Tiago Monteiro is wary of how the Yokohama tyres will perform in Austria as the 2013 World Touring Car Championship heads to the Salzburgring for rounds 9 and 10 of the season.
The circuit, which saw a number of Front Wheel Drive cars, suffer punctures during the two races last season is expected to be a demanding one for Monteiro and the JAS Motorsport run Castrol Honda team.
Monteiro was one of the casualties last year as he suffered a puncture in the second race of the weekend having secured a top five finish during the opening race of the 2012 WTCC Race of Austria.
“We will have to pay special attention to tire degradation,” explains the Portuguese racer. “Experience over the year has taught us that tire usage plays a vital role in the final outcome. This is a fast circuit that will more than likely not be the most favourable to our package.”
Adding to the demands of the weekend for the Honda team will be the fact that they will have an additional 40 kilos compensation ballast on board the Civic, due to their lap times over the last three events.
“Especially if we take into account that we have the maximum ballast of over 40kgs,” continued the #18 Castrol Honda racer.
“Therefore we will continue to work on reversing the trend and develop the Honda Civic. We have never driven on this track so there will be a lot to learn in regard to the car’s behaviour to make it perfect.”
Having completed a shakedown prior to the Austrian event, Monteiro is hopeful of scoring additional points for his own Championship tally as well as the teams’ tally in the Manufacturers standings, which they presently lead.
“We just had to make sure that everything is running smoothly. I hope that by the end of the weekend we have scored some important points in both championships,” Monteiro finished off by saying.