Franco GIrolami has won the 2024 TCR Europe series title, successfully defending his 2022 crown after being absent from 2023, with a sixth place finish from ninth on the grid in an action-packed race enough to secure his title, while Jimmy Clairet took his first win in TCR in four years in the guest CUPRA of Baldan Group by Comtoyou.

Girolami’s Monlau Motorsport team-mate Viktor Davidovski started from pole position, but was passed into Turn 2 by Clairet’s CUPRA, who was recovering from a slow getaway.

Further behind, both of the GOAT Racing Hondas of Santiago Concepción and Rubén Fernández stalled at the start and fell to the back of the pack.

Title contender Aurélien Comte made a strong start in his CUPRA and was briefly up to fifth, before he was forced wide as he tried to pass Nicola Baldan’s Audi and was then overtaken by the ALM Motorsport Honda of Ruben Volt.

Clairet led the first lap ahead of Davidovski and guest driver Jenson Brickley, before Baldan then overtook Brickley at Turn 1 at the start of lap two, who eventually slowed with a power issue and retired.

Baldan then overtook Davidovski’s CUPRA at Turn 13 on the same lap, while Volt overtook the Macedonian at Turn 6 on the following lap.

At this point, Baldan Group by Comtoyou were running 1-2 in the race, with Clairet out front ahead of Baldan, but it was to be short lived as Baldan’s Audi RS 3 ground to a halt on lap six at the first corner, bringing out the safety car.

When the race resumed, Girolami began a charge, running in seventh at this point behind the two ALM Motorsport Hondas of Ignacio Montenegro and Levente Losonczy, with Montenegro still with an outside chance of the drivers’ title.

Girolami overtook Losonczy for sixth, and the Hungarian was then passed by the recovering Honda of Concepción.

On lap 11, Girolami passed the ailing Honda of rival Montenegro, whose title came to an end as he pulled into the pits with a technical issue. Girolami was now right behind Comte as the safety car was called when Comte’s team-mate Scamardi stopped on circuit after a clash with the Honda of Losonczy.

A short four-lap dash to the finish line followed, with Clairet controlling the pace up front and going on to win ahead of Volt and Davidovski.

Comte and Girolami were soon caught by Concepción, with Girolami letting the charging Honda through rather than putting up a fight which could have resulted in incident, and taking sixth, which was all he needed to safely secure the title.

Girolami wins the 2024 TCR Europe drivers’ title with 395 points, 13 points ahead of Comte, with Montenegro third, 53 behind.

Volt’s podium launched the Estonian up to fourth in the standings ahead of his ALM team-mate Losonczy.

ALM had already won the teams’ title yesterday, but the battle between the two CUPRA teams was settled by Davidovski’s podium and Girolami’s sixth place finish, with Monlau Motorsport second in the standings, 54 points clear of SP Compétition.

Ahead of the race, it was announced that a six-race calendar has been confirmed for the 2025 TCR Europe season, which will start at the Vallelunga circuit in April.