Lynk & Co Cyan Racing fought through three tough races in the first of two back-to-back KUMHO TCR World Tour race weekends in Australia to salvage vital points for the championship fight.
The four Lynk & Co 03 TCR drivers showed strong pace in practice at Sydney Motorsport Park while a sudden rain shower in qualifying meant the quartet had to fight back in the races.
Yann Ehrlacher battled through three tough races with plenty of incidents and changeable weather conditions to three top ten finishes, including an impressive charge from 13th to sixth place in the first race.
The Frenchman keeps in the title fight and is currently placed third, 21 points from the lead.
“It has been a very tough race weekend in Australia. We scored in all races despite crashes, pit stops and difficult weather. Unfortunately, the driving standards leaves a lot to wish for. Now I’m looking forward to the next race at Bathurst where I will carry less weight and we are going to fight hard but fair,” said Yann Ehrlacher.
Ma Qing Hua managed to claim a strong second place finish in the first race and has climbed to seventh place overall.
“This has been a mixed race weekend for us. The podium in the first race was obviously the highlight for me, but there was a lot of contact in the races, and we didn’t get the result I think we had potential for. We will reload for Bathurst, a race that I’m really looking forward to,” said Ma Qing Hua.
Team-mates Thed Björk and Santiago Urrutia showed strong pace but found themselves in tough fights in all three races.
“We started the weekend strongly but obviously the results in qualifying and the races are not something that we are pleased with. My focus is completely set on heading to the next race at Bathurst, one of the best circuits in the world,” said Thed Björk.
“While I had a really good comeback in Race 2 from 22nd to tenth place, for me this is a weekend to forget. We need to learn from this, recharge and come back stronger next weekend,” said Santiago Urrutia.
Lynk & Co Cyan Racing has maintained its team championship lead after the Sydney Motorsport Park weekend, heading main rivals Hyundai by 101 points ahead of the penultimate race weekend.
“This has been the toughest race weekend of the season so far. A difficult qualifying session meant that we had to fight back in all three races. We were struggling for pace, and we need to work hard to bounce back from this, which I’m confident we will,” said Fredrik Wahlén, Team Manager of Cyan Racing.
Lynk & Co Cyan Racing and the TCR World Tour will continue racing in Australia, heading for legendary Bathurst next weekend on November 11-12.
All races are broadcast LIVE via the TCR TV streaming platform.
For further information about the KUMHO TCR World Tour, click here.
TCR World Tour – Race Of Australia
Sydney Motorsport Park
Results
Qualifying
Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
Standings - Drivers - Top 5
1 Norbert Michelisz 327 pts
2 Rob Huff 326 (-1)
3 Yann Ehrlacher 306 (-21)
4 Mikel Azcona 289 (-38)
5 Frédéric Vervisch 257 (-70)
...
7 Ma Qing Hua 218 (-109)
8 Thed Björk 217 (-110)
9 Santiago Urrutia 194 (-133)
Standings - Teams - Top 5
1 - Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 727 pts
2 - BRC Hyundai 626 (-101)
3 - Audi Sport Comtoyou 610 (-117)
4 - ALM Motorsport Honda 182 (-545)
5 - Comtoyou Racing 148 (-579)
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.