Anyone who likes racing will have left Vila Real satisfied. The two races of the WTCC round in Portugal were intense.
The novelty of the «joker lap», together with Tiago Monteiro's constant dispute for the podium places, animated the immense audience that traveled to the stands of the Vila Real circuit.
A 2nd place (Race 1) and a 3rd place (Race 2) was the best the Portuguese driver could do . Unfortunately, the problems with the Honda #18's front suspension during qualifying kept the Portuguese rider away from the coveted victory.
Overtaking in Vila Real is not easy, and starting from the second row on the grid makes the mission almost impossible. The victory ended up smiling to Mehdi Bennani (Citroen), who added his second victory this season.
Plan B
After the setback at the Nurburgring, where Tiago Monteiro lost the championship lead – due to tire problems on his Honda Civic Type R – Tiago Monteiro returned to the WTCC lead again.
Faced with the "almost impossible" mission to win at home, the Portuguese pilot drew up a plan B:
After yesterday's qualifying, the aim was to return to the top spot in the championship.
Mission Accomplished. Nicky Catsburg (Volvo Polestar) who arrived in Portugal as the championship leader, couldn't avoid losing 10 points to Tiago Monteiro, who leaves the Trás-os-Montes route again at the head of the championship.