The Lynk & Co Cyan Racing drivers showed strong form despite tough conditions in the TCR World Tour race weekend at La Pedrera in Argentina, securing a pole position and podium finish.
Ma Qing Hua fought hard in both races from further down the order to secure fourth place in the first race and second in the final race.
“The first race was really challenging as I started on slicks on a wet track. But it worked and I managed to climb, just a shame that the safety car periods meant that I lost a lot of valuable time. Then in the second race, I saw that the drivers pushed really hard at the beginning, so I tried to save my tires. It worked, after four-five laps I started to push and could overtake. It’s been a difficult weekend for the team, but I’m happy that we managed to get a second place finish and some good points,” said Ma Qing Hua.
Two-time world champion Yann Ehrlacher was fastest of all drivers in qualifying, securing his third pole position of 2023.
But the strong performance did not materialise as he dropped to sixth in the first race, suffering from a lack of grip due to a drying track. The second race saw him retiring on the last lap while fighting for fourth place with title rival Norbert Michelisz.
“The pole was really good, and I was making good progress in the final race, setting good lap times. It feels bad to end the weekend in the wall, especially as it means a lot of work for the team. It was a big hit, and we missed a good opportunity to score points. It’s racing, sometimes we love it and sometimes we hate it. But what I do know is that we will come back stronger in Australia, we have a good package,” said Yann Ehrlacher.
Team-mates Santiago Urrutia and Thed Björk had a mixed weekend, with both retiring from the first race due to damage. The second race saw both climbing to finish in the top seven, albeit with a post-race penalty for Santiago Urrutia dropping him to 11th.
“We had a good qualifying, but the races didn’t turn out as we hoped for. The track was so dirty, and it wasn’t easy. My retirement in the first race was a disappointment, but at least I managed to salvage some points for the team in the second race,” said Santiago Urrutia.
“It’s been an eventful weekend with a lot of ups and downs. I was completely forced off track at the start of the second race after making a really good start. As good weekend that we had in Uruguay last weekend, this was more or less the opposite. Now it’s time to reload, recharge and prepare for the last three race weekends in November,” said Thed Björk.
The race weekend in Argentina has seen Lynk & Co Cyan Racing keeping the team championship lead while Yann Ehrlacher has dropped to second place in the drivers’ standings, just four points from leading driver Norbert Michelisz.
Lynk & Co Cyan Racing and the TCR World Tour will head to Australia next and Sydney Motorsport Park on November 4-5.
All races are broadcast LIVE via the TCR TV streaming platform.
For further information about the TCR World Tour, click here.
TCR World Tour – Race Of Argentina
Autódromo Internacional José Carlos Bassi, La Pedrera
Results
Qualifying
Race 1
Race 2
Standings - Drivers - Top 5
1 Norbert Michelisz 270 pts
2 Yann Ehrlacher 266 (-4)
3 Rob Huff 247 (-23)
4 Mikel Azcona 243 (-27)
5 Néstor Girolami 220 (-50)
...
6 Thed Björk 206 (-64)
8 Santiago Urrutia 182 (-88)
9 Ma Qing Hua 181 (-89)
Standings - Teams - Top 5
1 - Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 642 pts
2 - BRC Hyundai 523 (-119)
3 - Audi Sport Comtoyou 471 (-171)
4 - ALM Motorsport Honda 182 (-460)
5 - Comtoyou Racing 148 (-494)
2023 TCR World Tour calendar
28-30 April – Portimao – Portugal
26-28 May – Spa – Belgium
09-11 June – Vallelunga – Italy
16-18 June – Hungaroring – Hungary
18-20 August – El Pinar – Uruguay
25-27 August – San Luis – Argentina
03-05 November – Sydney Motorsport Park - Australia
10-12 November – Bathurst – Australia
17-19 November – Macau – China
Further TCR World Tour images.
Ends.
Media contact information
Johan Meissner
PR Manager
Cyan Racing
+46(0)70 241 3234
johan.meissner@cyanracing.com
About Cyan Racing
Cyan Racing was founded in 1996 and was formerly named Polestar until Volvo Cars acquired the performance section and trademark in 2015. Cyan Racing is privately owned and operated. The team has claimed seven touring car World Titles, most recently the 2021 WTCR drivers' and teams' titles with Lynk & Co – and participated in the development of the Polestar performance models of the Volvo S60 and V60 in the years 2013 to 2015, including the concept models Volvo C30 and S60 Polestar Concept Prototype. The company launched the Volvo P1800 Cyan in 2020, Cyan Racing’s interpretation of the iconic Volvo sports car from the sixties.
About Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co was created to provide mobility solutions for the connected generation. We do make really, really good cars (the kind that have all the features you want without you having to ask for them), but we also offer a new way of using those cars. Our membership-based approach makes it simple to get on the go. Members can access a car on a flexible, month-to-month basis and share with friends, family, and the Lynk & Co community.
About Geely Group Motorsport
Geely Group Motorsport is a brand neutral entity based within Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. It was founded in 2018 to provide strategic and tactical expertise to serve the best motorsport sporting and commercial interests for the auto brands in the group. One of its tactical assignments include the development and management of the Lynk & Co TCR and customer racing programmes.