Nicola Baldan has taken his first race victory in the TCR Europe series after a lights-to-flag run at Circuit Zolder, winning the race by just under a second in his Baldan Group by Comtoyou Audi RS 3, holding off the closing CUPRA Leon of Aurélien Comte by just under a second.

Baldan got a good launch from pole position while Comte slotted into second behind him into the first corner, while points leader Franco Girolami in the Monlau Motorsport CUPRA was able to get the jump on Ruben Volt’s ALM Motorsport Honda at the start and move up to third.

Further down the field there were bad starts for both Ignacio Montenegro from fifth, and Giovanni Scamardi who dropped to last from eighth on the grid in his SP Compétition CUPRA, and both drivers set about regaining lost ground.

Montenegro was able to recover back to finish seventh, battling with the rival Honda duo of Rubén and Felipe Fernández in the closing stages of the race, while Scamardi had broken back into the top ten before suffering a puncture and pitting on lap eight.

Scamardi would join a lap down, rejoining just behind the leading duo of Baldan and his own team-mate Comte, therefore slotting in just ahead of Girolami.

Girolami flashed in frustration while Scamardi stayed in position and eventually began to pull away from the compensation weight-laden CUPRA of Girolami, who was now under pressure from Volt.

Volt was able to make his way past and reclaim the podium position on lap ten, making his move at Turn 4 and completing the manoeuvre before the Thierry Boutsen Chicane.

Up front, Baldan was now being closed down by Comte’s CUPRA, but the French driver ran out of time to make an attack, leaving Baldan to claim his first career win in the series.

Comte’s points haul for second moves him six points clear of Girolami in the drivers’ standings, while Baldan closes on the duo and is just 17 points adrift of Comte.

Race 2 is scheduled for 12:30 CEST tomorrow with the ALM Motorsport Honda of Levente Losonczy due to start from pole position.