Tiago Monteiro is looking forward to his home round of the World Touring Car Championship this weekend on the streets of Porto.
“This race is very important to Portuguese motor sport, and therefore it is essential to make this weekend a success,” he said. “It would be wonderful for me to feel the support of the Portuguese audience.”
Monteiro will be hoping the score his third victory on home soil, having won at Estoril in 2008 and again at Portimao in 2010.
However, troubles with the new 1.6 litre turbo engine in his SUNRED Leon at Brno meant he left the Czech circuit empty-handed. He is hoping it will work better for him at his home circuit.
“Unfortunately, the 1.6 litre turbo engine developed by the team is still very young and has not yet reached its peak. I know that I will have to get ready for a tough weekend despite my motivation, which is increased tenfold by getting to race in front of my fans. The main objective will be to secure the most points I can.”
Tiago has been busy trying to familiarise himself with the changes that have been made to the twisty Boavista street circuit.
“Several changes have been made to the track and I think that they are for safety but also for the entertainment factor. The new version of the circuit looks to me to be better than in previous years, with more overtaking opportunities.”
