For the first time in more than four years, Tom Coronel has won another World Cup touring car race. During the third weekend of the season in the FIA WTCR – World Touring Car Cup, the highest global touring car competition awarded by the world motorsport federation FIA, Coronel won the second race. With the Audi RS 3 LMS in the DHL livery, used by the Belgian DHL Team Comtoyou Audi Sport, he was the first to cross the finish line at the Slovakia Ring near Bratislava. In the other two races of the weekend, Coronel finished sixth. With these results, he climbed – as a private driver amidst competition from factory teams – to second place in the championship standings. “A great weekend! I am second in the World Cup, how cool is that?” Coronel said after his success.
“I am second in the World Cup, how cool is that?”
Already in the free practice sessions on the 5.922 kilometer long Slovakia Ring it became clear that it could become a good weekend for Tom Coronel. In both training sessions, Coronel was second fastest in the 22 car strong field. Coronel managed to maintain that good form in qualifying sessions, with fourth place on the grid for the third race as the best result. “My best qualifying in years” said Coronel. “It all went very well in the free practice sessions. In Q1 I braked for a moment, so I didn’t get past the eighth fastest time, when I should have been P2, P3. In the second session I was fifth, fine, and fourth in Q3. Maybe a little too careful, but at least good a starting position. ”
In the first race, Coronel had a very good start. “I chose the inside corner, but the outside was dry, so three riders passed me again” he reported. “I was driving with rain tires at the back and slicks in front, so it was important to keep the rain tires intact as the track dried. That went well and so I could attack at the end. That made me sixth, partly by overtaking world champions Michelisz and Nicky Catsburg. Unfortunately we were one lap short, otherwise I might have finished even further ahead. Now we finished sixth, also a good result. ”
