Tiago Monteiro heads to the Moulay El Hassan street circuit in Marrakech, Morocco for rounds five and six of the 2012 World Touring Car Championship.
This will be the third running of the Race of Morocco, and the circuit is characterised by the two long straights, chicanes and the tight final hairpin, plus the enthusiasm of the Moroccan fans.
Monteiro secured a third and fourth place finish on the series last visit to the streets of Marrakech and his aims for this weekend are the same as always – to continue to pick up points for the Championship.
The task facing the Portuguese racer won’t be any easier due to the fact that he will still be running with the SunRed 1.6litre turbocharged engine and not the SEAT Sport 1.6litre turbocharged engine.
“I still won’t have the new SEAT engine and so I will have to try to do my best with the old car. The ideal thing would be to secure points,” explains Monteiro.
Looking ahead to rounds five and six of the twenty four race season, the SEAT Tuenti Racing Team driver is expecting a tough weekend but he enjoys the challenges of racing on a street circuit: “All races are difficult, but on a street circuit everything is amplified,” added the #18 SEAT Leon racer. “Despite everything, I love to race so close to the walls, between two rows of rails. You have to keep a safety margin to avoid contact with other cars or brushing the walls. That’s what I will have in mind going into the weekend.”
The fans of the Moroccan race weekend aren’t shy about expressing their enthusiasm and this motivates the drivers, according to Monteiro, who explains: “It’s great to feel the help of the audience. It will be a demanding race where tyres will have an overwhelming role in how the weekend plays out and I wonder where we are situated with regard to our main competitors. I think there could be a few surprises.”