Honda aiming to keep scoring points at Morocco

With a first podium out of the way for each of the Castrol Honda Racing Team JAS drivers, the team’s objective at this tightly scheduled part of the season is to keep the Chevrolet of Yvan Muller within reach until the new car can be further developed.

Tiago Monteiro scored his first podium result with Honda at Macau during the team’s short 2012 three race programme last year, whilst Tarquini was able to pick up third in the wet, leading the first laps for Honda before he was eventually caught and passed by the Chevrolets of Yvan Muller and Michel Nykjaer.

After the rain and cold temperatures in Monza, the current forecast for Morocco is clear sunshine at 20+ degrees this weekend, entirely different conditions for the team.

“It will be a warm weekend, both literally and figurative,” said Tarquini. “The temperature can reach 26 degrees, but with two long straights, fast and tricky chicanes, walls that encircle the racetrack and curbs, it will be also be a ‘hot’ competition.

“And the kerbs in the streets of Marrakech cannot be compared with the kerb stones that we know from traditional circuits either. It’s as if they are springboards that make the car jump for real.

“With only one week between Monza and Marrakech, there’s not a lot of time to improve the top speed of the Civic. But I’ve won in Marrakech before and know the track well.”

“Based on what we know now, our primary goal in round two is to score points, so we can stay in contention at the top of the championship. In the background the team will be developing the Civic further and if we can make it work, then we’ll be playing for the title.”

Tarquini’s team-mate Tiago Monteiro, who was caught in traffic in qualifying and was forced to fight his way into the top ten in both races at Monza will be hoping for a stronger qualifying on Saturday, and to keep scoring points. With five Chevrolets on the grid, the Portuguese driver knows podiums will be difficult at this point in the season in the all-new Honda Civic WTCC.

“We know that we still lack a bit of top speed but hopefully on this track, that while it’s very fast, it is not as fast as Monza,” said Monteiro. “We will focus our work on the chassis and I believe we will reach a good compromise,” he continued.

“I think at this early stage it is important to score points and continue to evolve. Qualifying sessions are another area we are focusing on. This time I hope they will be less confused and that we will extract all the car’s potential. It is going to be a hard week-end but an exciting one!”