Photo: WTCC Media

Tarquini hoping for more performance from engine

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Gabriele Tarquini is hoping for more performance from SUNRED’s new 1.6 litre turbo-engine after a reliable run at Porto with two points finishes, although the Italian slipped to sixth in the points standings behind team-mate Tiago Monteiro and ROAL BMW-driver Tom Coronel.

“I had a gear up-shift problem in the first race, but the engine’s working correctly,” said Tarquini to TouringCarTimes.

“No misfiring or (other) problems, so this is the first step so now we can start working a little bit on performance and durability.”

SUNRED introduced their new 1.6 litre turbo engine at the Hungaroring last month, and though some reliability problems have been experienced by their drivers, with Fredy barth and Tiago Monteiro sidelined throughout the whole race weekend at Brno, there have positive signs as well.

Michel Nykjaer claimed the first Yokohama Independents’ Trophy win for the new engine at Brno, Tarquini and Monteiro qualified closest to the Chevrolets at Porto, within three tenths of a second of Rob Huff in Q2, and Monteiro also took the first podium result for the new engine at Round 12 in Portugal.

“This engine is the youngest one, and maybe the engine cost is one-tenth of the Chevrolet engine and one-third of the BMW engine,” said Tarquini.

The team also lost their new engine ballast at Porto, which Tarquini admits “helped us a little bit here.”