The Circuit de Catalunya just outside of Barcelona, Spain will host the penultimate round of the 2019 TCR Europe season. 28-year-old British driver, Josh Files, is the current championship leader whilst his team, Target Competition, are also at the head of the Team’s Championship. Both can mathematically be won in Barcelona.
 
Files took a brace of podium finishes at the last round in Oschersleben, Germany, despite carrying maximum ballast during the weekend. As a result of his consistency he extended his points lead to a sizeable 78 points over his nearest competitor.
 
Due to the success however, his Hyundai i30 N TCR car will stay on maximum ballast throughout the Barcelona weekend, whilst other models will lose weight, meaning the Hyundai at 1345kg will be the heaviest car by 110kg of most other competitors.
 
“I absolutely can’t wait to return to Barcelona. It’s an amazing circuit, one I really love to drive, and I have a good feeling with the car despite all the weight we carry. I’m optimistic that we can continue fighting for podiums, as myself and the team have worked tirelessly throughout this year to be as fast as possible no matter what is thrown at us” explained Files.
 
“Don’t get me wrong, it won’t be easy, and tyre degradation will be a big factor, but we have two titles to fight for with TCR Benelux and TCR Europe still both wide open, so we need to keep pushing for wins, and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing this weekend!”
 
The two free practice sessions kick off Friday afternoon, with the all-important two-part qualifying session commencing at 11.40 Saturday morning. Race 1 is at 17.45 Saturday evening and Race 2 will follow on Sunday at 12.30. Both races will be streamed live via FaceBook and YouTube, and as usual broadcast live on local terrestrial TV as well as the free to view digital FreeSports channel.