Tiago Monteiro ready for maiden Slovak visit

Tiago Monteiro is looking to replicate his Marrakech performances around the new Slovakia Ring near the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, which plays host to the seventh and eighth rounds of the 2012 World Touring Car Championship.

Monteiro, like the rest of the WTCC field will head to the circuit with no prior knowledge of the circuit and the Portuguese driver is pleased to be at the circuit as it means all the drivers start on a level playing field.

Once again, Monteiro will see his progress hampered by the fact that he will still be running the SunRed developed 1.6litre turbo engine instead of the 2012 SEAT Sport engine. He is hoping that he can still challenge up at the front though.

“Once again I will be technically handicapped with regard to my competitors, because my SEAT Leon will not be equipped with the new engine but, like in Morocco, I will do everything to be well placed in qualifying and that way start from the first positions in the races,” the Portuguese driver explained. “We think we will be able to make changes to the car’s set-up to make it fast for a lap. I have to count on that!”

Monteiro is keen to get out on the circuit and discover it as he can normally adapt to a new circuit quickly and he knows that being consistent is required to achieve a top result.

“Usually, I adapt well to new situations and I hope to profit from that,” the SEAT Tuenti Racing Team driver continued, “I am curious to discover this track and to be able to gauge our level of performance, and compare it to that of my competitors. In the race, it won’t be an easy task but my ambition is to secure points.”