Event preview: #WTCR2019SUPERGRID all set for action in Marrakech

Seven FIA world title winners part of packed Moroccan line-up *Home hero Mehdi Bennani among victory contenders *Marrakech Grand Prix street racing festival turns 10 in 2019 *Nine WTCR rookies and 12 WTCR race winners compete for glory

Event preview: FIA WTCR AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco
WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO 2019
Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of 30, Circuit Moulay El Hassan, Marrakech, 5-7 April

Season two of the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO is go in Morocco next week. New cars, a new track, a new point-scoring system, plus one of the best driver line-ups in international touring car history are just some of what’s in store in 2019 when one of motorsport’s big success stories of recent years shifts up another gear.

It all starts at the Circuit Moulay El Hassan in Marrakech from 5-7 April when the #WTCR2019SUPERGRID will be unleashed for three action-packed races on a semi-permanent track in the North African city, broadcast live around the world.

The first event of a 10-weekend global tour culminating in a super-finale in Malaysia from 13-15 December, the Marrakech Grand Prix celebrates its 10th anniversary with local fans out in force to cheer home hero Mehdi Bennani, a firm contender for victory on the #WTCR2019SUPERGRID.

Welcome to the #WTCR2019SUPERGRID
The #WTCR2019SUPERGRID celebrates the fact that seven WTCR / OSCARO drivers have won 14 FIA world titles plus 29 other major championships.

The list is headed by Gabriele Tarquini, who begins his world title defence in Marrakech carrying the number 1 on his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse i30 N TCR. After missing out on the inaugural crown by three points in a seven-way title decider in Macau last November, four-time world champion Yvan Muller returns in a Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 TCR developed by Geely Group Motorsport from China. Thed Björk partners Muller at Cyan as he bids for a second FIA world crown. Rob Huff (SLR VW Motorsport Golf GTI TCR), the 2012 FIA World Touring Car champion, is one of 12 of the 15 winners from 2018 returning in 2019. Augusto Farfus, Johan Kristoffersson and Andy Priaulx are all world title winners and all new to WTCR in 2019.

Esteban Guerrieri (ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCR) won the last race of 2018 in Macau, an event that also marked Frédéric Vervisch’s maiden success in the series. Like Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport pair Gordon Shedden and Jean-Karl Vernay, the Belgian Comtoyou Racing driver continues with Audi RS 3 LMS power this season.

Mixed in with the legends and experts are a group of exciting young guns aiming to challenge the established order. They include Mikel Azcona, who graduates to WTCR as the TCR Europe champion, and his close rival in recent seasons, Attila Tassi, who will be the youngest driver in action aged 19 years, nine months and 23 days when racing begins on 6 April.

Kevin Ceccon and Yann Ehrlacher are already winners in WTCR, but at 25 and 22 respectively, they remain among a list of exciting young talents that also includes Aurélien Panis, who switches to CUPRA power for 2019 with Comtoyou Team DHL CUPRA Racing.

Dutch showman Tom Coronel partners Panis, while Daniel Haglöf from Sweden will join Mikel Azcona in representing PWR Racing, the company he co-founded. Both will race CUPRA TCRs.

Nicky Catsburg (BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team) is new to WTCR having won in the World Touring Car Championship in the past. ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Néstor Girolami is also a WTCC race winner making his WTCR debut, while Benjamin Leuchter has a strong reputation from TCR Germany. Ma Qinghua brings WTCC-winning pedigree to WTCR in a Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo Giulietta. He became the first Chinese driver to score WTCR points during a selected campaign of events in 2018.

Tiago Monteiro starts his first full season since serious head and neck injuries ended his hopes of winning the WTCC title in 2017. The Portuguese, a Formula One podium finisher in the past, joins Hong Kong-based KCMG to race a Honda Civic Type R TCR. Monteiro’s former team-mate, Norbert Michelisz, is another title contender for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse.

What’s new for 2019?

Standardised points… for top 15
WTCR / OSCARO gets a new points system for 2019 with the aim of ensuring more drivers can score points more often. The top 15 drivers according to the final classification of Races 1, 2 and 3 are rewarded as follows:

POS: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15
PTS: 25-20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

The same points-scoring system is applied to the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO for Teams. Wildcard drivers are no longer be eligible for points.

First Qualifying pace rewarded with points
Points are distributed not only following Second Qualifying as in 2018 but following First Qualifying as well. The fastest five drivers according to the final classification score as follows:

POS: 1-2-3-4-5
PTS: 5-4-3-2-1

Q3 running order adjusted
The running order for the Q3 phase of Second Qualifying is adjusted with the driver setting the fastest time in Q2 choosing their starting order in the five-car Q3 shootout first followed by the second fastest driver and so on. It means the quickest driver in Q2 will no longer have to wait for four other drivers to complete their Q3 runs before attempting their own Q3 lap. The change follows feedback from drivers who felt they could be disadvantage by waiting in the pitlane because of the potential drop-off in car performance and tyre temperature, for example.

Entry restrictions introduced
In order to balance participation between the customer racing brands competing in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO (Alfa Romeo, Audi, CUPRA, Honda, Hyundai, Lynk & co and Volkswagen), a maximum of four cars per brand with two-car teams only are permitted. There will be 26 all-season entries with an allowance for a maximum of six wildcard entries at selected events, subject to approval.

Free Practice 1 on the move
WTCR / OSCARO events typically take place over three days to avoid timetables becoming too congested. As a result, Free Practice 1 takes place on day one, and is extended to 45 minutes to increase track time for teams and drivers.

Tweaks to testing rules too
To preserve track time equity and avoid budget increases, further testing restrictions are in place for 2019. No testing is allowed on any WTCR circuit prior to or during a race weekend once the season is underway.

On-event staff numbers restricted
Ten armbands are issued per team and only those operational staff assigned an armband, having registered with the FIA before each event, are allowed to work on cars for duration of an event.

On the #WTCR2019SUPERGRID with Mehdi Bennani
Mehdi Bennani, Morocco’s top driver, is starting his fifth season with Sébastien Loeb Racing and will once again have a Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR at his disposal as he bids for glory in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO.

Have you got what it takes to win the world title?
“Sure, I hope. When something is in your mind, even when it is not possible, you tell your mind to imagine things can be possible even when it’s 99 per cent impossible. In Morocco our culture is to open all the doors for things to be possible. I never close the door that I will not be the winner. I try to do my best because, in our life, if we don’t imagine some things, then it’s over.”

How excited are you to be on the #WTCR2019SUPERGRID filled with so many great drivers?
“It’s big motivation. With seven world champions it’s one of the best world championships in motorsport. Everybody is waiting for this. As drivers we are lucky to be on the inside waiting. But we know a lot of people on the outside are waiting and thinking about the first qualifying, which car will be the fastest, what will happen at the start of the first race. It will be very exciting.”

Just how close do you expect the competition to be?
“Even last year we have seen approximately 20 drivers in one second of each other. To be more close than that will be very tough but maybe we are going to see the same lap times for some positions. Again, it’s more and more motivation because every driver wants to prove themselves and be the best.”

In addition to Rob Huff, you will have two new team-mates this season. What do you think of them and their potential?
“Johan Kristoffersson is the world champion in rallycross but he is also two times Scandinavian Touring Car Champion, so maybe he knows the car better than me! Then you have Benjamin Leuchter, who developed the Golf and won a lot of championships with the car. This is good because although there is competition and fighting to make life harder, the result is bigger when it happens. At the end, the goal is to get the maximum points for the team and be clever, not like when [Rob and me] touched each other [in Vila Real and crashed], that was not nice at all. I cannot say how we will all manage because every driver inside the team wants to be the quickest.”

The Marrakech Grand Prix is celebrating 10 years in 2019. Some achievement, right?
“When we see an event with history behind it then it means it’s successful and I am happy the Marrakech Grand Prix has this history. I am also happy to be a part of it and happy that the event is part of the world championship because, for the people of Morocco, it is our event. And big thanks to the fans for their support, even when you are in the car flat out racing you can hear the noise of the people. This really does mean a lot to me.”

All you need to know about WTCR AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco

THE CHALLENGE
Transformed from street circuit to semi-permanent race track for 2016, Circuit Moulay El Hassan is located in the heart of Marrakech’s bustling hotel district. Built to FIA Grade II standards, the layout is the work of Hermann Tilke’s renowned architecture agency and offers impressive views of the Atlas Mountains and Marrakech city wall. But with a compact lap of 2.971 kilometres (down from 4.545km previously) and a sprinkling of tight, wall-lined turns, there is no time for WTCR drivers to take in the scenery, which was certainly the case when Marrakech hosted the inaugural WTCR / OSCARO event in April 2018.

THE ESSENTIALS
Rounds: 1-3
Venue: Circuit Moulay El Hassan, Marrakech
Date: 5-7 April
Location: Route de L’Ourika, Zone Agdal, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
Length: 2.971 kilometres
Time zone: GMT +1 hours
Fly to: Marrakech Menara Airport (8 kilometres)
Race 1 distance: 18 laps (53.478 kilometres)
Race 2 distance: 18 laps (53.478 kilometres)
Race 3 distance: 21 laps (62.391 kilometres)
WTCR qualifying lap record: Gabriele Tarquini (Hyundai i30 N TCR) 1m24.316s (126.8kph), 08/04/18
WTCR race lap record: Gabriele Tarquini (Hyundai i30 N TCR) 1m26.150 (124.1kph), 08/04/18

Provisional key timings:
Saturday 6 April: Free Practice 1: 09h00-09h45; Free Practice 2: 11h00-11h30; First Qualifying: 13h00-13h40; Race 1 (18 laps): 16h50; Race 1 podium: 17h25
Sunday 7 April: Second Qualifying Q1: 11h00-11h30; Second Qualifying Q2: 11h35-11h50; Third Qualifying Q3: 12h00; Race 2 (18 laps): 16h45; Race 2 podium: 17h20; Race 3 (21 laps): 18h15; 18h55: Race 3 podium

Media Accreditation Centre: Ryad Mogador Kasbah / Spa, Avenue Mehdi Ben Barka, Marrakech
Opening hours: Friday 5 April: 08h30-18h30; Saturday 6 April: 08h00-18h00; Sunday 7 April: 08h00-15h00
Media Centre Location: Inside Turn 1
Opening hours: 09h00-19h00, Friday 5 April; 08h00-22h00, Saturday 6 April; 09h00-until the last journalist leaves, Sunday 7 April

MEDIA ACTIVITIES
Pre-event press conference: 15h00, Thursday 4 April, Sofitel Marrakech (Mehdi Bennani, Yann Ehrlacher, Gabriele Tarquini and Jean-Karl Vernay in attendance)
First Qualifying Media Zone: 13h40, Saturday 6 April, pitlane (fastest three drivers)
Race 1 press conference: 17h40, Saturday 6 April, Media Centre (top three, leading local driver)
Second Qualifying Media Zone: 12h15, Sunday 7 April, pitlane (fastest three drivers)
Race 2/3 press conference: 19h10, Sunday 7 April, Media Centre (top three from R3, R2 winner, leading local driver)
Meet the fans: 13h00, Friday 5 April, Manara Mall; 15h00-15h30, Saturday 6 April, Fan Village; 13h45-14h15, Saturday 7 April, Fan Village
Official FIA WTCR drivers’ photo: 16h30, Friday 5 April, starting grid
FIA world title winners’ photo: 16h45, Friday 5 April, starting grid
Pit walks: 14h00-14h45, Saturday 6 April and 13h00-13h30, Sunday 7 April

WTCR AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco data kit: Click here to download
Who’s in it to win it? Click here to find out more about the WTCR drivers
WTCR explained: Click here to find out more
Live timing: https://www.fiawtcr.com/live-timing/
Standings: https://www.fiawtcr.com/standings/
Where and how to watch: Click here for more information
For everything else… Go to the WTCR media site by clicking here.

ENTRY LIST
1 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) Hyundai i30 N TCR
5 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Norbert Michelisz (HUN) Hyundai i30 N TCR
8 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Augusto Farfus (BRA) Hyundai i30 N TCR
9 KCMG Attila Tassi (HUN) Honda Civic Type R TCR
10 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Niels Langeveld (NLD) Audi RS 3 LMS
11 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Thed Björk (SWE) Lynk & Co 03 TCR
12 SLR VW Motorsport Rob Huff (GBR) Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
14 SLR Volkswagen Johan Kristoffersson (SWE) Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
18 KCMG Tiago Monteiro (PRT) Honda Civic Type R TCR
21 Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing Aurélien Panis (FRA) CUPRA TCR
22 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Frédéric Vervisch (BEL) Audi RS 3 LMS
25 SLR VW Motorsport Mehdi Bennani (MAR) Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
29 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Néstor Girolami (ARG) Honda Civic Type R TCR
31 Team Mulsanne Kevin Ceccon (ITA) Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR
33 SLR Volkswagen Benjamin Leuchter (DEU) Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
37 PWR Racing Daniel Haglöf (SWE) CUPRA TCR
50 Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing Tom Coronel (NLD) CUPRA TCR
52 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Gordon Shedden (GBR) Audi RS 3 LMS
55 Team Mulsanne Ma Qinghua (CHN) Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR
68 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Yann Ehrlacher (FRA) Lynk & Co 03 TCR
69 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Jean-Karl Vernay (FRA) Audi RS 3 LMS
86 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Esteban Guerrieri (ARG) Honda Civic Type R TCR
88 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Nicky Catsburg (NLD) Hyundai i30 N TCR
96 PWR Racing Mikel Azcona (ESP) CUPRA TCR
100 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Yvan Muller (FRA) Lynk & Co 03 TCR
111 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Andy Priaulx (GBR) Lynk & Co 03 TCR

WTCR AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco 2018 recap
Weekend report: The WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Car Cup presented by OSCARO got off to an electrifying start on the streets of Marrakech (7-8 April) with Gabriele Tarquini scoring a victory double. Driving a BRC Racing Team Hyundai i30 N TCR, the Italian converted his DHL Pole Position into Race 3 victory ahead of fellow world champions Yvan Muller and Thed Björk, having also triumphed in Race 1. Four-time World Touring Car title winner Muller qualified alongside Tarquini but made a relatively slow start and moved left to block Norbert Michelisz’s BRC entry. That allowed Björk to jump both for second into Turn 1. But the Swede lost the spot when he accidentally knocked the power switch, miraculously losing just one spot to Muller. Earlier, the reverse-grid Race 2 was won by Jean-Karl Vernay in his Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team Audi RS 3 LMS. The Frenchman headed local hero Mehdi Bennani, who claimed a popular podium in his Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI. Pepe Oriola took third having lined up on pole. Fourth for ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda driver Yann Ehrlacher and fifth for Björk meant five different car brands filled the top five places.

Results reminder
DHL Pole Position Race 1: Thed Björk (SWE) Hyundai i30 N TCR
Race 1 winner: Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) Hyundai i30 N TCR
Race 1 fastest lap: Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) Hyundai i30 N TCR
DHL Pole Position Race 2: Pepe Oriola (ESP) CUPRA TCR
Race 2 winner: Jean-Karl Vernay (FRA) Audi RS 3 LMS
Race 2 fastest lap: Jean-Karl Vernay (FRA) Audi RS 3 LMS
DHL Pole Position Race 3: Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) Hyundai i30 N TCR
Race 3 winner: Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) Hyundai i30 N TCR
Race 3 fastest lap: Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) Hyundai i30 N TCR
TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy: Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) Hyundai i30 N TCR
TAG Heuer Most Valuable Driver: Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) Hyundai i30 N TCR