TCR World and life

8 ITALY Pellegrini istheearlyleader A CLOSE BATTLE BETWEEN VETERANS AND YOUNG ROOKIES The first two events of TCR Italy at Mugello and Misano proved that the championship is in good health with an impressive field of more than 25 cars. The season opened with the reigning champion Salvatore Tavano giving the new CUPRA Leon Competición its maiden victory in Mugello’s Race 1. Tavano is determined to defend the title he won for two consecutive years, but faces strong competition. Last year’s runner up Marco Pellegrini hasn’t won so far, and yet he has finished on the podium in all four races and so leads the standings by ten points over Eric Brigliadori, while Tavano lies third a further two points adrift. Young rookies Felice Jelmini (25) and Brigliadori (20) have been especially impressive. At the wheel of his PMA Motorsport Hyundai, Jelmini emerged as the fastest driver of the pack. He’s currently fifth-placed in the points but could have been in a much better position without two different penalties that stripped him of victories: Mugello’s Race 2 and Misano’s Race 1. It’s been a different story for Brigliadori, who had a disappointing weekend in Tuscany, but made up by scoring a double victory on the Adriatic coast. He inherited the first after Jelmini’s exclusion but proved his skills with a stubborn chase of Pellegrini in Race 2 that culminated with a masterpiece overtaking manoeuvre.