Monteiro makes successful debut in the Gold Coast 600

Tiago Monteiro concluded his debut in the Australian V8 Supercar series on a positive note on Sunday. After being invited to participate in the prestigious Australian championship, Tiago started from 24th place on the grid for the first 300km race that was disputed on the Surfers Paradise circuit, a position secured by his teammate from Centaur Racing, Tony d’ Alberto. Tiago made an excellent start and moved up several places, despite the chaos on the opening lap where he was hit from behind by Sebastian Bourdais and forced to return to the pits. "I made a very good start but it soon became very confusing when several cars were almost immobilized on the circuit and Sebastien Bourdais was unable to avoid hitting me. I lost a position but I stayed out on track for another nine laps but my car was damaged too badly and I had to return to the pits for repairs which saw us lose five laps. In the end I raced for 50 laps and not 35 as we had originally planned. Our race ended early because a competitor hit a tyre barrier and I was unable to avoid them. It is a shame but it was a good first experience" explains Tiago.

Tiago made another good start on Sunday for race two when he went from 18th to 14th in the first hundred meters. The driver from Oporto succeeded in moving up to 10th place where he was fighting with the most experienced drivers in the V8 Supercar series. Together with his teammate Tony d’ Alberto, Tiago’s entry had moved up into 8th place, but a contact by d’Alberto forced the crew to retire the car in the final laps of the race. Despite this, Tiago has emphasised the quality of his unforgettable experience... "I loved this championship, the team, everyone who is a part of it as well as the style of driving this car. I am very proud to have been one of those selected to take part in this race that brought together some of the best drivers in the world. Now I need to I concentrate on the next round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) which will take place in Japan next weekend. I wanna thanks the organizers, Al and Tony d’Alberto and the whole crew of Centaur racing for this great experience."

The 19th and 20th race of the WTCC will take place in Okayama on October 31st. This will be the third time that the FIA World Touring Car Championship will travel to the circuit of the island of Honshu, which accommodated two rounds of the Formula One world championship in 1994 and 1995. For the past two years, the races have been hit with bad weather but have always produced a thrilling spectacle. The Okayama races will be broadcasted by the Eurosport network on Sunday October 31 at 5:15 and 6:45.