Remembering when… WTCR last started on the streets

Recent confirmation that Circuit de Pau-Ville in France will host rounds one and two of the 2022 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup revives a tradition that began in 2018 when a street track staged the opening weekend of a WTCR campaign. Circuit Moulay El Hassan in Marrakech was the setting of the first event of both the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Since then two permanent tracks, Circuit Zolder in Belgium and the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany, have had the honour of opening the new WTCR season in 2020 and 2021 respectively. In just over 40 days from now it will be the city of Pau’s turn when year five of the WTCR begins on the iconic street course.

Ahead of WTCR Race of France taking place from May 7-8, here’s a reminder of what happened when WTCR AFRIQUIA Race of Morocco was up first on the calendar. Flashback to 2019 Thed Björk saved his best to last with an historic Race 3 victory – the first in an FIA world-level event by a Chinese manufacturer.

Driving a Lynk & Co 03 TCR developed by Geely Group Motorsport from China, Björk inherited P1 from team-mate Yvan Muller and resisted intense pressure from DHL pole-sitter Frédéric Vervisch to follow Esteban Guerrieri and Gabriele Tarquini as a winner on the streets of Marrakech. Guerrieri triumphed in Race 1 for ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport with 2018 King of WTCR Tarquini taking first place in Race 2 for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse.

Björk and WTCR rookie Néstor Girolami, Guerrieri’s Honda-powered team-mate, joined the Argentine on the Race 1 podium, with Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport’s Jean-Karl Vernay and Yann Ehrlacher finishing second and third to Tarquini in Race 2. Behind second-placed Vervisch in Race 3, PWR Racing CUPRA driver Mikel Azcona made it a WTCR debut