Aragon challenge up next for Honda Racing’s WTCR drivers
Motorland AragónHonda Racing’s WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup drivers are gearing up for a second event in the space of three weekends as they prepare to head to Motorland Aragon for round three of the 2021 season.
The Spanish circuit was the scene of a famous triumph last year, with the Münnich Motorsport teams and the drivers judging the greasy conditions to perfection as Esteban Guerrieri won from 16th on the grid, heading a 1-2 from Nestor Girolami.
In normal conditions, the races were trickier for the Honda Civic Type R TCR quartet and all four are expecting their toughest weekend of the season yet at Aragon.
An increase in Balance of Performance weight from 10kg to 20kg, coupled with a 60kg hike in compensation weight, means the cars will run 70kg heavier in Spain than they did at the opening two rounds.
All four drivers are nevertheless ready for the challenge, knowing it is important for their early title aspirations that they maximise their points haul where possible this weekend.
With two victories from the opening four races of the season, ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport currently lead the Teams’ Championship; it is the first time they have done so.
Leading the charge is Attila Tassi, who sits second in the Drivers' Championship and just five points shy of the summit following a breakthrough first victory at Estoril.
Attila took a hat-trick of top-10 finishes on the WTCR’s second visit to Aragon at the end of the 2020 season, with a best finish of eighth.
His team-mate Tiago Monteiro is eager to respond following the disappointment of losing a home victory last time out at Estoril, having led the majority of the race that Attila won before his bonnet came loose.
Despite a non-score as a result of that issue - without which he would have led the standings by 20 points - Tiago remains in the top five overall and is enjoying his best start to a World Touring Car season since his return from injury.
Though factors have conspired against him on both racedays so far this season, Esteban is level on points with Tiago in a share of fifth in the standings, in part thanks to an excellent record in qualifying; the Argentinian has taken 16 of the maximum 20 points on offer from the first two rounds.
That total has also been scored by his ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport stablemate Nestor. ‘Bebu’ was the best Honda qualifier on both of last year's visits to Aragon, and is hoping to bounce back in Spain after a difficult raceday in Portugal.
It's nice to head to the next round knowing I'm a race winner in the WTCR, but I don't want it to stop there. It hasn't been the most straightforward start to the season so to be second in the points is great, and it's a good target to try to keep hold of that this weekend. Of course, the consequence of our results in Portugal is a high compensation weight for this round and because of that we expect a tougher time at Aragon, particularly knowing what the pace was like last year, but even so we will push for the maximum this weekend.
It's nice to head to the next round knowing I'm a race winner in the WTCR, but I don't want it to stop there. It hasn't been the most straightforward start to the season so to be second in the points is great, and it's a good target to try to keep hold of that this weekend. Of course, the consequence of our results in Portugal is a high compensation weight for this round and because of that we expect a tougher time at Aragon, particularly knowing what the pace was like last year, but even so we will push for the maximum this weekend.
Despite the frustrating end at Estoril, having another round so soon after is a good chance to move on from that quickly, and we can also be motivated knowing that our form at the Nürburgring has translated to the more conventional circuits that we'll race at for most of the season. We're still up near the front in the points and although we expect a tricky weekend as compensation weight starts to come into play, with the 60kg we will carry making the Honda Civic Type R TCR the heaviest car, the championship is about making as much of the tough moments as the good ones so we will try to score well where we can at Aragon.
Despite the frustrating end at Estoril, having another round so soon after is a good chance to move on from that quickly, and we can also be motivated knowing that our form at the Nürburgring has translated to the more conventional circuits that we'll race at for most of the season. We're still up near the front in the points and although we expect a tricky weekend as compensation weight starts to come into play, with the 60kg we will carry making the Honda Civic Type R TCR the heaviest car, the championship is about making as much of the tough moments as the good ones so we will try to score well where we can at Aragon.
It's been a bit frustrating not to fully exploit the chances we've had at the opening two rounds, so this weekend it will be especially important to do so as we should expect a more difficult event. Aragon was a tough track for the Honda Civic Type R TCR last year, but we have done plenty of learning since then and feel like we have a very good understanding of the car this season. The parameters will also be the same as they were on our first visit last year in that we are carrying the maximum compensation weight, so that will be a good reference to see how much we've improved.
It's been a bit frustrating not to fully exploit the chances we've had at the opening two rounds, so this weekend it will be especially important to do so as we should expect a more difficult event. Aragon was a tough track for the Honda Civic Type R TCR last year, but we have done plenty of learning since then and feel like we have a very good understanding of the car this season. The parameters will also be the same as they were on our first visit last year in that we are carrying the maximum compensation weight, so that will be a good reference to see how much we've improved.
Coming from Estoril where we had limited experience of the track, Aragon will be more familiar due to the testing we have done in the past two years and of course the two race weekends we had at the end of last season, when I felt confident in the car both times. I'm expecting some damage limitation but this is all part of the game; we're working well as a team and will continue to do that this weekend to maximise our chances of qualifying well and scoring good points in the races. Doing so will be a good response to the Estoril weekend.
Coming from Estoril where we had limited experience of the track, Aragon will be more familiar due to the testing we have done in the past two years and of course the two race weekends we had at the end of last season, when I felt confident in the car both times. I'm expecting some damage limitation but this is all part of the game; we're working well as a team and will continue to do that this weekend to maximise our chances of qualifying well and scoring good points in the races. Doing so will be a good response to the Estoril weekend.
