Halder is closer to TCR Spain title as he and Markussen win in Jerez

After setting the pole position and claiming a win and a second place in the races at Jerez de la Frontera’s Circuito Ángel Nieto, Mike Halder is on the brink of clinching the TCR Spain title.
The only other driver still in contention is Eric Gené who finished second in Race 1 and dropped to sixth in Race 2 after having been involved in a collision, but the young Spaniard has now dropped 41 points behind his German rival. On top of this, factoring in dropped scores, his gap grows to 59 points with 90 on offer in the season finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on November 14/16.
Mathematically, Gené’s teammate Jenson Brickley remains in contention too, but 89 points behind Halder.
In the second race, Danish driver Michael Markussen scored his maiden win in TCR Spain at the wheel of the Honda Civic run by his own team.
Race 1 - Halder started from the pole in his TPR Motorsport Honda, having edged out Brickley’s CUPRA by 46-thousandths of a second. All title contenders were at the front, with Gené in P3. At the start, Felipe Fernández bogged down, allowing Raphael Reis to jump into fourth. Meanwhile, Gené passed Brickley into T1, but couldn't catch Halder who maintained a consistent two-second lead throughout the race. Halder ultimately crossed the finish line ahead of Gené, Brickley and Reis. Fernández recovered to finish fifth, passing Sten-Dorian Piirimägi and Markussen.
Race 2 - Front-row cars Samuel Chaligne’s CUPRA and Sven Karuse’s Honda both stalled at the start, allowing Victor Fernández into the lead, followed by Markussen and Piirimägi. Markussen seized the lead at the end of the first lap, with Piirimägi following him through. Shortly after, Piirimägi momentarily took the top spot from Markussen at T1, while Halder and Fernández moved into third and fourth. Markussen regained the lead just before the safety car was deployed to retrieve Demir Eröge's stranded Honda.
At the restart, Halder and Fernández overtook Piirimägi, while Markussen built a two-second lead. In the battle for fifth, Gené and Victor Fernández made contact, which allowed Reis to move up to fifth ahead of his teammates Gené and Brickley. Gené's pace dropped and he fell behind Brickley. Before the end of the race, Reis and Brickley moved past Piirimägi into fourth and fifth, respectively. On the final lap, Halder closed in on Markussen, but the Danish driver held on to claim his first win of the season.
 
Race 1
1. Mike Halder (TPR Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 15 laps
2. Eric Gené (Monlau Motorsport, CUPRA Leon VZ), 2.323
3. Jenson Brickley (Monlau Motorsport, CUPRA Leon VZ), 6.051
 
Race 2
1. Michael Markussen (Markussen Racing, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 15 laps
2. Mike Halder (TPR Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 15 laps
3. Felipe Fernández Piirimägi (RC2 Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 0.721
 
Championship points
1. M. Halder, 298 pts; 2. E. Gené, 257; 3. J. Brickley, 209
 
Picture: TCR Spain/Carlos Casimiro