Tiago Monteiro scores in Boavista

On the evening of his troubled qualifying, Tiago Monteiro knew that scoring points on the Boavista circuit in his hometown of Oporto, the 7th round of the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), was almost an impossible task. On a street circuit lined with barriers, overtaking moves are usually counted on one hand, but spurred on by thousands of fans, Tiago was eager to take up the challenge.

Starting 17th on the grid, in race one he crossed the line at the end of the 12 laps in 9th place and in race two, he was in 11th place at the finish line, just five seconds off the podium! The native of Oporto was eagerly thrilling his home fans with the multiple passing maneuvers. The results obtained by Tiago under such complex conditions at home delivered a rare taste of victory for the Honda driver....

"I had nothing to lose so I gave it everything," he explained. "I had a good start in the first race. I moved up several places but then I was stuck behind some slower opponents and I was not able to attack. I hoped they would make a mistake but I was unable to pass them until the final stage of the race. I am very happy with this result," concluded the Honda driver who showed intelligence and talent in moving up the field without risking an accident.

In the second race, Tiago lined up on the grid with completely new settings, knowing that his bet could either pay off or turn against him. "In the end, the set-up was not as good as it was in race one. The car was difficult to drive and I could not take as many risks. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the result. This weekend is part of a learning curve for the entire team and we recovered well after our troubled qualifying. This is very positive!"

Public support had a strong impact on Tiago’s motivation and courage: "I have to thank the public for their unconditional support. I was moved to see people applauding me and even though I knew the coveted podium was out of my reach, I think I delivered a great show and honored our national flag," concluded Tiago Monteiro.