Tiago Monteiro says he is ‘not leaving anything to chance’ as he heads into his home round of the World Touring Car Championship in Portugal this weekend, where he is one of the favourites to win at the Vila Real Street Circuit.
Monteiro took a memorable victory in the Main Race around the high-speed barrier-lined circuit in 2016, which was one of only two wins the Portuguese racer took least year.
The Honda driver heads into this weekend’s races as one of the favourites, as he is just two points behind championship leader Nicky Catsburg.
With 50 kg of compensation weight on his Honda Civic, compared to the 80 kg on board both the Citroën C-Elysée and Volvo S60s, Monteiro knows he is heading into the weekend in a good position.
“Thanks to our victory here last year and thanks to the hard work performed this year by Honda, I think we are one of the favourite teams in the title race,” said Monteiro.
“We hope that everything will go to plan in Vila Real, but we can’t forget that Vila Real is a street circuit and that makes it more complicated for the drivers.
“With the support of the public, my family and my loved ones, I hope that I will have an added advantage. In any case, there’s no lack of motivation!”
Monteiro is predicting a ‘party’ atmosphere in Vila Real, which was the scene on his memorable win last year as thousands of locals turned out to support him.
“It will be a big party on and off the track,” continued Monteiro. “I hope to give the fans even more reasons to celebrate! But we must not make the mistake of neglecting our opponents, who can be formidable.
“We must not leave anything to chance and make sure we make every effort to return to first place in the championship. This is our primary goal.”