Berthon braced for second home WTCR race

Nathanaël Berthon starts his second home WTCR − FIA World Touring Car Cup event of the season at Anneau du Rhin this weekend determined not to be outshone by local heroes Yann Ehrlacher and Yvan Muller. Berthon, who drives an Audi RS 3 LMS for Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport, is one of three French aces competing in the WTCR in 2022.

Ad/> But while Ehrlacher and Muller will enjoy home hero status due to the fact they are from the hosting Alsace GrandEst region, Berthon can be considered an outsider with his home several hours away. WTCRSynchronise your watches! New start time for Race 1 at WTCR Race of Alsace GrandEst5 HOURS AGO Nevertheless, the Audi Sport customer racing official driver will fly the French flag with pride during the first running of WTCR Race of Alsace GrandEst from August 5-7.

“I am happy to have two races in France and for French people it’s always good to have these races,” said Berthon. “Hopefully the conditions will not be as hot as Vallelunga where we really suffered, even though it was good for the summer body! “We have tested [at Anneau Du Rhin], it’s not really a track for the Audi because the long and slow corners are not the best combination for us, but we will do our maximum as usual.” Berthon is one of the WTCR’s fastest drivers, particularly when his rapid performances in qualifying this season are considered.

He’s progressed to the Qualifying Q3 shootout on four occasions, twice going second quickest. The only time he didn’t advance to the final five was at WTCR Race of Portugal where a “misunderstanding” over team radio resulted in him being eliminated in Q1.