed’ is one of Europe’s most iconic racing circuits and has hosted TCR Europe each year since the current format was introduced in 2018. This year, however, will add an additional element for the drivers and teams alongside the battles for the various TCR Europe titles.

With October 1^st being the cut-off date for scoring points towards the TCR World Ranking Final, Monza will be the final chance for TCR Europe competitors to add to their points haul in the KUMHO TCR World Ranking. The top 15 drivers from the TCR World Tour will be joined at the Final by the best 45 drivers from the World ranking and there are already several TCR Europe drivers on the list. Highest-placed of those is Tom Coronel, who is currently in 9^th place on the TCR World Tour list, with John Filippi and Kobe Pauwels also set to qualify from 12^th and 11^th places respectively in the World Tour standings.

With a total of 180 points on offer from the final two events in Monza and Barcelona, the TCR Europe Drivers’ Championship is far from settled. Tom Coronel currently has a 37 point lead over John Filippi with Kobe Pauwels in third place, just two points behind Filippi. Although fourth-placed Viktor Davidovski is mathematically still in with a chance of the title, realistically the battle is a three-way affair between the Comtoyou Racing and Comtoyou drivers, who’ve won nine out of the ten races held so far this year. That consistency also means that the Teams’ title is now a straight fight between the two Comtoyou sister teams, while Pauwels is well on course to secure the Rookie title and Coronel set to do likewise in the Diamond Trophy; Pauwels leads Viktor Andersson by 63 points and Coronel has a margin of 89 points over Davidovski. As a result, Comtoyou are on course to repeat the stunning clean sweep of all four TCR Europe titles they recorded last season.

Predicting results at the Monza circuit, however, is not easy. Last year’s event saw Filippi win Race 1 while Coronel’s best result was 8^th in Race 2, although the Dutch driver did secure a pair of podium finishes in 2021. There’ll be a string of drivers out to score strong points in Italy, both for their Championship standings and the possibility of moving up the KUMHO TCR World Rankings, and so two enthralling Touring Car races lie ahead.

The series welcomes new competitors at Monza. Felice Jelmini and Giacomo Ghermandi return for the first time during this season at the wheel of their Audi RS 3 LMS cars. Jelmini is currently placed fourth in TCR Italy and still in contention to clinch the title, while Ghermandi has finished a brilliant sixth in TCR Eastern Europe.
Two drivers are facing their maiden appearance in TCR Europe: Giovanni Scamardi and Ivan Peklin. The 29-year-old Belgian Scamardi will be at the wheel of an Aggressive Team Italia Hyundai Elantra N, the same car he regularly races in TCR Italy.
For his TCR debut, Ukraine's youngster Pelkin joins his fellow countryman Daniel Tkachenko in one of the Volcano Motorsport-run Audi RS 3 LMS cars. Peklin replaces Will Brown who has switched from the Barcelona-based team to Comtoyou Racing.

Qualifying and both races will be streamed live on TCR TV and the series’ social media channels.

Event timetable (local time)

Friday September 22^nd

13.20 - Free Practice 1

18.19 - Free Practice 2

Saturday September 23^rd

12.00 - Qualifying

18.25 - Race 1

Sunday September 24^th

16.25 - Race 2

2023 TCR Europe Series – calendar

29/30 April – Autodromo do Algarve, Portimão, Portugal