Wins for Mike Halder and Jan Magnussen at Ring Djursland

Mike Halder and Jan Magnussen emerged as the winners after the three TCR Denmark races at Ring Djursland, with Halder’s continued run of form helping the German driver forge a strong lead in the drivers’ standings.

With victories in Race 1 and Race 3, plus third in Race 2, Halder has now a 15-point advantage over Malte Ebdrup in the standings, with the reigning champion Kasper H. Jensen, third with a gap of 25 points.

Race 2 marked the first victory of Magnussen in the current season and his first after two years.

Race 1 - Halder had qualified on pole position in a tight session, in which just 23-thousandths of a second covered the top three, and he led the way at the start, while Magnussen, who started second, was passed by Ebdrup. Magnussen was now under pressure from Ebdrup’s teammate and five-time champion Kasper H. Jensen but was holding on at the front of the pack until with three laps to go, his car went straight off at the first hairpin with a broken wheel nut and hit the barriers.

The race finished behind the safety car, with Halder the winner from Ebdrup and Jensen.

Race 2 - Magnus Dall started from pole, but from the outside of the front row, Magnussen swiftly moved into the lead and controlled the pace to the finish, going on to win the race. Dall was quickly shuffled back by the championship’s front runners, with Jensen up to second ahead of Halder and Ebdrup by the end of the first lap.

Up front, Magnussen controlled the pace to secure victory, while Jensen was under pressure from Halder. The German driver made one final attempt to pass on the penultimate lap, but Jensen was able to keep second position.

Race 3 - Halder started from pole ahead of Jensen and got away well, while Jensen had a slightly slow launch and was passed by Ebdrup into the first corner. Halder then managed a one-second lead to Ebdrup, while Jensen was a safe distance behind. Magnussen spent the whole race defending fourth from René Povlsen in the leading battle of the race.

TCR Denmark will resume in the Copenhagen Grand Prix on 8/10 August.

Race 1

1. Mike Halder (TPR Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 17 laps
2. Malte Ebdrup (Race Group, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 0.700
3. Kasper H. Jensen (Race Group, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 1.001

Race 2

1. Jan Magnussen (DM Racing, Honda Civic Type R FK7), 18 laps
2. Kasper H. Jensen (Race Group, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 1.236
3. Mike Halder (TPR Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 1.480

Race 3

1. Mike Halder (TPR Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 19 laps
2. Malte Ebdrup (Race Group, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 1.796
3. Kasper H. Jensen (Race Group, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 7.921

Championship points

1. M. Halder, 265 pts; 2. M. Ebdrup, 250; 3. K.H. Jensen, 240

Picture: TCR Denmark/Stumpphoto