After a strong season in TCR Spain, record-breaking touring car specialist Michelle Halder makes a return to TCR Europe in 2022, with her Halder Motorsport team expanding to a 3-car operation.
After a strong season in the brand-new Spanish TCR Championship, German touring car specialist Michelle Halder announced a return to TCR Europe in 2022, as her family-run team Halder Motorsport is set to expand to a 3-car operation. Michelle, 22, has been making headlines since she started racing in TCR-sanctioned events, quickly moving up the ranks of the most important national championships and becoming the first woman to win in three different series. Halder stepped up from karting to single seaters, racing in the competitive ADAC F4 in 2015 and 2016. But it would be in touring cars that she caught the world's attention, claiming two podiums in the ADAC German-based series in 2018 and her first win in 2019. In the second race at Zandvoort, she became the first woman to climb the highest step of the podium in the series. Halder Motorsport made a last minute move to the continental TCR Europe championship in 2020 but, despite the late move, both Michelle and her brother Mike proved to be immediately competitive. In a historic moment, Michelle secured a brilliant victory at Zolder, second round of the championship. She would finish 15th in the drivers' standings, having scored points in seven other occasions and claimed three more top-tens. The Halder siblings opted for the brand-new TCR Spain in 2021, where Halder Motorsport quickly established itself as the team to beat. The German racer finished third in the drivers championship and conquered two wins and seven podiums, with Mike sealing the title. Since 2019, Michelle and Mike also combined their programs in TCR with selected entries in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie – formerly VLN – where they took six class podiums over eight rounds in 2021. Over the course of the years, the family-owned team has significantly expanded its presence and operations. "We are delighted to announce that Halder Motorsport will compete with 3️ race cars in the highly competitive environment of TCR Europe" – wrote Michelle. "We are restless for more race victories and championship titles." With her return to TCR Europe, Michelle Halder is so far the only woman to be announced in the 2022 entry list. The championship has signed an agreement with DTM and GT Open, which is also set to bring the top continental TCR championship to an even bigger stage, alongside some of the most popular motor racing events around Europe. The season will kick off in Portimão’s Autódromo do Algarve on the first weekend of May and will end in Barcelona in mid-October, for a 7-event calendar. The series will also travel to Le Castellet, Spa, twice in Germany – at the Norisring and the Nürburgring – and Monza. Each event will consist of two free practice sessions and two qualifying sessions – a 20-minute Q1 and a 10-minute Q2 for the fastest 12 cars. Each weekend will see two 30-minute races – the second one with a reverse grid order from the top-ten. Races will be live streamed on TCR channels.
2022 TCR Europe - Calendar
Rounds 1 & 2 – 30 April/1 May, Portimão
Rounds 3 & 4 – 21/22 May, Le Castellet
Rounds 5 & 6 – 18/19 June, Spa-Francorchamps
Rounds 7 & 8 – 2/3 July, Norisring
Rounds 9 & 10 – 27/28 August, Nürburgring
Rounds 11 & 12 – 23/25 September, Monza
Rounds 13 & 14 – 15/16 October, Barcelona