TCR / 19 August 2024
Ebdrup scores Civic Type R TCR’s 500th global win
The Honda Civic Type R TCR claimed a milestone 500th global win last weekend, reinforcing its status as one of the most successful racing cars of the modern age.
Mascot Motorsport with Racegroup's Malte Ebdrup had the honour of securing the landmark victory in the second of three TCR Denmark races at Jyllands-Ringen as the JAS Motorsport-built car continued to dominate the series.
The accolade comes nine years after Gianni Morbidelli and West Coast Racing scored the inaugural win in just the car's second event and continues the extraordinary run of success for the Civic, which has won 93 major championship titles.
TCR Denmark
While Ebdrup was one of the stars of the weekend, even his achievements - and those of Racegroup - were dwarfed by those of Mike Halder and TPR Motorsport.
Halder won twice and added a second-place finish to re-take the championship lead from chief rival Kasper H Jensen, who was second, fourth and third for Racegroup.
Halder's team-mate Dennis Lind caused a stir by qualifying on pole position for his TCR debut and scored a maiden podium finish with third in Race One.
Rene Povlsen made it an all-TPR top three in qualifying and won the Trophy category in all three races to further increase his lead in the class points.
He was no match for Ebdrup in the races though; the TCR rookie resisting immense pressure from Halder to win Race Two and adding fourth and second places.
Ebdrup beat team-mate Gustav Birch to victory in the Under-25s class in all three races and moved into the lead of the category as a result.
Jacob Wunderov (Wunderov Motorsport) scored his first series podium with third in Race Two while Philip Lindberg (PL Racing) and Kim Konig (Team Bundgas) scored best finishes of ninth; Konig three times finishing third in the Trophy class.
GT World Challenge America
Luca Mars and Zach Veach enjoyed their best weekend of the season at Road America - traditionally a strong venue for their Racers Edge Motorsports team - with second and third place finishes in the Pro class for the NSX GT3 Evo 22 duo.
Mars, having started third, charged into the lead of the opening race after choosing to start on slick tyres on a drying track and then putting a mesmerising 'round the outside' move on the long-time leader at one-third distance.
Leading into the mandatory mid-race pitstops, his hopes of victory were thwarted when a problem getting Veach's seat insert into the car, cost vital seconds and dropped the #93 machine to second, a position the former IndyCar racer held strongly.
Veach was unfortunate on the opening lap of Race Two as he was elbowed off the circuit and fell outside the top 10 overall. But strong laptimes from both him and from Mars brought the pair back up to third in Pro by two-thirds distance.
Mars turned a 16-second deficit to the car ahead into just six by the flag, but their third place still gave the duo their best points haul of the year. They remain fourth in the points.
TCR UK
Go-Fix Honda by Sport77 driver Bradley Thurston secured a top 10 finish as the series moved on to Silverstone. Having run as high as seventh he finished ninth.
Thurston led Race Two until the end of the opening lap and was fired into the gravel - and out of the race just seconds later. Team-mate Will Powell was pushed into the same gravel trap in Race One - an incident for which his assailant was penalised.
Powell's luck did not improve on Sunday. He rolled his Civic behind the safety car when a rival driver - who was disqualified for his move - weaved into him.
