Tiago Monteiro and JAS Motorsport Honda entered the history books of the World Touring Car Championship, WTCC, today after scoring the first points in a Honda Civic in its first competitive outing this weekend on the Suzuka circuit. On home soil, the Japanese manufacturer fulfilled their initial objectives, both in qualifying, by participating in both sessions and by finishing inside the top ten in both races.
Departing from 11th on the grid race one, Tiago Monteiro made a cautious start to ensure he was not caught up in any first lap chaos. He settled into 11th and fought to defend his place. Then, having made his mark at the wheel of the Honda Civic that had never participated in a race, he finished the 26-lap race by increasing the pace, winning two places in the top ten and ending less than two seconds behind the sixth placed finisher.
Upon his arrival, Tiago Monteiro was delighted to see the joy he had brought to both Honda and JAS Motorsport. "I am very pleased with the progress we have made during this first weekend of racing and how the team and I have adapted to the conditions, which were not always easy because we lacked reference. In particular, unlike all the other drivers, we did not know what the tires would be like, so I made a cautious start in order to save my tires from degradation, which was especially severe in the fast corners in the first section of the circuit," explained the Portuguese driver. "Later on, I was able to increase the pace and the Honda responded very well. I was probably faster than the drivers ahead of me but I did not want to take any risks because the stakes were very high: the first point in the FIA WTCC for Honda!"
The scenario of the first race was repeated in the second with an 11th place start on the grid that Tiago converted into 10th after following an opponent for several laps. "The experience from race one gave me the keys to understand how to use the tires better. From the beginning, my goal was the top 10 as drivers up ahead quickly got away. Engstler passed me but I patiently waited my time, studying his lines to find out what was the best place toovertake. These two top 10 finishes are a fantastic result for Honda and JAS Motorsport, but this is only the beginning as the Honda Civic has so much more potential. Many thanks and congratulations to both Honda and JAS Motorsport for the incredible work they have done in the last few months and especially here in Suzuka. his bodes well for the future and I’m looking forward to China in two week’s time."
The next two races of the FIA WTCC will take place at Shanghai, China, on the 3rd and 4th of November.