Um olhar sobre as corridas

SLOVAKIA RING WTCC 2016

A caminho da vitória.

All set for tomorrow! Push Push Push 👊🏻👊🏻 ‪#‎tiagosworld18‬ ‪#‎honda‬‪#‎thepowerofdreams‬ ‪#‎wtcc2016‬ ‪#‎slovakiaring‬

Tudo pronto para amanhã! Com tudo para cima deles!!!

P4 for race 1 and P7 for race 2. Not gonna be easy but we can fight from here

 Races live tomorrow on EUROSPORT! ‪#‎tiagosworld18‬‪#‎honda‬ ‪#‎thepowerofdreams‬

Vou largar de 4º na primeira e 7º na segunda corrida. Não vai ser fácil mas podemos lutar daqui. Corridas em directo amanhã no EUROSPORT as 11:00 e depois a segunda as 13:00. Conto com o vosso apoio!!

Vitoria! Esta é nossa 🇵🇹!!! Obrigado Honda e também a todos vocês! Agora vamos trazer o maior número de pontos para casa na segunda corrida! 13:00 Eurosport

Yessssssssss!!!! P1 baby. We did it! Thank you Honda Racing WTCC!!!! Now let's bring home some good points from race 2! ‪#‎tiagosworld18‬‪#‎honda‬ ‪#‎thepowerofdreams‬

P1 and P2 and now leading the word championship. What a weekend and what a championship start. Obviously a very special moment for me but we must keep working hard. Next weekend we have another battle in Budapest! Thank you all!! ‪#‎tiagosworld18‬ ‪#‎thepowerofdreams‬ ‪#‎honda‬

Vitoria e 2º lugar hoje aqui na Eslováquia e estou agora na liderança do campeonato do mundo. Grande fim de semana e grande início de campeonato. Obviamente um momento especial para mim mas há que continuar focado e a trabalhar duro, próximo fim de semana temos nova batalha na Hungria. Obrigado a todos pelo apoio incrível!

Obrigado a todos vocês que estão comigo sempre, nos bons e nos maus momentos. Hoje é um grande dia e quero muito partilha-lo com vocês! OBRIGADO, seguimos juntos na luta por aquilo que todos acreditamos e queremos! ‪#‎tiagosworld18‬ ‪#‎honda‬ ‪#‎thepowerofdreams‬

LADA SPORT ROSNEFT so close to Main Race victory in the WTCC Race of  Slovakia

LADA SPORT ROSNEFT came within a lap of what would have been a sensational Main race victory when Dutch LADA SPORT ROSNEFT driver Nicky Catsburg lost out on the final lap having led the race for near to its entirety to eventually bring the Vesta home on the podium for a creditable 3rd place.

Starting on the front row after the team’s best ever qualifying result, Catsburg briefly dropped to 3rd but showed maturity skill and pace in his Vesta to retake 2nd from multiple World champion Yvan Muller. Not satisfied with that Catsburg and his Lada Vesta TC1 set about overtaking reigning double World Champion Jose Maria Lopez, and in what can only be described as a sensational, pulled off a move to undercut the Argentinian Citroen driver and take the Lead.

From then on the LADA SPORT ROSNEFT Vesta looked assured at the front of the field with Catsburg in command, even pulling away for a series of laps. With three laps remaining Lopez had closed the gap as the tyres on the Vesta had past their best condition and Catsburg was struggling to keep his car in front. Despite his amazing efforts on the final lap the pressure was telling and Lopez got by and in his attempts to re pass Lopez the Honda of Monteiro capitalized and took an opportunist 2nd place.

A podium was a great result in the Main race for the Russian team, Catsburg’s first visit to the podium in his short LADA SPORT ROSNEFT and Touring Car career.

The Main race followed the days earlier Opening race where it was Catsburg’s teammate Gabriele Tarquini who took the plaudits with a battling 4th position, succeeding where Catsburg could not in holding Jose Maria Lopez at bay in a battling defensive drive that called on all of his skill and experience.

Catsburg had been less fortunate running wide early on and fighting back through the field from dead last to P10, whilst the third LADA driver Hugo Valente failed to capitalize on his strong practice and qualifying pace finishing just outside the top ten in the Opening race and failing to reach the flag in the Main race of the day.

But the day belonged to the hard work of the team and the hard drive of Catsburg that had projected the LADA SPORT ROSNEFT team to the front of the World’s most competitive touring car grid.

Nick Catsburg said in the press conference after the race “Of course, it would have been nice to finish P1, and I had hoped as my tyres were fading and Jose Maria (Lopez) was closing in that I could hold on for the win, but third position is an excellent result for the team and for me, my first podium in the WTCC and for LADA SPORT ROSNEFT”.

Gabriele Tarquini on his first race performance “It was a hard race from the start, a lot of good battles and I had to use everything I had to keep 4th place. The battling early on caused me to use my tyres more than I would have wanted and from the second lap I was fighting wish understeer but I am pleased for my best result for the LADA SPORT team so far and I am sure more will come”.

Hugo Valente had a more disappointing weekend having shown fantastic pace in practice and qualifying “I am very happy for the team and for Nicky! As for me, I was quite unlucky today, had a racing incident in the Opening Race, and in the Main Race I had a good start, won a few positions and then was on P6. First six cars closely followed each other and it was a very good chase. Unfortunately, I got a puncture and that was the end of the race for me. Now I look forward to Budapest event”.

Next FIA WTCC round will take place in Hungary (22-24 April).

Hi-res photos are available here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ladasportwtcc

LADA SPORT ROSNEFT is a racing team, participating in the World Touring Car Championship since 2015 with specially designed LADA Vesta WTCC cars. The General Sponsor of the team is a global energy company Rosneft. Supporting the Russian team in the World Championship, Rosneft together with the leader of the Russian automotive industry – LADA – joined their efforts to promote Russian brands at the world markets.