The Honda Customer Racing teams of Münnich Motorsport and KCMG Motorsport put the pre-season two-day FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) test at the Barcelona Grand Prix circuit to good use as they topped three of the four sessions.
Münnich Motorsport duo of Esteban Guerrieri and Nestor Girolami enjoyed some positive running on the first day of the tests with Girolami going fastest in the morning session and then Guerrieri going fastest in the afternoon session.
Guerrieri showed good pace during the four test sessions in Barcelona. Credit: Alexandre Guillaumot / DPPI
Girolami then backed that pace up again as he set the fastest time in the Friday morning session in the Honda Civic Type R. With Girolami making his debut in the series this year, this was a long way to being prepared for the opener in Marrakech.
KCMG Motorsport will field former WTCC race winner Tiago Monteiro and last years TCR Europe runner up Attila Tassi who is the youngest driver on the grid at just nineteen years old.
After missing the chance to take part in a full season campaign last year due to recovering from his testing accident, Monteiro has been testing a lot during the offseason season as he returns full-time action this year and is ready to begin fighting for glory again.
Tassi returned to action with KCMG during the WTCR test in Barcelona. Credit: Alexandre Guillaumot / DPPI
Whilst both Monteiro and Tassi didn’t trouble the top ten in any of the four sessions, both drivers were happy to work through various programmes of establishing base settings and understand how the cars work this year.
The new Balance of Performance now firmly in place for the new season ahead having been revealed during the Media Launch for the season ahead, with the added concept that it will not be adjusted during the year.
The 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) kicks off at the semi-permanent Circuit Moulay el Hassan in Marrakech, Morocco next weekend with twenty-six full-time entries taking part in the opening three races of the year.
