Tiago Monteiro left the Slovakia Ring having suffered a race day to forget after qualifying inside the top ten for the first time in 2012.
The Portuguese driver secured fourth and sixth on the grid for rounds seven and eight of the 2012 World Touring Car Championship but come race day, he was unable to secure the points finishes he wanted.
“For the first time this season, we had a more competitive engine and we did good work all weekend. Qualifying had shown that we had what it took to fight for the points in both races and it would have been important to do so. Unfortunately, problems beyond our control prevented us,” explained the #18 SEAT Tuenti Racing Team driver.
Lining up fourth for the rolling start, Monteiro lost positions at the first corner before being caught up in incidents further round the opening lap which meant that his race was over after a single lap.
“Muller missed his braking and that forced me to take a line that cost me several positions,” explains Monteiro. “In the next corner, Nash bumped me so hard that part of the rear of the car was destroyed and I was pushed into the gravel. The car was heavily damaged, but the team did an extraordinary job repairing it in time for the second race.”
Despite all of the damage to the car, Monteiro was able to take the start of the second race, but this also denied him the chance of a points finish as electrical gremlins.
“I had a pretty good start, but the car quickly lost power. The electrical circuit had some shorts, I don’t know if it is a problem related to the accident in the first race,” added Monteiro.
With rounds nine and ten of the Championship taking place next weekend (5th/6th May) at the Hungaroring, Monteiro will soon have the chance to forget about the disappointments of the Slovakia Ring.