Current points leader Alex Ley’s title charge has taken a step back after a high-speed shunt at the challenging Eau Rouge-Raidillon corner at Spa-Francorchamps, after his Hyundai Elantra N TCR crashed out hard on his first flying lap in qualifying. The Italian team are working hard to assess the damage to try and get the car out for either of the weekend’s races, the first of which gets underway at 17:10 CEST today.

Ley’s car took heavy damage to the left-hand side in the crash, but Ley is OK. The roll cage is reportedly intact, with the damage to the sides and both front and rear of the car. Should the car be repairable for either of the weekend’s races, having not set a time, Ley would start from 24th and last on the grid.

“I just lost the car at Eau Rouge on the first lap,” said Ley. “It’s my first big crash. It’s definitely not ideal, but hopefully we can have the car fixed and go from the back and see what we can do.”

In the standings, Ley’s lead was reduced to 13 points over Mike Halder, who is now second in the standings following the points he scored by qualifying in second place.