The qualifying list for the TCR World Ranking Final takes shape

The last round of the TCR UK championship in which points will count before the TCR World Ranking cut-off at the end of this month took place at Donington Park, and so the picture of which drivers are set to qualify for the event is now much clearer.

A steady weekend for perennial front-runner Bruce Winfield sees him remain the top-placed driver from the championship in the ranking, and he holds on to 16th spot, with Jac Constable’s podium helping to move him up to being the second-best placed driver in 26th overall.

Also, within the next 45 after the KUMHO TCR World Tour top 15 drivers are discounted are Adam Shepherd (28th), Alex Ley (30th), Carl Boardley (45th), Josh Files (49th) and Chris Smiley (56th) – with Boardley a new qualifier with the points leader climbing up 22 spots to break into the top 60 just in time.

Jack Young remains the best-placed of the TCR China drivers in the ranking, and his second race win of the year at Shanghai on Saturday moved him up to 20th place, while Race 2 winner Andy Yan has broken into the top 100 with a 35-place climb this week, with his Hyundai N team-mate Martin Cao, the championship’s points leader, just 15 spots behind him.

Australia also had its last round before the points cut-off, with the next round the first of the KUMHO TCR World Tour double-header in November. Bailey Sweeny, twice a winner at the weekend, moved up two spots and ahead of Will Brown to be the best-placed driver from the series, while Brown is technically the only other qualifier for the final, though Sweeny’s team-mate Josh Buchan is only two places away from the cut and could benefit from others’ misfortune before October 1st. However, with six races in the two joint events at Sydney and Bathurst, the Aussies have another opportunity to qualify for the final, making the top-15 in the KUMHO TCR World Tour

Already crowned TCR Eastern Europe champion Mat’o Homola has moved up to an all-time best 12th in the ranking, while drivers now likely to qualify for the final include Brno Race 2 winner René Kircher (27th), outgoing champion Bartosz Groszek (36th), Petr Čížek (46th), and Sebastian Steibel (55th).

Picture: Phil Laughton