- Jenson Brickley and Èric Gené each achieved second place in the fourth round of the competition.
- After this round, the Catalan rider remains third overall and leads the Youth Trophy, while the Briton is fourth overall and second among the Youth Trophies. Monlau Motul retains second place in the team standings.
- “Our drivers adapted very quickly to the track. The temperatures were extreme, which pushed the vehicles to the limit and was a true test of endurance for the entire team,” says David Simón, Monlau Motul team manager.
- “We are very satisfied with the performance of Èric and Jenson, who took advantage of their opportunities and constantly fought for the front positions,” said Jaime Serrano, CEO of Monlau Motul.
The Monlau Motul Technical School once again demonstrated its competitiveness in TCR Europe with a brilliant performance at the fourth round of the championship, held at the Misano Marco Simoncelli Circuit. On a weekend marked by high temperatures, Èric Gené and Jenson Brickley overcame the harsh conditions to score valuable points thanks to their excellent pace at the wheel of their CUPRA León VZ TCR cars and their maturity on track.
The program kicked off on Friday with two free practice sessions, in which the team already began to gain positive feelings on a very demanding track for drivers and mechanics, with temperatures exceeding 55°C on the asphalt. In Saturday morning’s qualifying, Brickley shone with the third fastest time, just 0.237 seconds off the fastest, while Gené secured seventh place on a very tight grid.
In the first race, held on Saturday afternoon, both drivers made an impeccable start. Brickley climbed to second place and maintained his pace throughout the race, crossing the finish line in that same position. Gené, meanwhile, staged a great comeback from seventh to fifth on the opening lap. However, while running fourth, he suffered a puncture that forced him to retire.
On Sunday, the Catalan driver overcame that thorn in his side in the second race. He made a great start from fourth place to move up to second. He fought for victory throughout the race, but ultimately crossed the line in a creditable second place, which also earned him first place among the Youth Trophy drivers. Brickley also played a prominent role; he went from eighth to sixth at the start and finished fifth after a very solid performance.
Thanks to these results, Èric Gené maintains third place in the TCR Europe standings, just 18 points behind the leader, while Brickley is fourth, 22 behind. In the Youth Trophy, both drivers dominate the standings: Gené is first and Brickley second. Furthermore, Monlau Motul remains second in the team standings, although it has closed the gap on the leader, who now have a 25-point gap.
David Simón , Team Manager of Monlau Motul Technical School, highlighted the collective effort in extreme conditions:“It was a great weekend at Misano. Our riders adapted very quickly to the track. The temperatures were extreme, which pushed the cars to the limit and was a true test of endurance for the entire team. It’s a shame about Èric’s puncture in the first race, because it would have scored important points for the championship. Even so, we’re coming away with two podiums and remain in the fight, in a very close championship where consistency will make the difference. The tires are being a key factor, with many incidents in each round, so we will continue to push as hard as we can.”
Jaime Serrano , CEO of Monlau Motul, underlined the team’s strength: “The team showed determination and adaptability in a very demanding event in every sense. We are very satisfied with the performance of Éric and Jenson, who took advantage of their opportunities and constantly fought for the front positions. The work of the mechanics and engineers, in the stifling heat, was excellent. We continue to progress in a championship where every point counts and where consistency will be the key to success.”
After this intense month of June, the TCR Europe will take a summer break before entering the final stretch of the championship. The next stop will be from September 5 to 7 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, the penultimate round of the series.
Misano Standings:
https://europe.tcr-series.com/index.php/events/tcr-europe-series/item/misano-tcr-italy
TCR Europe General Standings:
https://europe.tcr-series.com/index.php/tcrstandings
