WTCC 2017 – Honda ready for Michelisz Mania in Hungary
Honda head to Hungary this weekend aiming to preserve Tiago Monteiro’s FIA World Touring Car Championship lead.
But the eyes of most spectators at the Hungaroring will be on national sporting icon Norbert Michelisz, who will be treated to a hero’s welcome at his home event.
The Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team racer is sure of a rapturous reception from his passionate fans; more than 50,000 having turned out to cheer him on in atrocious weather conditions last year.
Norbert is fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, 39 points behind Tiago after a tough weekend at Monza. He was denied an Opening Race victory – a result that would have put him second in the points table – when Mehdi Bennani took him out; an incident for which the Moroccan was penalised.
He has a strong record at the Hungaroring with two victories and four podium finishes achieved at the twisty and undulating 4.4km-circuit, and will make headlines if he can add to those totals this weekend.
With three podiums from the opening four races – including victory in the main event in Morocco – Tiago leads the Drivers’ Championship by an impressive 15 points.
The Portuguese driver, who finished third in the Main Race at the circuit near Budapest last year, also collected a double podium in 2014 and enjoys racing on the twisty circuit, which also hosts the Hungarian Grand Prix every summer.
The start to Ryo Michigami’s full-time career in the WTCC has not gone as expected. Despite showing strong top-10 pace in practice in both Morocco and Italy, a number of issues have left him unable to turn this speed into results on race day.
Having spent two days testing in Hungary pre-season, the Japanese driver is aiming for his best weekend of the season in his Honda Racing Team JAS Civic.
Ryo’s task has been made tougher with the news that all the Honda Civics will carry the maximum 80kg of compensation weight under championship regulations designed to equalise the performance of all the competing cars, making them the heaviest they’ve been in 2017.
Norbert Michelisz 5
“It’s my home event and one of the races I look forward to the most every year. I truly believe I have the best fans in the WTCC and thousands of them come from all over Hungary to support me when I race at the Hungaroring, so it would mean such a huge amount if I could give them a win and close in on the lead of the championship. Having 80kg on board makes the job more difficult, but the Honda is an incredibly well-balanced car and we should be pretty competitive.”
– Castrol Honda WTCC
Tiago Monteiro 18
“After we performed so well at Monza – a circuit where we really didn’t believe it would be possible to get two podiums – it feels like anything is achievable, especially as the Hungaroring is a track that should suit the strengths of the Honda. Of course, having 80kg of compensation weight won’t help us in our fight to win this weekend, but as long as we keep taking points wherever we can and maximise the possibilities for podiums and wins at every circuit, we will continue to look strong in our fight for the title.”
– Castrol Honda WTCC
Ryo Michigami 34
“Neither Marrakech, nor Monza, gave us the opportunity to turn encouraging practice pace into solid results on race day, and for that reason, I feel extremely motivated to score two strong finishes this weekend and help the team in the push for the Manufacturers’ Championship. Having 80kg extra won’t help, but I tested here before the start of the season with quite a lot of weight on the car and that should definitely lessen the learning curve for me this weekend. I like the circuit and I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
– Honda Racing Team JAS
