Race Report

Monteiro scores emotional home victory in Vila Real

WTCR Race of Portugal

Circuito Internacional de Vila Real, Portugal

WTCR 2019, Round 6

Tiago Monteiro scored a hugely emotional maiden WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup victory in front of his home crowd on the streets of Vila Real on Sunday.

The Portuguese ace, who faced a huge battle to return to racing after sustaining serious injuries in an accident in 2017, and made his full-time comeback earlier this year, also made KCMG the first Asian team to win in the WTCR.

Tiago qualified a season’s-best second for the Race Three grid, passed his pole-sitting team-mate Attila Tassi when the Hungarian suffered a misfire on lap three, and resisted initial pressure to pull away to a commanding three-second victory.

His win was the sixth of the season for the Honda Civic Type R TCR in the WTCR, and followed a 10th-place finish from Race Two’s partially-reversed grid.

Attila, who had led an all-KCMG one-two in qualifying to claim his first WTCR podium, led until suffering a faulty spark plug, which caused his retirement. He finished 11th in Race Two.

ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport’s Esteban Guerrieri increased his lead in the Drivers’ Championship with a hard-fought third place in Race Two.

Having qualified ninth, he started second on the partially-reversed grid, but lost a position after taking his joker lap early and being blocked by Nicky Catsburg for most of the race.

Catsburg, whose team-mate is Esteban’s main challenger for the title, then made contact with him on the opening lap of Race Three. That broke Esteban’s left-rear wheel and put him out.

Nestor Girolami, who qualified 11th for both races, scored vital points in ninth and sixth; results that keep him right in the hunt for second place in the championship.

Münnich’s lead in the Teams’ Championship stands at 73 points with four triple-header events remaining while Esteban is 25 clear in the Drivers’ standings.

2019 WTCR Race of Portugal
Honda Pro Racing / David Noels
2019 WTCR Race of Portugal
Honda Pro Racing / David Noels
2019 WTCR Race of Portugal
Honda Pro Racing / David Noels
Tiago Monteiro

Tiago Monteiro 18

“It felt incredible to be up there on the podium for the first time in the WTCR and get my first win in this series since my accident. I’d have been happy with a podium in this race behind Attila, but he had an issue so someone is obviously looking out for me here. There were so many doubts about whether I’d be able to come back after my injuries, and the season has been very hard, so today is incredibly special. The effort from everybody involved in this KCMG project has been incredible and the support from the fans here in Portugal has been amazing. I dedicate this victory to the mechanic from Cyan Racing who passed away last night.”

KCMG
Attila Tassi

Attila Tassi 9

“I leave here with very mixed feelings. I’m incredibly proud to have my first pole position – and at a circuit I’ve never been to before – but I’m sure I had the pace to win, and it’s frustrating that my car developed an issue at the start of Race Three that stopped that happening. We’d put ourselves in a good position too after managing Race Two and making sure we avoided problems. Still, it’s great to see Tiago winning his home race and I think that after the performance here, we can set higher targets for the rest of the season.”

KCMG
Esteban Guerrieri

Esteban Guerrieri 86

“It’s a bittersweet day. I woke up to the terrible news of our friends at Cyan Racing losing a team member and my thoughts are with them at this difficult time. We were very focused today on making the top 10 in qualifying. We achieved this after making a good improvement with the car overnight. I drove my socks off in qualifying, got the chance with the front row of the reversed grid and made a good podium in third. I think everyone saw what happened in Race Three with [Nicky] Catsburg, so there’s nothing for me to say on that. I’m pleased to increase my championship lead today.”

ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Esteban Guerrieri

Esteban Guerrieri 86

“It’s been a good day in terms of the races, because after qualifying 11th, I was in a situation where I just had to take as many position gains as I could. It wasn’t a perfect day. Q1 was good, but because of the red flags I wasn’t able to get a good lap early in Q2 so I had to put a safe time in later. I could see that Esteban was eighth or ninth, so I was conscious that I didn’t want to cost him the reversed-grid pole by knocking him out of the top 10. I aimed to try and get the 10th position, but I just missed it. I still think it was a good strategy because our aim is to make sure that a driver in a Honda wins this championship.”

ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Dario d’Esposito

Dario d'Esposito

Team Principal

“Today is an incredible day, something I think we all needed after the sad news about the Cyan Racing mechanic overnight. Tiago’s win is incredibly special. I was with him in the hospital when he had his accident and I know what he’s gone through to get back to here. It couldn’t have happened at a better place than his home circuit. I’m so sorry for Atti, who was the fastest driver of all today and dominated qualifying. It’s frustrating for him to have the spark plug problem, but he’s shown what he can do and will aim to show more of this form in the final few events. I’m so proud of the whole team this weekend; they’ve done an incredible job. It’s just a shame that China is three months away!”

KCMG
Dominik Greiner

Dominik Greiner

Team Manager

“It wasn’t the best weekend for the team, but we’re leading the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships going into the summer break and this is fantastic news for the guys, who have worked so hard across the whole season to put us in this position. We’ve had some issues that have certainly cost us some points this weekend, but we’ve recovered in a very strong manner. We need to learn a lot from what’s happened this weekend and the target will be to make sure we come to the Asian races even stronger. To be in front is a great motivation for everybody.”

ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
Mads Fischer

Mads Fischer

TCR Project Leader, JAS Motorsport

“What an incredible day for Tiago, who really deserves this win. He has been a member of the JAS and Honda families since 2012 and we’ve all seen how hard he’s pushed to get back here after his accident. The strong form in both Civic Type R TCR teams is largely down to a new spirit of co-operation between them. There is now transparency between the two and complete data-sharing, which has benefitted all four drivers. The camaraderie between the four is fantastic and they’re all now pushing to try and make sure a Honda Racing driver wins this championship.”

JAS Motorsport
WTCR Race of Portugal

Circuito Internacional de Vila Real, Portugal

WTCR 2019, Round 6

Sunday 7 Jul 2019, 17:37 Europe/London
# Driver Num Nationality Nat. Total Points Pts. Team Constructor Constr. Time/Gap
1 Tiago Monteiro 18 POR 25 0 KCMG Honda 14 laps
2 Yvan Muller 100 FRA 20 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2.295
3 Yann Ehrlacher 68 FRA 16 0 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2.647
4 Mikel Azcona 96 SPA 13 0 PWR Racing Cupra +2.959
5 Rob Huff 12 GBR 11 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +6.999
6 Nestor Girolami 29 ARG 10 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +10.041
7 Thed Björk 11 SWE 9 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +12.507
8 Qing Hua Ma 55 CHN 8 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +22.317
9 Norbert Michelisz 5 HUN 7 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai +22.506
10 Johan Kristoffersson 14 SWE 6 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +23.570
11 Aurélien Panis 21 FRA 5 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Audi +24.108
12 Kevin Ceccon 31 ITA 4 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +24.900
13 Mehdi Bennani 25 MAR 3 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +24.916
14 Gabriele Tarquini 1 ITA 2 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai +25.258
15 Niels Langeveld 10 NDL 1 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +26.061
16 Tom Coronel 50 NDL 0 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Cupra +26.602
17 Benjamin Leuchter 33 GER 0 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +37.092
18 Andy Priaulx 111 GBR 0 0 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +1:44.34
NC Jean-Karl Vernay 69 FRA 0 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +DQ
NC Frederic Vervisch 22 BEL 0 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +DNF
NC Daniel Haglof 37 SWE 0 0 PWR Racing Cupra +DNF
NC Augusto Farfus 8 BRA 0 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +DNF
NC Attila Tassi 9 HUN 0 0 KCMG Honda +DNF
NC Gordon Shedden 52 GBR 0 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +DNF
NC Nick Catsburg 88 NDL 0 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +DNF
NC Esteban Guerrieri 86 ARG 0 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +DNF
Sunday 7 Jul 2019, 16:21 Europe/London
# Driver Num Nationality Nat. Total Points Pts. Team Constructor Constr. Time/Gap
1 Mikel Azcona 96 SPA 25 0 PWR Racing Cupra 11 laps
2 Qing Hua Ma 55 CHN 20 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +4.832
3 Esteban Guerrieri 86 ARG 16 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +5.538
4 Jean-Karl Vernay 69 FRA 13 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +6.812
5 Nick Catsburg 88 NDL 11 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +7.482
6 Yvan Muller 100 FRA 10 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +9.221
7 Rob Huff 12 GBR 9 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +9.537
8 Yann Ehrlacher 68 FRA 8 0 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +11.374
9 Nestor Girolami 29 ARG 7 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +14.253
10 Tiago Monteiro 18 POR 6 0 KCMG Honda +14.626
11 Attila Tassi 9 HUN 5 0 KCMG Honda +15.109
12 Frederic Vervisch 22 BEL 4 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +19.969
13 Thed Björk 11 SWE 3 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +20.988
14 Johan Kristoffersson 14 SWE 2 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +22.388
15 Andy Priaulx 111 GBR 1 0 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +25.873
16 Aurélien Panis 21 FRA 0 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Audi +26.825
17 Benjamin Leuchter 33 GER 0 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +27.787
18 Niels Langeveld 10 NDL 0 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +30.562
19 Mehdi Bennani 25 MAR 0 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +31.255
20 Gordon Shedden 52 GBR 0 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +34.815
21 Daniel Haglof 37 SWE 0 0 PWR Racing Cupra +35.585
NC Tom Coronel 50 NDL 0 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Cupra +DQ
NC Gabriele Tarquini 1 ITA 0 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai +DNF
NC Norbert Michelisz 5 HUN 0 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai +DNF
NC Kevin Ceccon 31 ITA 0 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +DNF
NC Augusto Farfus 8 BRA 0 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +DNF
Sunday 7 Jul 2019, 12:00 Europe/London
# Driver Num Nationality Nat. Total Team Constructor Constr. Time/Gap
1 Attila Tassi 9 HUN 5 KCMG Honda 1:59.808
2 Tiago Monteiro 18 POR 4 KCMG Honda +1:59.949
3 Yann Ehrlacher 68 FRA 3 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2:00.122
4 Yvan Muller 100 FRA 2 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2:00.286
5 Rob Huff 12 GBR 1 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +2:00.424
6 Jean-Karl Vernay 69 FRA 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +1:59.918
7 Nick Catsburg 88 NDL 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +1:59.936
8 Mikel Azcona 96 SPA 0 PWR Racing Cupra +1:59.955
9 Esteban Guerrieri 86 ARG 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +1:59.992
10 Qing Hua Ma 55 CHN 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +2:00.219
11 Nestor Girolami 29 ARG 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +2:00.515
12 Kevin Ceccon 31 ITA 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +No time
13 Frederic Vervisch 22 BEL 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +2:00.056
14 Johan Kristoffersson 14 SWE 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +2:00.62
15 Thed Björk 11 SWE 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2:00.233
16 Norbert Michelisz 5 HUN 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai +2:00.242
17 Gabriele Tarquini 1 ITA 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai +2:00.475
18 Andy Priaulx 111 GBR 0 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2:00.541
19 Aurélien Panis 21 FRA 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Audi +2:00.650
20 Augusto Farfus 8 BRA 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +2:00.779
21 Gordon Shedden 52 GBR 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +2:01.119
22 Benjamin Leuchter 33 GER 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +2:01.167
23 Mehdi Bennani 25 MAR 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +2:01.217
24 Tom Coronel 50 NDL 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Cupra +2:01.305
25 Daniel Haglof 37 SWE 0 PWR Racing Cupra +2:01.727
26 Niels Langeveld 10 NDL 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +2:01.950
Saturday 6 Jul 2019, 15:53 Europe/London
# Driver Num Nationality Nat. Total Points Pts. Team Constructor Constr. Time/Gap
1 Norbert Michelisz 5 HUN 25 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai 11 laps
2 Yann Ehrlacher 68 FRA 20 0 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2.291
3 Augusto Farfus 8 BRA 16 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +3.009
4 Rob Huff 12 GBR 13 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +3.538
5 Nick Catsburg 88 NDL 11 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +7.630
6 Aurélien Panis 21 FRA 10 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Audi +8.437
7 Johan Kristoffersson 14 SWE 9 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +10.344
8 Thed Björk 11 SWE 8 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +11.349
9 Yvan Muller 100 FRA 7 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +16.051
10 Jean-Karl Vernay 69 FRA 6 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +17.248
11 Nestor Girolami 29 ARG 5 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +19.081
12 Andy Priaulx 111 GBR 4 0 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +22.000
13 Mikel Azcona 96 SPA 3 0 PWR Racing Cupra +22.775
14 Qing Hua Ma 55 CHN 2 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +23.735
15 Niels Langeveld 10 NDL 1 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +26.254
16 Benjamin Leuchter 33 GER 0 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +28.016
17 Gordon Shedden 52 GBR 0 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +29.525
18 Tom Coronel 50 NDL 0 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Cupra +29.757
19 Kevin Ceccon 31 ITA 0 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +30.743
20 Frederic Vervisch 22 BEL 0 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +32.409
21 Attila Tassi 9 HUN 0 0 KCMG Honda +33.515
22 Mehdi Bennani 25 MAR 0 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +34.014
23 Tiago Monteiro 18 POR 0 0 KCMG Honda +40.014
24 Esteban Guerrieri 86 ARG 0 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +53.762
25 Daniel Haglof 37 SWE 0 0 PWR Racing Cupra +53.962
NC Gabriele Tarquini 1 ITA 0 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai DNF
Saturday 6 Jul 2019, 12:24 Europe/London
# Driver Num Nationality Nat. Total Team Constructor Constr. Time/Gap
1 Norbert Michelisz 5 HUN 5 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai 1:59.489
2 Augusto Farfus 8 BRA 4 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +1:59.797
3 Yann Ehrlacher 68 FRA 3 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +1:59.905
4 Rob Huff 12 GBR 2 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +2:00.005
5 Qing Hua Ma 55 CHN 1 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +2:00.075
6 Nick Catsburg 88 NDL 0 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai +2:00.199
7 Aurélien Panis 21 FRA 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Audi +2:00.244
8 Johan Kristoffersson 14 SWE 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +2:00.260
9 Thed Björk 11 SWE 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2:00.307
10 Kevin Ceccon 31 ITA 0 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo +2:00.321
11 Gabriele Tarquini 1 ITA 0 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai +2:00.330
12 Jean-Karl Vernay 69 FRA 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +2:00.392
13 Yvan Muller 100 FRA 0 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2:00.426
14 Nestor Girolami 29 ARG 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +2:00.567
15 Tiago Monteiro 18 POR 0 KCMG Honda +2:00.749
16 Andy Priaulx 111 GBR 0 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co +2:00.840
17 Attila Tassi 9 HUN 0 KCMG Honda +2:00.879
18 Benjamin Leuchter 33 GER 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen +2:01.026
19 Esteban Guerrieri 86 ARG 0 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda +2:01.130
20 Mikel Azcona 96 SPA 0 PWR Racing Cupra +2:01.163
21 Frederic Vervisch 22 BEL 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +2:01.245
22 Mehdi Bennani 25 MAR 0 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen +2:01.270
23 Daniel Haglof 37 SWE 0 PWR Racing Cupra +2:01.328
24 Niels Langeveld 10 NDL 0 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi +2:01.642
25 Gordon Shedden 52 GBR 0 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi +2:02.466
26 Tom Coronel 50 NDL 0 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Cupra +2:02.742
Driver Standings
Sunday, 7 Jul 2019
# Driver Num Nationality Nat. Points Pts. Team Constructor Constr.
1 Esteban GUERRIERI 86 ARG 231 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda
2 Norbert MICHELISZ 5 HUN 207 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai
3 Thed BJöRK 11 SWE 181 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co
4 Nestor GIROLAMI 29 ARG 177 ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda
5 Mikel AZCONA 96 SPA 169 PWR Racing Cupra
6 Yvan MULLER 100 FRA 154 Cyan Racing Lynk & Co Lynk & Co
7 Yann EHRLACHER 68 FRA 148 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co
8 Frederic VERVISCH 22 BEL 136 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi
9 Jean-Karl VERNAY 69 FRA 123 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi
10 Gabriele TARQUINI 1 ITA 120 BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse Hyundai
11 Augusto FARFUS 8 BRA 119 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai
12 Nick CATSBURG 88 NDL 117 BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai
13 Rob HUFF 12 GBR 108 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen
14 Qing Hua MA 55 CHN 104 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo
15 Johan KRISTOFFERSSON 14 SWE 95 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen
16 Benjamin LEUCHTER 33 GER 87 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Volkswagen
17 Aurélien PANIS 21 FRA 70 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Audi
18 Tiago MONTEIRO 18 POR 58 KCMG Honda
19 Kevin CECCON 31 ITA 48 Mulsanne Srl Alfa Romeo
20 Andy PRIAULX 111 GBR 43 Cyan Performance Lynk & Co Lynk & Co
21 Tom CORONEL 50 NDL 43 Comtoyou DHL Team Cupra Racing Cupra
22 Attila TASSI 9 HUN 39 KCMG Honda
23 Daniel HAGLOF 37 SWE 35 PWR Racing Cupra
24 Niels LANGEVELD 10 NDL 32 Comtoyou Team Audi Sport Audi
25 Gordon SHEDDEN 52 GBR 29 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi
26 Mehdi BENNANI 25 MAR 26 Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen
2019 WTCR Race of Portugal
Honda Pro Racing / David Noels
2019 WTCR Race of Portugal
Honda Pro Racing / David Noels
2019 WTCR Race of Portugal
Honda Pro Racing / David Noels
2019 WTCR Race of Portugal
Honda Pro Racing / David Noels
2019 WTCR Race of Portugal
Honda Pro Racing / David Noels