Round five of twelve in the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship, WTCC, will take place on the 18th and 19th of May on the Salzburgring circuit in Austria. As the FIA WTCC enters the second third of the season, Tiago Monteiro, Honda and JAS Motorsport expect to undergo one of the most demanding weekends of the year.
Tiago Monteiro really appreciates the Austrian circuit where, in 2012, he was in the top five in both qualifying and the race. However, the Honda Civic # 18 driver commented: "We will have to pay special attention to tire degradation. Experience over the year has taught us that tire usage plays a vital role in the final outcome. This is a fast circuit that will more than likely not be the most favorable to our package. Especially if we take into account that we have the maximum ballast of over 40kg. Therefore we will continue to work on reversing the trend and develop the Honda Civic. We have never driven on this track so there will be a lot to learn in regard to the car’s behavior to make it perfect."
Before flying to the Salzburgring Tiago conducted a shakedown in Italy. "We just had to make sure that everything is running smoothly. I hope that by the end of the weekend we have scored some important points in both championships," concluded Tiago Monteiro.