Hyundai has clinched the overall driver’s title at the final round of the 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour, taking place at Macau Grand Prix over the weekend. Hyundai driver Norbert Michelisz finished the season 11 points clear of the runner-up.
Michelisz tried hard to fend off Thed Bjork in race one on Saturday, but the Lynk & Co 03 touring car crossed the line first. Even so, Michelisz finished up the season 11 points clear of Bjork. During the press conference after the race, Michelisz said:
“I need to say a huge thanks to my team BRC, to Hyundai, to my team-mates Mikel and Néstor because without them I would not be the champion. From the first moment of the season we didn’t put a foot wrong.”
It was a frantic and variable weekend of racing for the final round in Macau, with constant rain making it very challenging for drivers on all days except Saturday. And since Macau’s Circuito da Guia is a street circuit, the surface gets extremely slippery when wet.
There were multiple crashes and mishaps during qualifying, and even race one on a clear and sunny Saturday saw a huge half-field pileup at Lisboa corner. One of the Lynk & Co vehicles also failed to start, with a Honda Civic Type R finding it difficult to dodge the stranded car, ending in a nasty side-swipe.
The circuit is arguably one of the most exciting on the TCR World Tour calendar as it features multiple tarmac surfaces, bumps, blind corners, and absolutely zero run-off or margin for error. Not only that, it runs through the city which means engine sounds bounce off all the buildings.
This is Michelisz’s second driver’s title in a row, and three in a row for BRC Hyundai N following Mikel Azcona’s win in the final FIA World Touring Car Cup in 2022, before the championship moved to the TCR World Tour name.
