With the third round of the maiden TCR European Endurance season a thing of the past, the latest modifications of the TCR World Ranking have been made, and the series’ drivers keep on climbing their way up towards the upper end of the classification. The spectacular night race in Misano saw PMA Motorsport come out victorious, with their Audi RS3 driven by Franco Girolami and Sandro Pelatti crossing the line in first position to gift the Italian outfit their first ever win in the championship.
After joining the TCR European Endurance grid just in time for the penultimate round of the season, Girolami has now become the highest ranked driver of the championship: the reigning TCR Italy champion was able to win on the first time of asking in the series promoted by Mauricio Slaviero, and he was therefore able to consolidate fourteenth position in the TCR World Ranking. His teammate and friend Pelatti, on the other hand, has gained one place and is now 63rd. Despite a late retirement that saw them finish fifth in Misano, the pair of Konukoǧlu/Brigliadori (Audi RS3) is still leading the overall standings; moreover, both drivers are still on the rise in the rankings. The Turk has gained five spots on his way to 109th, being the third highest TCR European Endurance driver, whereas Brigliadori is up by 12 places as he now sits in 270th.
Recently crowned Gen-1 champions Barkin Pinar and Zekai Özen have finished a season-best second in Misano behind the winning pair, thus clinching their third consecutive triumph in their class. Because of that, both of them have drastically improved their position in the TCR World Ranking: the former is the biggest mover of the series this week, climbing 44 positions and up to 495th, while Özen is now close to entering the top 200 as he sits in 207th.
The third TEXACO Team AMS pair was also able to gain positions: on one hand, Seda Kaçan went up to 483rd place – 28 better than the previous week – whereas Ibrahim Okyay has moved up 19 spots and is now in 512nd. The Turkish duo was able to clinch the DSG title in Misano, though they missed out on the class win for the first time in the series around the Italian racetrack. In fact, the honours went to Faro Racing, as newcomers Stefano Comini and Ottavio Cappelli brought their Volkswagen Golf DGS to the checkered flag first among DSG cars and in third place overall standings. The two of them have therefore entered the TCR World Ranking for the first time, sitting tied in 647th after their first event of the season.
With the overall standings title still up for grabs, the final event on the 2024 TCR European Endurance calendar is scheduled to take place at the Slovakiaring on August 25th.
