- Èric Gené takes pole position and wins the second race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya , putting Monlau Motul at the top of both the drivers’ and teams’ standings.
- Erik Zabala and Jenson Brickley demonstrated good pace in the CUPRA León VZ TCR on a difficult track due to the weather conditions, helping the team score points.
- “We’re very happy with our performance. We achieved good results in qualifying, although we had to manage penalties due to track limits. In the race, we demonstrated competitiveness and achieved a crucial victory,” said David Simón, Monlau Motul team manager.
- “Starting the championship with this result is a great incentive for the entire team. We’ve worked hard to finish in top condition, and this motivates us to continue along the same lines,” said Jaime Serrano, CEO of Monlau Motul.
Brilliant start for Monlau Motul Technical School in the TCR Spain 2025. The Barcelona-based team achieved a pole position , a win, and a second place in the season opener at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya . Èric Gené was responsible for driving his CUPRA León VZ TCR to the top in the second race of the weekend, placing him as the leader in the drivers’ standings. Monlau Motul also leads the team standings thanks to a solid team effort. The other two CUPRA cars were driven by Érik Zabala and Jenson Brickley, who also demonstrated great pace.
The event was marked by changeable weather conditions, with periods of rain and dry conditions, which added an additional challenge for the drivers and teams. The action began on Saturday with free practice, followed by qualifying, which saw several track limits penalties . Despite this, Gené secured his first pole position of the year with a time of 1:50.041. Zabala also put in a strong performance in qualifying, finishing third (1:50.710), while Brickley placed eighth (1:51.500), leaving Monlau Motul in a very good position for Sunday’s two races.
The first race was marked by intense battles for the lead positions. Gené maintained a solid pace and crossed the finish line in second place, also earning the highest ranking among the junior riders. Brickley finished third on the track, but a five-second penalty relegated him to fifth place, the same fate as Zabala, who dropped from fifth to eighth.
The climax of the weekend came in the second race, held on wet asphalt and with the grid reversed from qualifying times. Gené, starting from tenth position, made a masterful start and took advantage of the on-track incidents to climb to the lead. In a thrilling duel with his pursuer, the Catalan driver defended his position tooth and nail until the checkered flag to secure Monlau Motul’s first victory of the season.
Zabala also excelled at the start, climbing from eighth to fourth in the opening laps, although he lost a few positions as the laps progressed and finished seventh. Brickley, meanwhile, aquaplaned and couldn’t avoid contact with a rival while fighting for the lead, forcing him to retire.
David Simón , Monlau Motul team manager, highlighted the results: “The weekend was marked by changing track conditions, which posed an additional challenge for everyone. However, we are very happy with our performance. We achieved good results in qualifying, although we had to manage penalties for track limits. In the race, we demonstrated competitiveness, but some incidents held us back. Even so, Èric managed the pressure in the second race and achieved a key victory for the team. Also worth mentioning are the efforts of Zabala and Brickley, who showed a high level. The performance of our engineers and mechanics was impeccable. Aitor Lago played a fundamental role as chief engineer, and Raquel Martínez as team manager for this event. In addition, we have the excellent work of Juan Miguel Rojo as chief mechanic. We will continue working to consolidate our performance in the following events.”
Jaime Serrano , CEO of Monlau Motul, reflected on the start of the TCR Spain campaign: “Starting the championship with a win and leading the drivers’ and teams’ standings is a great incentive for everyone. We’ve worked hard to arrive in the best condition, and this result motivates us to continue along these lines. We appreciate the efforts of our engineers, mechanics, and drivers, as well as the support of CUPRA, who have been able to adapt to every circumstance of the weekend. Our goal is to maintain this positive momentum and continue demonstrating Monlau Motul’s level in the championship.”
The next round of the TCR Spain series will be held from March 28th to 30th at Motorland Aragón, where Monlau Motul will return to action with the aim of consolidating its dominance in the championship. The team will also begin its participation in the 2025 Spanish F4 season.
TCR Spain Barcelona Classifications:
https://spain.tcr-series.com/docs/2025/clasificaciones/Clasificaciones_TCR_Spain_2025_Barcelona_WS.pdf
