In just six days, the TCR Europe series races again at the circuit where six years ago, the championship’s closest finish occurred, when Pepe Oriola crossed the line just 0.152 seconds ahead of Julien Briché’s Peugeot.

The Spanish driver was competing with the Slovakian-run Brutal Fish Racing Team, and recorded what would be his final win in the series, before going on to become the inaugural TCR South America series champion the following year.

It was also the last time the fast French driver Briché came close to victory. Briché had already won Race 1 a day earlier, winning the race in his Peugeot 308 TCR from fourth on the grid, which was the last time he stood on the top step of the podium.

Oriola had launched into the lead from sixth on the grid on the first lap. The then 26-year-old was up to third before the Seconda Variante, then he passed John Filippi around the outside at Ascari before outdragging the rival Honda of Mike Halder at Curva Alboreto to move into first place.

Briché’s charge through the field took a bit longer, but at half-race distance he’d final moved up to second place. Oriola’s lead was just less than a second, and so the French driver was now in hunting distance through the rest of the race.

The two drivers were nose-to-tail during the final three laps, with Briché pulling alongside and trying to find his way past the Spanish racer on multiple occasions down the finish straight and into the Seconda Variante.

Briché mounted his final charge coming out of Ascari on the final lap and through Curva Alboreto, but Oriola managed to hold on to claim the win by just over a tenth of a second.

A year later, there was another close finish, with PSS Racing Team driver Franco Girolami holding off the would-be champion Mikel Azcona’s CUPRA by 0.222 seconds, recording the second-closest finish in the series history.

The third closest finish took place this year, as current points leader Nicolas Taylor held off Mikhail Simonov by just 0.284 seconds in Race 2 at Paul Ricard to claim his second career win.

Now as the field heads to Monza, there’s a chance for the class of 2026 to beat Oriola and Briché’s 2020 record.