The TCR Europe season kicks off at Portimão

The 2025 TCR Europe season gets underway this weekend at Portimão’s Autódromo de Algarve, with a 22-car grid for the revitalised series. Eleven teams are competing, with five brands represented: Hyundai, Honda, CUPRA, Audi, and Lynk & Co.

Favourites from the championship’s golden years are returning, with 2019 title contender Julien Briché leading his JSB Compétition squad, now equipped with Hyundai’s Elantra N cars that he shook down last weekend at Nogaro. The Clairet brothers, Teddy and Jimmy, return full-time for the first time since 2021, both having won races in the interim on occasional outings, and will run Audi RS 3 LMS cars.

A second pair of brothers is that formed by Felipe and Victor Fernández in the Honda Civic cars fielded by RC2 Motorsport.

ALM Motorsport, which won the 2024 Teams’ title, returns with two Honda Civic FL5 cars for 19-year-old Estonian talent Ruben Volt, and two-time race winner Levente Losonczy.

Last year’s Drivers’ championship winners Monlau Motorsport is the only team to field the CUPRA Leon VZ with an all-new driver line-up; 18-year-old Eric Gené, the son of CUPRA development driver and touring car veteran Jordi Gené teams up with 20-year-old TCR UK and TCR Spain front-runner Jenson Brickley.

Last year’s TCR Asia series title contender Max Hart will make his TCR Europe debut with the returning Target Competition team in a Hyundai Elantra; the Italian outfit will also provide technical support to Solite Indigo Racing’s two South Korean drivers Junesung Park and Junui Park, both race winners in TCR Italy last year.

Also from TCR Italy, is last year’s champion PMA Motorsport’s Nicolas Taylor; the 19-year-old Canadian who took the title in his first year of touring car competition and will now also fight for the European title in addition to defending his Italian crown; his teammate Felice Jelmini is another returneé to the continental series.

Nicola Baldan, who battled for the 2024 title in both TCR Europe and TCR Italy is back in an Audi entered by Aikoa Racing, together with young gun Filippo Barberi.

Last but not least, Marco Butti who was a front runner in last year's Kumho FIA TCR World Tour, has joined MM Motorsport and will drive one of the team's Honda Civic cars alongside TCR Eastern Europe race winner Giacomo Ghermandi.

Entry list

3 – Giacomo Ghermandi (MM Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5)

4 – Julien Briché (JSB Compétition, Hyundai Elantra N)

6 – Jean-Laurent Navarro (JSB Compétition, Hyundai Elantra N)

8 – Nicola Baldan (Aikoa Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS)

10 – Viktor Andersson (MA:GP, Lynk & Co 03)

17 – Nicolas Taylor (PMA Motorsport, Audi RS 3 LMS)

19 – Felipe Fernández (Auto Club RC2 Vallès, Honda Civic Type R FL5)

20 – Teddy Clairet (Team Clairet Sport, Audi RS 3 LMS)

21 – Jimmy Clairet (Team Clairet Sport, Audi RS 3 LMS)

27 – Ruben Volt (ALM Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5)

28 – Eric Gené (Monlau Motorsport, CUPRA Leon VZ)

33 – Santiago Concepción (Auto Club RC2 Vallès, Honda Civic Type R FL5)

44 – Felice Jelmini (PMA Motorsport, Audi RS 3 LMS)

45 – Victor Fernández (Auto Club RC2 Vallès, Audi RS 3 LMS)

64 – Levente Losonczy (ALM Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5)

69 – Max Hart (Target Competition, Hyundai Elantra N)

80 – Filippo Barberi (Aikoa Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS)

87 – Junui Park (Solite Indigo Racing, Hyundai Elantra N)

97 – Junesung Park (Solite Indigo Racing, Hyundai Elantra N)

98 – Pierre-Arnaud Navarro (JSB Compétition, Hyundai Elantra N)

111 – Marco Butti (MM Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5)

246 – Jenson Brickley (Monlau Motorsport, CUPRA Leon VZ)

Schedule (Live streaming)

Saturday - Qualifying, 09:25 (10:25 CEST)

Saturday - Race 1, 13:45 (14:45 CEST)

Sunday - Race 2, 11:50 (12:50 CEST)

Picture: TCR Europe