Mikel Azcona, Néstor Girolami and Norbert Michelisz assemble for first international-level TCR event to take place in the USA

BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse will be Stateside this week when the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour stops off at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the third event of the season (June 7-8).  June 6th , 2024 – With two wins so far in 2024 for the new-look Elantra N TCR cars, hopes are high for Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing trio Mikel Azcona, Néstor Girolami and Norbert Michelisz. And those hopes have further increased due to the amount of compensation weight carried, which masked the team’s true pace in Marrakesh last month, being adjusted in accordance with the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour regulations. Subject to official confirmation, Azcona and Michelisz won’t carry any success ballast at Mid-Ohio, although Girolami will be saddled with 30 kilograms, which is based on his points score from the Marrakesh weekend. BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse heads to Mid-Ohio on top of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Teams’ standings by a single point, with Michelisz leading the Drivers’ table in his bid for back-to-back titles. Argentina’s Girolami holds fourth position after four races, 15 points behind his Hungarian team-mate. Azcona, from Spain, is sixth in the rankings with a 28-point deficit to Michelisz to overcome. Brc Racing Team Principal Gabriele Rizzo said: “Mid-Ohio is totally new for us as a team and for the drivers as well, no one has been here before. It is not the same for Hyundai TCR cars as local teams had multiple titles wins here in the States in previous years. There has been plenty of work behind the scenes to well prepare the event. We have also to live with the compensation weight changes, good for Mikel and Norbi that will be at zero, a bit of challenge for Nestor that will carry 30 kg. The targets are quite clear: trouble free event chasing solid points for the team and maximizing the driver’s points with the lighter cars”-   Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai Elantra N TCR ·       2022 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup winner is in fight-back mode after tough Marrakesh weekend ·       Spaniard arrives in the USA fresh from competing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours on June 1-2 Azcona said: “We can feel positive for Mid-Ohio because we’ll have no compensation weight to carry in my Hyundai Elantra N TCR. But that means it will be really important to maximize our possibilities and score as many points as possible to catch up in the championship. I’ve asked the Hyundai drivers from America some questions about Mid-Ohio as their clues and suggestions can help us to be as fast as possible, as quickly as possible. It will be difficult going from the Nürburgring straight to Mid-Ohio because there’s not much time to recover the energy. But I will sleep on the plane to minimize the damage and ensure I’m fit and ready to go for Mid-Ohio.”   Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai Elantra N TCR ·       Third place in first Marrakesh race helped to keep the Hungarian at the top of the Drivers’ standings ·       Michelisz scored three podiums in the four FIA World Touring Car races held in the USA in 2012 and 2013 Michelisz said: “Although we’ve had a gap of one month in between the races in Marrakesh and Mid-Ohio, this does not mean we’ve been sitting still. We have done some testing and looked at the possibilities for further improving our Hyundai Elantra N TCR. I also visited the Nürburgring to support the Hyundai squad taking part in the 24-hour race. But after a busy couple of months as the season started it was also nice to take a rest and spend some time with my family and my kids. I know Mid-Ohio from the simulator, it was one of my favorites when I raced online but, because it was a very long time ago, I don’t remember all the corners so well. But I liked the circuit so I’m excited to experience it for real.”   Driver Notes: #129 Néstor Girolami (ARG), Hyundai Elantra N TCR ·       Argentinian well prepared for maiden US outing with visits to BRC Racing Team ·       Two top-five finishes in Marrakesh have elevated Girolami to fourth in the Drivers’ table Girolami said: “I’ve never raced in the States before so this will be a new experience for me. I will carry 30 kilos of compensation weight so I will have to learn how to manage the extra weight as this will be the first time I have done so in my Hyundai Elantra N TCR. But I’m not afraid because we saw in Marrakesh that Mikel and Norbi could still do a good job. I’ve stayed focused since Morocco by working on the sim to get as much info about the Mid-Ohio track as I can. I’ve also spent some time in the workshop with the team and my engineer Davide. Being new in the team for this year means I need to get as much knowledge about the car as possible, digging deep into the data and discovering some other driving styles because I have been missing a little bit in qualifying. I also want to understand more about the start procedure. The Kumho FIA TCR World Tour is so competitive that if you don’t get a good launch, no matter what you do in qualifying, you will lose position every time.”   Weekend at a GlanceFree Practice 1 gets under way at 08:15 (13:15GMT) on Friday June 7 with Free Practice 2 up next from 11:25 (16:25GMT). Both sessions are timetabled for 30 minutes. Qualifying takes place later in the day from 16:25 (21:25GMT). Q1 runs for 20 minutes with the fastest 12 drivers progressing to the 10-minute Q2. Race 1 is due to begin at 08:30 (13:30GMT) on Saturday June 8 followed by Race 2 from 17:45 (22:45GMT). The races cover approximately 60 kilometres. The Race 1 grid is decided by the Qualifying results with the top 10 from Race 1 lining up in reverse for Race 2. Keep up with news on BRC Racing Team projects via the official pages: