Honda and Tiago Monteiro are aiming to re-take the initiative in the fight for the FIA World Touring Car Championship as the series continues in Morocco this weekend.
The fourth round of the 2016 championship takes place on an all-new version of the Circuit Moulay El Hassan in the Agdal district of Marrakech and promises to produce yet more of the ultra-close racing that has characterised the opening three events of the season
Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver Tiago arrives in Morocco in the thick of the battle for the WTCC title after taking a victory in Slovakia and adding three more podium finishes in the opening three rounds.
The Portuguese driver is just 12 points – the equivalent of a fourth-placed finish – off the championship lead and is looking to add to the podium finish he scored on the Moroccan semi-street circuit in 2010 this weekend.
Briton Rob Huff kicked off his Honda career with a race win at the opening round of the season in France and also showed race-winning pace in wet conditions last time out in Hungary.
He won the inaugural WTCC race held in Morocco in 2009 and a repeat victory is likely to move him up from his current fourth place in the points table.
Fellow factory driver Norbert Michelisz lies sixth in the points, having secured a double-podium in France. He is aiming to secure his maiden Moroccan rostrum finish this weekend and will be boosted by the news that the Civics’ compensation weight levels have been reduced from 70kg to 40kg.
While the Civics remain the second-heaviest cars on the grid, the weight reduction should increase their competitiveness as the trio of factory drivers seek to put Honda back on top in the race for the manufacturers’ championship.
The Circuit Moulay El Hassan has undergone a radical redevelopment for 2016. Instead of the 4.6-km barrier-lined street track, dominated by tight chicanes and long straights, a new 3.0km configuration will be used.
The revised layout retains the original start/finish straight, but now heads in the opposite direction to previously and utilises a previously-unused area to the East of the paddock before re-joining the old layout before the previous Turn 1 and looping back towards the finish line.
Tiago Monteiro, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, said: “Usually when you come to a race, you already have your base set-up and the driver’s responsibility is just to identify some small improvements. But with a new layout, like we have in Morocco this weekend, the responsibility of the driver becomes much more and it’s a challenge I really enjoy. What we showed in Hungary was that even with 70kg of ballast on the car, we could be extremely competitive, which was proven when we became the only manufacturer this season to qualify three cars inside the top six and then won MAC3 for the second race in a row. So to have only 40kg on the car this time should put all three factory Hondas in contention for victory.”
Rob Huff, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, said: “I really enjoy coming to Marrakech. As a city, it’s total different to anywhere else we go and we always have a good time. This year will be a completely new experience, because although it’s the same location we’ve had for the past seven seasons, the circuit is completely new. The layout looks interesting and with a bit more variety in the kind of corner we’ll have compared to the old version, but we won’t really know what we’re dealing with until we hit the track on Friday. Hungary was a tough weekend for the whole team results-wise, but we’ve proved that the pace we can run with a lot of ballast on board is good, so with a reduced weight of 40kg, that gives everyone encouragement for Morocco.”
Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS, said: “After making a really strong start to the season with two podiums and consistent points-scoring finishes, it was a disappointing that we had so much bad luck at my home event in Hungary. But to get as high as P6 from the back of the grid in the main race showed the speed of the Civic. I’m looking forward to getting my season back on track in Morocco and with just over half the compensation weight we had in Hungary on the car, I’m confident we can have another strong showing as we try together to put Honda back on top in the manufacturers’ championship.”
