Norbert Michelisz has hailed the progress made by Honda at the official World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) test at Vallelunga, as he and the team continued to prepare for the 2016 season.
The Hungarian racer completed two days of testing at the circuit near Rome in Italy, ending Wednesday as the fifth fastest out of nine runners. Thursday brought inclement weather which meant few drivers were going for an all-out best lap, with Michelisz ending the day in sixth.
Michelisz was the only one of Honda’s three drivers to take part in the test, with team-mates Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro not getting behind the wheel, despite also being present at the circuit.
“It’s been a really good test for us,” said Michelisz. “We didn’t come here to set a lap time; we came here to get everything in place to set fast lap times at every round. It’s a shame that the weather wasn’t great on the second day, which meant we had to change our plan a little bit, but the results look good and we’ve made some very positive steps forward with the suspension and balance.
“We have another few days planned over the next few weeks before the start of the season so we should be in a good shape for Paul Ricard at the season opener.”
Summarising his move to Honda, Michelisz added that he is aiming to secure more race wins with the JAS Motorsport-run Honda team, especially as the 31-year-old has never before won more than one race in a season.
“Since I started racing Hondas in 2013, I’ve always finished in the top six in the overall championship and won races,” added Michelisz. “I think there’s a great opportunity to progress from that this year now that I have a works car.
“Realistically, the main aim for the year is to be a more consistent threat for wins and podiums and help Honda in the manufacturers’ championship.”