The 2019 TCR Europe season kicks off this weekend April 27/28th at the picturesque Hungarorging circuit just north of Hungary’s capital, Budapest.
Returning to team Target Competition, the team in which Files lifted both his TCR Germany titles with, the 28-year-old Brit is looking to start the season in style at a circuit where he scored one of his multiple podium finishes in the 2018 season.
“We tested in Hungary a little over a month ago, and I can’t tell you how much I love the place. It’s such a cool circuit, the undulations and blind corners are mega and the circuit itself is so rewarding for a driver. I just love it!” Expressed Files.
“To top it off last season I found a real rhythm in both the dry and wet conditions and scored a podium finish too. I remember the crowd was wild, which just added to the whole atmosphere. I genuinely look forward to returning”
Hungaroring marks the first round of a 7 event calendar for the TCR Europe season which ultimately will come to its head in October at Monza, Italy, with visits to Germany, Austria, Spain and Belgium in between.
“The season is long. It would be nice to win this weekend of course, and trust me when I say we’ve put a lot of time and effort in to try and do so, but I have to remember that being 1st only counts after race 2 at Monza, and we don’t know where we stand with the competition yet, so this weekend is genuinely about doing the best we can, whatever that looks like!”
The compact timetable in Hungary means that both Free Practice sessions take place on Saturday morning with the two-part qualifying session kicking off at 16.20 local time. The first of the two races takes place Sunday at 11.20am with the second soon after at 14.30CET. As usual both races will be streamed live on YouTube and FaceBook and they will be televised on live terrestrial TV channels throughout Europe.