Honda heads to the streets of Vila Real in Portugal this weekend ready to battle for more victories at the seventh round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship.
The Vila Real round marks the beginning of the second half of the season and home hero Tiago Monteiro, who hails from nearby Porto, is aiming to give his local fans something to cheer about and add a third victory for the Civic WTCC in 2016.
The Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver has finished on the podium three times in Portugal and is aiming to add to that statistic and improve on his current fourth place in the drivers’ championship.
Despite lying eighth in the standings, team-mate Rob Huff is only 15 points – the equivalent of a third-place finish – behind the runner-up spot overall.
The Briton is a renowned street-circuit master and has a win and six further podiums to his name from past events in Portugal; the 2012 WTCC champion having taken those results at the Algarve Circuit and Porto before the event moved to Vila Real last year.
Norbert Michelisz, sixth in the championship, is currently in a rich vein of form and has finished on the podium in three of the last four races. He finished on the podium at last year’s Race of Portugal and is looking to continue his recent form at the 4.76km circuit.
The Civic WTCCs will carry 60kg of compensation weight this weekend meaning that the three cars will be heavier than at any other point in the 2016 season as the team look to cement their second place in the manufacturers’ championship.
Tiago Monteiro, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, said: “I’m really looking forward to racing in front of my home fans on the streets of Vila Real. The support I get here is absolutely fantastic and I would love to give them a win. As far as street circuits go, Vila Real is one of the best around. It’s long, there’s a fantastic amount of elevation change and some of the corners are really super-fast. Having 60kg of compensation weight this weekend is far from ideal, but the Civic WTCC is a very strong car – as we proved in the dry and damp conditions in Russia – and we are aiming high.”
Rob Huff, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, said: “It’s hard to believe that I’m already halfway into my first season as a Honda driver; it’s absolutely flown by. Of course, it started with a victory in France and I’m incredibly keen to add to that number in Portugal this weekend. I’ve won in Portugal in the WTCC before and been on the podium seven times in total and I’ve always enjoyed street circuits and gone well on them, so I think there’s a good chance to score some very strong results. The 60kg of compensation weight won’t help as it’s 30kg more than we ran in Russia, but we’re on the fightback and we head to Vila Real in an optimistic mood.”
Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS, said: “I really enjoy coming to Portugal every year. As an event, Vila Real was fantastic in 2015 and with it being Tiago’s home race, we can be sure of some great support for Honda all weekend. I’m on really good form right now with three podiums from the past four races, but one of my aims for 2016 was to get my first win as a factory driver and there’s no time like the present. The circuit is very demanding, but we’ve done some good preparation work on the simulator and we look to be in pretty good shape.”
