In its first WTCC event, Honda has already scored points, which is a first in the history of this championship! During the two races at Suzuka, on 21 October, Tiago Monteiro managed to rank in the top ten. 'We're very pleased with this first result,' confirmed the Portuguese driver. 'A few weeks ago, we barely hoped to finish in the top ten and that's exactly what we achieved this weekend! But we're continuing to learn and managed to find better set-ups during the races.'
The director of Honda Racing Team JAS, supported by Motul, commented: 'I'm very satisfied because we had the opportunity to show our level during the races, and our lap times were very good and regular. Unfortunately, it was difficult to pass and our qualifying time therefore affected our final result. But finishing in the top ten in the two races — not far from the leading cars — is a good result.'
Daisuke Horiuchi, chief engineer in charge of developing the Civic WTCC, concluded: 'The car and the engine behaved well, but a lot remains to be done to improve things. Despite the short tuning time available, we showed a very satisfactory level.'
The penultimate round of the championship will take place at the Shanghai circuit on 4 November.
Race 1 Results
01// Alain Menu, Chevrolet Cruze
02// Yvan Muller, Chevrolet Cruze
09// Tiago Monteiro, Honda Civic S2000 - Motul
Race 2 Results
01// Stefano D'Aste, BMW 320 TC
02// Pepe Oriola, Seat Leon
10// Tiago Monteiro, Honda Civic S2000 - Motul
Photo credits: world.honda.com
