Argentine World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) newcomer Néstor Girolami has hinted that he could make further appearances in the series in Thailand and Qatar, although calendar clashes with his Súper TC2000 series could prevent him competing.
Girolami replaced Rickard Rydell at Nika Racing for the Slovakian event, where he scored a point for tenth position in his first-ever WTCC race. The 26-year-old is already committed to making one further WTCC start in Portugal, but he also hinted at further appearances later in the season if his current clashes can be resolved.
“In Portugal [I will be back] of course, then maybe Thailand and Qatar but I don’t know because of the calendar in Súper TC2000 in Argentina,” said Girolami. “The races in Thailand and Qatar are new, one at night and some very nice circuits. I would like but I don’t know now.”
Girolami thanked those who had helped make his WTCC appearance a reality, and stressed that he would like to continue in the championship in 2016.
“I still need to learn, learn my team and my car. Thanks to my sponsors, Honda, François Ribeiro and Nika Racing for this opportunity. It’s my first time in the category. I would like to race next year and I am working very hard for this. The important thing is to learn, lap-by-lap to make a good performance.”
Nika Racing Team Principal Nicklas Karlsson praised Girolami for his performances, despite him taking home just a point for tenth in race one and no points for 11th in race two.
”I think Néstor has demonstrated to everyone just why he is so highly rated by people within this sport,” said Karlsson. “Coming into the WTCC mid-season, with no experience of the car or the championship as such, and to score a point in your very first race is just massively impressive.
“He hasn’t put a wheel wrong all weekend, he challenged the factory Hondas in qualifying, and then used a much-improved car on Sunday to go from 18th to tenth in race one. We are very happy with his performance, of course, and we will be looking to build on that with Rickard at Paul Ricard next weekend.”