Zolder a real Easter treat for Monteiro

This Easter, Tiago Monteiro wasn’t walking on eggshells! After driving two solid and intelligent races on the Zolder Circuit, which played host this weekend to the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), the Portuguese driver gave his SEAT SUNRED team a 5th place finish and a podium, enabling the constructor to stay even with Chevrolet and to score more than double the points of BMW in Belgium.

Tiago’s 13th podium in the FIA WTCC enabled him to move up three places in the championship, and this evening he is now in 5th place in the overall ranking with 31 points. Starting from the fifth line on the grid in the first race, Tiago held his position down to the finish line, after a constant fight in which all five leaders rolled in tight formation - just 5 seconds separated Tiago from the winner when the checkered flag went up. "Since we were aware of our handicap with regard to the Chevrolets, who were using the new regulations to their advantage, particularly with their new 1.6 liter turbo engine, while we were still racing with the TDI version of the SEAT León, our first objective was to score points," Tiago pointed out. In the first corner after the start, Tiago launched an attack on a Chevrolet which bumped him and slightly destabilized him. Then, he put pressure on his competitors, by making sure to widen the gap between him and his pursuers while not making any errors.

In the second race, Tiago moved up from 6th place to 5th in the first lap, and continued his progress throughout the race’s 13 laps. In a constant struggle with the Chevrolets, both to gain places and to defend his own, Tiago came out on top in every duel and concluded the championship’s Belgian race weekend with his 13th FIA WTCC podium, less than one second behind the winner, Gabriele Tarquini. "This result was unexpected, but it’s exactly what we needed!" Tiago exclaimed, happily pointing out the similarity with the 2010 season, where he was also drenched with champagne in Belgium. "It was very different from Curitiba, just a month ago. After qualifying, we knew that we would be closer to our competitors. We took the most risks we could because we didn’t have much to lose. It worked! We seized every opportunity that we created."

In all, for both races, Tiago tucked 25 points under his belt. "It was a fantastic result for SEAT SUNRED, but also for our new sponsor, Monroe, who was racing at home. Congratulations go out to the whole team for this achievement!"

The 5th and 6th races in the FIA WTCC will be held May 14 and 15 in Monza, Italy. SEAT SUNRED will still not have its 1.6 liter turbo engine, but Tiago hopes that his team’s racing science will continue to enable him to score crucial points, and be able to stay on equal footing with the competition.