Pauwels heads another Audi 1-2-3 in TCR Europe Race 2

After John Filippi, Nicola Baldan and Kobe Pauwels took the podium places in yesterday’s TCR Europe’s Race 1 at Circuit Paul Ricard, it was another Audi top three in Race 2 with Pauwels, Baldan and Tom Coronel locking out the podium for Comtoyou Racing. 

At the start, the MA:GP Lynk & Co 03 of Viktor Andersson made a poor getaway from P2 on the grid, while the Audi cars of Baldan and Pauwels were swiftly up into third and fourth places behind Viktor Davidovski after starting from seventh and eighth on the grid. Halfway down the Mistral Straight, Davidovski passed pole-sitter Levente Losonczy for the race lead, although Losonczy retook the position and Pauwels passed Davidovski for second. At the start of Lap 2, Pauwels passed Losonczy for the lead; Baldan and Davidovski then both passed Losonczy who soon dropped back through the field. By Lap 3, Lewis Brown was flighting with Ruben Volt for P6, while Aurélien Comte and Coronel had closed up on Davidovski. Comte passed Davidovski for third on Lap 4; Coronel then passed Comte for fourth place, followed by Volt passing Comte for P5. Race 1 winner John Filippi had started from tenth place on the reversed grid but was now up to seventh after passing Brown.

The top three were becoming increasingly spread out, with Pauwels opening up a lead of over two seconds. Coronel, however, had closed on Davidovski and passed him for third place in Lap 5. Volt then passed Davidovski for P4 on Lap 6 while Filippi was attacking Comte for sixth position. On lap 7, Comte and Filippi passed Davidovski for P5 and P6. That was the beginning of a battle for fifth place between the pair that would last until the chequered flag. There were no further changes in the podium positions, while the scrap for fifth dominated the final few laps, with Filippi trying but failing to find a way past Comte. 

Pauwels crossed the line over four seconds clear of Baldan, who finished in P2 for the second time during the weekend; Coronel was third ahead of Volt.

In the standings, Coronel’s lead over Filippi is now 37 points with Pauwels having closed to within just two points of Filippi. 

The championship will resume at Monza on September 22/24.

Le Castellet – Race 2

1. Kobe Pauwels (Comtoyou Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 10 laps

2. Nicola Baldan (Comtoyou Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 4.012

3. Tom Coronel (Comtoyou, Audi RS 3 LMS), 7.455

Championship points

1. T. Coronel, 357; 2. J. Filippi, 320; 3. K. Pauwels 318

Picture: TCR Europe