Azcona took control in Zhejiang and heads to Macao with a 33-point lead
The Hyundai driver won the only dry race of the weekend, while Urrutia lost ground after being forced into the pits. The championship is now down to one final round.
What a weekend. Mikel Azcona grabbed his eighth victory in the category, repeated the one-two with Norbert Michelisz and reached Macao with a 33-point advantage over his rival. The championship, at least on paper, looks decided. But this is motorsport: paper comfort and Sunday reality rarely travel together.
A dry race, a wet result
The third and final race at Zhejiang was the only one held on a dry track, and it immediately became the most intense of the weekend. There were frequent incidents between the Hyundai and Geely drivers, forcing race control to issue formal warnings to Azcona, Santiago Urrutia and Thed Bjork.
Azcona crossed the finish line first, with Michelisz second and Bjork third. Yann Ehrlacher and Ma Qinghua completed the top five in Geely cars. Diego Moran, driving a Honda, lost performance because of a turbo problem and finished eighth.
For Azcona, this was a special win: the eighth in the category since his debut in 2023. A weekend that began with a shared podium ended with the Spanish driver extending his lead in the standings. A very efficient operation, despite the warnings.
- Azcona: 445 points.
- Michelisz: 412 points.
- Urrutia: 406 points and six behind Michelisz.
- The championship finale will take place in Macao.
Urrutia hit the pits
Urrutia had reduced the gap to Azcona to just 17 points after Saturday's second race. His comeback, however, was cut short by damage that forced him into the pits. The Uruguayan dropped to third place in the general standings, three weeks before the finale.
Michelisz took advantage of that setback and moved up to second, while Azcona increased his lead to 33 points. The result leaves the two Hyundai drivers as the main contenders, but Macao still has room for a surprise. Both will carry the highest compensation of the field, a factor that could give the other drivers a chance.
“The question is simple: will the 33-point margin be enough for Azcona to arrive relaxed in Macao, or will the compensation and an urban circuit change everything?”Damián Añazco, Deportes
Azcona arrives with the trophy in his backpack. Michelisz will try to make the last round uncomfortable. Urrutia still has a path to fight for the podium, although his weekend has left him with more questions than answers. In the cantina, I would order something to eat before watching this finale: a 33-point lead is not a guarantee, but it is a very good start.
