Following the double success last time out at Oschersleben, WestCoast Racing were full of confidence this weekend (1-3 September) as the TCR International Series headed to Chang International Circuit, Thailand. Ultimately however the weekend proved to be a frustrating one with a pair of tenth place finishes being the highlight.

Racing alongside TCR Thailand, the 24-car grid lined up for rounds 15 and 16 of the championship. New signing Kantadhee Kusiri lined up eighth for the first race of the weekend in his #19 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, with Gianni Morbidelli close behind in tenth is the sister #10 Golf.

With temperatures hovering in the mid-30s, the 14-lap race got underway with Morbidelli making a great getaway to gain ground. In contrast, Kusiri lost out and slotted in behind his new teammate initially before losing out further to Rob Huff and Stefano Comini.

Morbidelli meanwhile made further gains as Frederic Vervisch ran wide and James Nash retired, but an error on lap 11 saw him run off track before resuming once gain to take the chequered flag in tenth position, two places ahead of Kusiri.

The second race saw Kusiri line up a fine third on the reverse grid with Morbidelli 11th. The former lost ground at the start to run in sixth while Morbidelli also lost out on the first lap and dropped to 16th. The key to the race however was Nash making right rear contact with Kusiri’s Golf, dropping him to 11th position. This compromised the race and resulted in Kusiri taking the chequered flag in tenth with Morbidelli 13th.

WestCoast racing now prepare for the penultimate round of the championship at Zhejiang Circuit, China on 6-8 October.

Very much on a high following a sensational double victory last time out in Germany, WestCoast Racing head to Chang International Circuit Thailand for the eight round of the TCR International Series this weekend (1-3 September).

With a maximum score of 50 points in Oschersleben, Morbidelli vaulted eighth in the overall standings with 77 points. 150 points are still to play for over the remaining three venues, so Morbidelli will be fired up and aiming to keep the momentum rolling.

Kantadhee Kusiri joins Morbidelli on the driving front in Buriram. The Thai driver is no stranger to the circuit or Volkswagen Golf TCR package as he competes in the TCR Asia Series with Team Engstler. Kusiri is currently leading the TCR Asia Series championship by a ten-point margin and the WestCoast team welcome him on board.

“It’s a pleasure to have Kantadhee with us for this round of the championship,” said team manager James Nixon. “His record in TCR Asia is impressive and he will be a great partner for Gianni this weekend.

“We are aiming high after the fantastic results in Germany. The Golf GTi TCR is working very well at the moment and we need to make the most of every opportunity to score well with both cars.”

The weekend starts with opening practice ahead of two qualifying sessions from 15.30 local time on Saturday. The first race is at 14.30 Sunday and the second at 16.05.

Click for the full weekend schedule.

Gianni Morbidelli took an incredible double victory in the TCR International Series at the Oschersleben track in Germany Sunday (9 July, 2017) to claim the WestCoast Racing’s first wins of the 2017 season and to haul the Italian into an unlikely late push for the Championship.

“What a drive,” said team manager James Nixon. “The team has never given up and all the hard work has started to pay off, together with Volkswagen motorsport we are starting to succeed. I don’t think Gianni has enjoyed driving so much for a long time and it’s a fantastic team and driver effort. I’m very disappointed for Giacomo as it could have been a different story without the big crash in the start of race two.”

The first race lights to flag victory from a well-deserved pole position was a long overdue result for Morbidelli and the team who have been battling all season to get to grips with the TCR Volkswagen Golf and signals the start of what is hoped to be a strong conclusion to the season for the Swedish team and their partners.

The teams second driver Giacomo Altoe also benefitted from the cars increased performance with his season best fifth place in the opening race.

Race two was simply a sensational performance from the team, starting tenth the Italian made the most of a start line pile up to find a large gap between him and the leaders on the reformed grid after a red flag that unfortunately claimed teammate Altoe an innocent bystander in a multi car incident.

Morbidelli took his chances so well, first passing, Lloyd, then onto Championship contender Vernay before an amazing last lap pass on the Opel of Homola to claim the second win in a perfect 55-point haul from the stunning weekend.

“I am really happy with this perfect result for me and the team and it has come at the right time,” said Morbidelli. “We have suffered a lot this season so it feels great to get this win. It’s a good feeling, its perfect. I have to say I am really proud of the team and myself, this result was incredible for us.”

For the team, the result was a fantastic reward after a season-long battle to extract the performance from the package.

“What great reward for the hard work and effort that we have put in,” said Team Principal Dick Jönsson Wigroth. “At no point this year have the guys stopped pushing forward and despite many struggles this really is a great reward for everyone involved.

“The testing we did has given us an insight into the car and it was nice to see the results of this and it was particularly satisfying to be the quickest Volkswagen team as well as quickest overall. This feels like the start of our season now and let’s hope we can continue in this vein.”

WestCoast Racing will be back out in the next round of the championship seeking to build on the success of this weekend at Chang International Circuit in Thailand 2-3 September.