José María López, currently the runaway leader in the World Touring Car Championship, says he is aiming to relive past joys when the series returns to his home event in Argentina this weekend.
López has an impeccable record at his home event in Termas de Río Hondo, where he took victory on his début in the WTCC in 2013.
The Argentine racer followed up with a memorable double win in his first title-winning year for Citroën in 2014, before taking a win and a second in last year’s season-opener at the circuit.
Having been on the podium in five out of six races at home, López insists that he won’t ease off this weekend just because he has a 101-point lead in the title race.
“With my lead in the World Championship, I could play it safe,” said López, “but I will be aiming for victory to try and relive the joys of the past two years.
“Before that, I’m really looking forward to taking part in the promotional operations organised by Citroën Argentina. They are always good fun and really boost the brand’s profile in our country.”
Despite the past success, López heads to Argentina on a four-race run without a podium – the longest since he joined the WTCC full-time in 2014.
“Over the course of the season, there are two meetings I’m particularly fond of: the Nürburgring and Termas de Río Hondo,” said López. “On the Nordschleife, I was delighted to win pole position and both races. It will probably be hard to do as well in Argentina, even though I managed it in 2014!
“In any case, I’m happy to see my country and my fans again. My supporters follow me throughout the year, thinking nothing of getting up in the middle of the night to watch the races. I hope there will be plenty of them in the stands this weekend.
“The Termas circuit isn’t the one I know best in Argentina, but it’s a nice course and it’s perfectly suited to the WTCC. There are multiple overtaking opportunities and the races should be lively.”
All of the WTCC action will be available to watch live for free from this weekend onwards, with Eurosport Events making the WTCC Premium TV service free for all users at http://premium.fiawtcc.com/.