Lynk & Co Cyan Racing Scored Pole and Podium in Tough Argentinian TCR World Tour Weekend

The Lynk & Co Cyan Racing drivers showed strong form despite challenging conditions during the TCR World Tour 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 challenging as I started on slicks on a wet track. But it worked, and I managed to climb. It’s a shame that the safety car periods meant I lost valuable time. Then, in the second race, I saw that the drivers pushed hard initially, so I tried to save my tires. It worked. After four to five laps, I started to push and could overtake. It’s been a difficult weekend for the team, but I’m happy that we got a second-place finish and some good points,” said Ma Qing Hua.

Two-time world champion Yann Ehrlacher was the 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 perfect, and I made good progress in the final race, setting good lap times. Ending the weekend in the wall feels bad, 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 and sometimes we hate it. But I know 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 11^th.

“We had a good qualifying, but the races didn’t turn out as we hoped. The track was so dirty, and it wasn’t easy. My retirement in the first race was disappointing, 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 many ups and downs. After making a perfect start, I was completely forced off the track at the start of the second race. As a good weekend 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. At the same time, 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