Tiago Monteiro is hoping to kick start his 2013 World Touring Car Championship season as the series heads to Slovakia and the Slovakia Ring for rounds 5 and 6 of the season.
The Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team driver has had a troubled start to the campaign and finds himself 10th in the Championship having failed to score in Morocco.
“First, we will focus on qualifying,” explains Monteiro. “As for the races, I want to get two good results and I am confident that we have the car to get there.”
Having made its début in the WTCC in the 2012 campaign, it provided a pleasant surprise for the majority of the field and for Monteiro; he secured a brace of top six starts there.
“This is a very interesting track and allows for some very exciting races. It is a very complete circuit with long straights, curves, and several direction changes,” Monteiro said about the 5.9km Slovakia Ring circuit, which features a number of crests where the builders had to put tunnels in for cars and support vehicles to move around the circuit.
“The configuration requires having a powerful engine but also a highly efficient chassis,” Monteiro continued.
He is also looking forward to getting back on track at a conventional circuit having raced at Monza and then on the streets of Marrakech as he feels that this will give him a good idea of where he is compared to the others.
“I’m curious to see where we are. The first race of the season took place at Monza, a very fast track and the second in Morocco, on a street circuit. This weekend we will find a more conventional circuit,” adds Monteiro.
“We know that our car will be well suited to certain parts of the circuit, less to others.”