Gabriele Tarquini has admitted that the World Touring Car Championship races at Macau are always a lottery as the series heads into the 2013 finale on the Guia street circuit.
Italian racer Tarquini is in a battle for second overall in the drivers’ Championship and has an advantage of 22 points over British racer Tom Chilton. With limited overtaking opportunities around the 6.2km circuit, track position is important.
“It is always a lottery,” says Tarquini. “Getting clear track space for qualifying is difficult but normally I think we can do well. Last year was very good for Honda with the first podium and although we are still with the heavyweight penalty, the handling and braking of the Civic is very good for the many changes of direction in this lap.
Tarquini secured his only WTCC drivers’ title on the streets of Macau in 2009 and has taken a number of other podium finishes around the streets of Macau.
“I have had many podiums in Macau and my personal target is to finish as second in the drivers’ championship and to do this I must get the best results possible in both races. I have 22 points advantage and there’s a maximum of 50 points available so I must attack from the start,” Tarquini added.
Tiago Monteiro took the first podium for the Honda Civic at Macau last year and arriving there on the back of his first win since Valencia 2010 at Shanghai last time out, the Portuguese driver is looking to repeat and build on the result.
The victory moved him into the outright top ten in the drivers’ Championship and with a chance of finishing inside the top 8, and thus Honda having three drivers’ inside the top 8.
“We are showing that we can be strong on most of the tracks now and getting more experience with the car,” Monteiro said. “So for sure in Macau anything can happen! If we keep playing a good team work and are well positioned at the start, we can do a good job again. I love Macau and usually feel really good there.
“Last year I gave to Honda their first podium in WTCC after only three races, so it was a great moment, and I hope we can do something good again,” he concluded.