Michael McCann wins Race 1 at Watkins Glen

Michael McCann claimed an authoritative victory in TC America’s Race 1 at Watkins Glen; it was the second for him in the current season, but the first since he switched from the Audi DSG to that with the sequential gearbox.
At the start McCann pulled away from the pole, while James Walker tried to pass Mason Filippi for second into T1; he didn’t succeed and during the first lap he dropped to sixth behind Michael Hurczyn, Nate Vincent and Victor González. Moments later Filippi stole the lead from McCann and then the safety car was deployed to recover a TCA car that had crashed.
The field circulated for four laps behind the safety car while the barriers were fixed and when racing resumed 22 minutes were left on the clock.
Filippi tried to escape, but McCann rejected an attempt from Hurczyn and then took the lead on lap 7. From that moment on, the Audi driver was able to build a gap, while Filippi’s pace faded and he was passed by Vincent in lap 10 and Hurczyn in lap 12. During the penultimate lap, Hurczyn took second from Vincent while they were overlapping a TCA car, but soon afterwards Vincent retook the position. And so they finished, with McCann the winner from Vincent, Hurczyn and Filippi, while González beat Walker in the sprint for fifth.
In the DSG Cup, points leader Bryan Putt held onto the first place until lap 12, when he began to lose position; eventually victory went to Canada’s Travis Hill on his maiden appearance in the championship.  
Race 2 starts at 10.50 local time on Sunday (16.50 CET); live streaming at www.tcr-series.com and www.tcr-series.tv.

Race 1
1. Michael McCann jr. (McCann Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 17 laps
2. Nate Vincent (FCP Euro, Volkswagen Golf GTI), 2.632
3. Michael Hurczyn (FCP Euro, Volkswagen Golf GTI), 5.011
4. Mason Filippi (Copeland Motorsport, Hyundai Veloster N), 5.841
5. Victor González (VGMC Racing, Honda Civic FK7), 8.385

Championship points
1. Hurczyn 207 pts; 2. Vincent 166; 3. Filippi 137