The Boutsen-Ginion Racing team and Honda dominated the final two sprint races of the TCR Benelux’s maiden season at Mettet’s Circuit Jules Tacheny.
Guest star Norbert Michelisz won Races 3 and 4, granting to Stéphane Lémeret – who shared the car with the Hungarian youngster – the points he needed to be crowned the first ever champion of the series.
Pierre-Yves Corthals was the only men who could spoil the party for Lémeret, but he needed to win both races, hoping that Michelisz would not finish on the podium in any of them. But an unexpected player joined the fight, squeezing between Michelisz and Corthals: Aurélien Comte. The young Frenchman completed two outstanding races and finished twice second at the wheel of the Peugeot 308 that was making its only second appearance in a TCR event after the one in the International Series at Spa earlier in the season.
Race 3 – Michelisz took the lead from the start, while his teammate Renaud Kuppens overtokk Corthals for second. On lap 4 Kuppens and Corthals made contact; the former retired, while the Opel driver lost second place to Comte.
Michelisz claimed a comfortable win from Comte, Corthals and Alexis van de Poele (Delahaye Racing Volkswagen Golf).
Race 4 – During the opening lap a clash between Comte and Corthals, who were fighting for the second place caused a pile-up that involved other cars. The safety car was deployed, but at the same time Corthals made contact with Michelisz and went off, losing his residual hopes to win the title. This forced the race control to wave the red flag.
The safety car was deployed. At the restart Michelisz pulled away on the way to a second commanding win, while Comte held the second place ahead of van de Poele and Kuppens.
