The 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour is resuming this weekend with the Race of Morocco, taking place at the short and sharp 1.98km Circuit Moulay El Hassan in Marrakech. This is the first touring car event held at the circuit since 2019, and the full-time World Tour drivers will be joined by special guests for the first standalone event of the season as the series does not link up with a local championship.
Norbert Michelisz leads the points after a strong start at Vallelunga, where he secured pole position and victory in Race 1 in his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Elantra. His teammate Mikel Azcona is his closest rival in the standings after finishing fourth in both races. The GOAT Racing Honda pair of Marco Butti and Esteban Guerrieri follow in third and fourth place tied in points after a solid start for the new Honda-equipped team. Lynk & Co Cyan Racing aims to improve after a mixed start to the season, with Yann Ehrlacher and Santiago Urrutia achieving the team’s strongest results so far with a pair of second places.
The Marrakech racetrack is where several notable drivers made their debuts or returned to action, including Thed Björk who made his debut at Lynk & Co 03 TCR in 2019, securing a victory for Chinese manufacturer at the circuit. Returning to action are also two Audi RS 3 LMS cars driven by Sami Taoufik and John Filippi, both looking for a stronger weekend after facing challenges at Vallelunga.
Guest drivers this weekend include Dušan Borković, who won TCR Eastern Europe title in 2020 driving for GOAT Racing this year, making a one-off appearance. Moroccan star driver Mehdi Bennani, who won TCR Europe title in 2020 will drive CUPRA Leon VZ for Team Clairet Sport aiming to secure his first win in front of his home crowd. The field will be completed by one Team Clairet Audi driven by Endurance racer Julien Piguet running alongside another Honda car run by GOAT Racing for Victor Fernández.