​WTCR reaches mid-point at the fearsome 25km Nürburgring Nordschleife

2019-06-19

Lynk & Co Cyan Racing is heading for mid-point of the 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup season this weekend at the most fearsome circuit in the world, the 25km Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany.

Thed Björk, who holds the WTCR Nordschleife qualifying lap record, heads to the circuit in second place of the drivers' championship, just eleven points from leading driver Esteban Guerrieri of Honda.

"This is the first extreme circuit of the WTCR calendar and I love it. This time we are really heading into the unknown with our new race car and we can't take anything for granted, keeping Slovakia in mind regarding high-speed circuits. But we have prepared as much as possible and my goal for this weekend is no doubt to keep in touch with the points lead," said Thed Björk who won twice in the previous round at Zandvoort.

Team-mates Andy Priaulx and Yann Ehrlacher comes straight from the legendary Le Mans 24 Hour race last weekend to the Nürburgring race with high ambitions.

"I won the 24 hour race here in 2005 and so am excited to have my first race there in the WTCR, although it will be a much shorter one. This is an awesome circuit and I am hopeful our car can go well there. It is a track that tests man and machine. The lap has 64 corners and the weather in the Eifel Mountains can change in minutes. It is a track where you can have four seasons in one hour!” said Andy Priaulx.

"I have trained as much as possible in the simulator, because that will be the key to start this weekend with the best possible pace. I'm really looking forward to the races at the Nürburgring, I was competitive here last year and it is a circuit with a lot of ballsy stuff. Maybe we will struggle on the straights like we did in Slovakia, but I still have high expectations for this weekend to close the gap in the points," said Yann Ehrlacher.

Yvan Muller has climbed to sixth position in the drivers' championship and claimed a victory at the Nürburgring last year.

"We had a good race weekend here last year in similar conditions to what we have this year in terms of weight, etc. But it is as always almost impossible to make any kind of predictions for the Nürburgring and we will no doubt have to fight hard for the points this weekend," said Yvan Muller.

The 25.378-kilometre circuit runs through the Eifel mountains and offers endless challenges in terms of different weather conditions throughout the circuit, straights that span over two kilometres and elevation changes of more than 300 metres.

Cyan Racing claimed a double victory at the legendary circuit in 2017 and has claimed two lap records in the form of the fastest ever lap of a front-wheel driven car and the lap record for the fastest road legal four-door car in 2017.

The race weekend, held together with the Nürburgring 24 Hour GT race, attracts close to a quarter of a million spectators on site, starting on Thursday with practice and qualifying. Three races are held, with the first on Friday and two on Saturday.

FIA WTCR Race of Germany

Schedule
Times in CEST

Thursday June 20th
11:30-12:10 – Free Practice 1
12:30-13:10 – Free Practice 2
15:30-16:10 – Qualifying 1
19:30-20:10 – Qualifying 2

Friday June 21st
17:30-18:05 – Race 1 (3 laps)

Saturday June 22nd
11:00-11:35 – Race 2 (3 laps)
12:20-12:55 – Race 3 (3 laps)

Standings
Points for drivers – Top 5
1 Esteban Guerrieri Honda Civic 161 points
2 Thed Björk Lynk & Co 03 150 (-11)
3 Néstor Girolami Honda Civic 135 (-26)
4 Norbert Michelisz Hyundai i30 130 (-31)
5 Mikel Azcona Cupra TCR 120 (-41)
...
6 Yvan Muller Lynk & Co 03 108 (-53)
8 Yann Ehrlacher Lynk & Co 03 88 (-73)
18 Andy Priaulx Lynk & Co 03 37 (-124)

Points for teams – Top 5
1 Münnich Motorsport 296 points
2 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 258 (-38)
3 BRC Hyundai Squadra 236 (-60)
4 PWR Racing 155 (-141)
5 BRC Hyundai Lukoil 155 (-141)
...
6 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co 125 (-158)

What happened in the last race?
Read all about it right here.

Contact information
Johan Meissner
Press 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 multiple titles, most recently the 2018 FIA World Touring Car Cup team title and the double 2017 FIA World Touring Car Championship titles for driver and manufacturer – and participated in the development of the Polestar performance models of the Volvo S60 and V60 in the years 2013 to 2015.

About Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co is the new global urban mobility brand addressing the needs and preferences of the connected generation and challenging auto industry conventions. Its products are designed and engineered in Sweden and will be sold globally.