Monteiro twice on the podium in Motegi

Tiago Monteiro has given Honda two podiums finishes in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, WTCC contested on the home ground of the Japanese carmaker. On the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, the Portuguese driver was carrying an extra 80kg of ballast, a handicap that that didn’t stop him from making a good comeback in the first race where he moved from 7th place on the grid to finish third with some very nice overtaking maneuvers.

In doing this he completed the trifecta (1-2-3) for Honda who secured all three podium positions in the first race. "In the first race I made up two places fairly quickly. Despite the added weight, the Honda Civic was very efficient and I managed to exploit its potential to go further up in the standings. It was an important race for Honda, who monopolized the podium in their home races," said Tiago.

Fourth on the grid for race two, Tiago knew that replicating his results in the first race would not be an easy task with strong opponents around him. "Once again, I had a good start. I risked everything to reach my goals and those of Honda. It doesn’t always pay off, as in Argentina, but this weekend went well. We made it onto the podium twice and we are very happy. This result boosts the teams motivation for the remaining races," concluded Tiago whose mission on 24 and 25 September in China is to defend his second place in the championship, level on points with Yvan Muller.