Honda heads to Moscow Raceway ready to battle for more race wins this weekend as the 2016 FIA World Touring Car Championship reaches its halfway point in Russia. Factory Civic WTCC drivers Tiago Monteiro, Rob Huff and
Norbert Michelisz have won three races between them this year and lie second, third and fourth in the battle for the drivers’ championship
And with each of them having a strong record at the 4km venue, located 100km to the west of the Russian capital, hopes are high for more success this time around.
Tiago, who lies second in the championship, was leading the opening race on the fearsome Nürburgring Nordschleife when a puncture led to a high-speed accident for his Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team Civic that put him briefly in hospital.
The Portuguese driver, although still sore, is fighting fit and ready to regain lost ground on rival Jose Maria Lopez as the battle for the drivers’ crown continues. He has good memories of Moscow Raceway, having won there last year for Honda ahead of Rob and Norbert.
Just two points behind is Rob, who took a pair of fourth places in Germany despite an engine-change grid penalty forcing him to start the opening race from the back of the grid.
Rob has two Russian podiums to his name, achieved in 2013 and ’15, and has already achieved two victories in 2016.
Norbert’s pair of rostrum finishes in Germany took his total to five from the season’s opening five rounds and meant he maintained his fourth place in the championship, but closed to within two points of Rob.
The Hungarian finished third in Russia last year, repeating his result of 2013, and is looking for a repeat as the minimum reward for his weekend’s work.
Honda lies second in the manufacturers’ championship, and received a boost last week with the announcement that the Civic WTCCs will carry 30kg of compensation weight in Russia – a reduction of 10kg over the past two rounds in Morocco and Germany.
Tiago Monteiro, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, said: “Germany was far from ideal for myself and for us as a team. I’m still a bit sore after my accident, but on Saturday I resumed my full training schedule and I’ll be close to 100 per cent in Russia. The bigger issue is the points we lost, and the task now is to dig deep to regain that ground. I have good memories of Russia; I won there last year. The circuit is pretty conventional in terms of layout and the type of corners it has, and it’s likely that if we’re quick there, that will translate to a lot of the circuits left this year.”
Rob Huff, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, said: “The German round was a tough one for us, but it proved that when the chips are down, we pull together as a team and get the job done. The work to get my car fixed for the races was amazing and I had the machinery to go from last to fourth. Moscow should be a better circuit for us than the Nürburgring. There’s only one long straight, which means that the tight final corner that follows it is pretty much the only conventional overtaking spot. But the succession of one slow corner into another around the back of the circuit is a much bigger challenge than it looks and should reward the Honda’s excellent chassis.”
Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS, said: “We went into the Nürburgring expecting it to be one of our worst circuits of the year, so to come away with two podium finishes was fantastic and really shows what a great job the whole team has done since the start of the year on making the Civic a car that can be competitive anywhere. Moscow Raceway is a circuit that should suit the Civic. Because of the number of slow corners, it should reward the car’s excellent traction, and with quite a few of the circuits remaining in 2016 being of a similar nature, a good showing this weekend will give us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season
