JAS Motorsport, who run the Honda World Touring Car Championship team, have revealed that they are to test one of their TC1 Civics at the German circuit in the next week, in preparation for the championship’s first visit to the venue in 2015.
Drivers Tiago Monteiro and Gabriele Tarquini recently participated in a VLN race around the infamous Nordschleife circuit, racing an endurance-spec Honda Civic Type-R. However the team are now set to go one better and test their recently finished WTCC test car at the venue, before even rivals Citroën have taken a car to the circuit.
“Thanks to the great support we received from Honda Fugel Motorsport, we were able to enter a round of the VLN with their endurance spec Civic Type R,” explained JAS Motorsport Managing Director Alessandro Mariani. “It was an opportunity we couldn’t miss as it provided Gabriele, Tiago and our team with a taste for what awaits us when the WTCC arrives there in 2015.
“Next week we aim to be back at the Nürburgring too, but this time behind the wheel of our WTCC test car. The experience is invaluable. It not only offers the drivers an opportunity to build familiarity with the track, but it also allows our engineers to try out different things and start their preparations for next season.”
Seasoned campaigner Tarquini admits that one of the greatest challenges for the race around the 20.81 km circuit is simply to know the circuit and its 154 corners.
“To be competitive here the most important thing is to know the track inside out,” explained the Italian. “During the VLN-race I completed sixteen laps, but even with this experience I still haven’t memorised it all. There are more than 70 corners, many of them blind, and very similar in appearance! So I definitely need more track time to learn them all!”
Monteiro explains that the team have been busy in the two month lull between WTCC events testing at venues in Europe.
“After the race on the Nürburgring we’re back testing on the Hungaroring and Slovakiaring to ensure we’re as prepared as we can be for the overseas campaign coming up.”
The next WTCC race takes place in Beijing, China on the 4th October.