TCR World and life

18 JAPAN Shinohara isthefirstwinner The second season of TCR Japan has definitely experienced a difficult start. After the postponement imposed by COVID-19 that also resulted in a reduction in the number of entries, when the championship finally took to the track for the opening event at Sugo the weather spoiled the party. A thick fog engulfed the track, delaying Saturday’s race by one hour and forcing the promoter to cancel both Qualifying sessions and Sunday’s race. Takuro Shinohara emerged as the first winner at the end of a hectic Race 1, elbowing his way through the field from P9 on the grid and eventually beating Kengo Ichijo after a close fight that saw the latter giving CUPRA its first podium result in TCR Japan. RACE 1 – SHINOHARA WINS AFTER STARTING FROM P9 The two Qualifying sessions had been cancelled due to thick fog, and so the grid for Race 1 was decided by a draw that placed Mineki Okura’s Alfa Romeo Giulietta on pole position, with Resshu Shioya’s Honda Civic alongside. Shinohara, who had set the fastest lap in Friday’s test sessions at the wheel of his Audi RS 3 LMS, was drawn to start ninth. When the red lights went out, Shioya led from ‘Hirobon’ and Takeshi Matsumoto who had sprinted from P7. During the first lap Shioya made a small mistake and dropped THE FOG FORCES CANCELLATION OF THE SECOND RACE AT SUGO