WTCR of Spain : Aragon challenge ahead for Civic Type R TCR racers

A new challenge awaits Honda’s WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup drivers this weekend, as they prepare to race at Motorland Aragon for the first time.

All four drivers and the two Münnich Motorsport teams enter the first World Touring Car race weekend in Spain since 2012 boosted by a best round of 2020 last time out in Hungary, but aware of the hurdles they are likely to have to overcome at the 5.435-kilometre circuit.

Esteban Guerrieri is best-placed of the Civic Type R TCR quartet, sitting second in the Drivers’ championship following a stunning weekend at the Hungaroring.

There, the Argentinian claimed both qualifying pole positions and a pair of victories – the second at the head of a podium lockout for the Civic Type R TCR – ending the weekend with a 69-point haul, comfortably the biggest score for any driver so far this season. He now also has more wins than anyone else in the WTCR.

The 2019 WTCR runner-up has previous experience at Aragon to call on, having raced there in the World Series by Renault in 2009 and 2010, but knows a repeat of his Hungaroring fortunes will be hard to come by despite the teams having tested at the circuit during the winter.

Success last time out will give the Civic Type R TCRs a second handicap in Spain; already likely to be compromised on the circuit’s two long straights, the cars are also facing a significant increase in compensation weight for the weekend.

Esteban’s caution is shared by his team-mate Nestor Girolami, who bounced back from a Slovakiaring shunt to bag two podium finishes in Hungary.

Those results moved Nestor up to fourth in the Drivers’ standings and consolidated second in the teams’ race for the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport squad, but he knows a united front from the four Honda drivers – particularly in qualifying – will be vital if they are to maximise their points haul this weekend.

Tiago Monteiro scored his first podium of the campaign in Hungary, finishing second in the all-Honda one-two-three in the finale.

The ALL-INKL.DE Munnich Motorsport racer is full of confidence following his first trouble-free round of the season, albeit braced for a weekend of damage limitation given the factors expected to constrain the Civic Type R TCR’s performance.

Attila Tassi will start the weekend just outside the top 10 in the overall standings, having recorded three strong points finishes at his home event.

Unlike his fellow Honda drivers, Attila did not attend the test at Aragon earlier this year, and will therefore be aiming to maximise track time on Saturday – which begins at 8am with the 45-minute first practice session.

Esteban Guerrieri #86 – ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport : « We have experience of Aragon from earlier this year, but it was wet pretty much the entire time and was also our first test with the new Goodyear tyres for this year. That was definitely helpful, but even with the knowledge from that test in the bank it will be difficult to be as competitive as our main rivals, certainly this weekend. We’ll be doing a bit of a rain dance in the hope that the weather is on our side, as that will help counter the compensation weight we will be carrying. But whatever the conditions, we will be trying to extract the maximum from the weekend to keep ourselves in the fight for the title. »

Nestor Girolami #29 – ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport : « This could be a challenging weekend for us. We will have a very heavy car, especially compared to our nearest rivals. So it will be very important to understand the set-up and have our tactics for qualifying – where the benefit of the tow on the straights will be significant – ready very quickly. The good thing is we have tested at Aragon already; it was quite damp that time, so if we have the same conditions it will really help not only with set-up but also in neutralising the effect of the compensation weight – we showed our potential in these circumstances in Hungary. So we hope for those conditions, but if we don’t get them we will be cooperating among ourselves effectively to get the best out of the weekend. »

Tiago Monteiro #18 – ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport : « Aragon is new to the calendar, although most of the teams – ourselves included – have tested there and have some experience. It’s a great race track, but the configuration is probably not the best-suited to the car given there are two fairly long straights. It will be a challenge for us, especially because of our previous success, which will count against us in terms of a compensation weight penalty in Spain. So I expect it to be a weekend of trying to limit the damage, and to help the team score as many points as possible. We hope to continue on a good note after Hungary but we have to be realistic and I think it might be a harder event. Nevertheless, I’m eager and motivated to perform as best as possible. »

Attila Tassi #9 – ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport : « It will definitely be a steep learning curve learning the track for the first time during practice as I haven’t driven at the track before. I’ve done the preparation work that I can before the start of the race weekend, but there is nothing as good as track time itself so it will be vital to get a clean run in during both practice sessions. I expect it to be a particularly tricky weekend considering we are likely to be hampered by the two main straights, but nevertheless motivation is high in the ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport camp and we will be pushing our hardest to replicate the strong results we have already scored this year. »

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