Two weeks after his historic win at Estoril, Tiago Monteiro is heading to Brands Hatch for the 13th and 14th races in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). The Portuguese driver is doubly motivated thanks to the result in his native country, as well as the support he received in Portugal. In the United Kingdom, the SEAT León No. 18 car will have 49 kilograms of ballast, but that doesn't begin to tip the scales in comparison to Tiago's motivation:
"It's a good sign, coming to Brands Hatch with heavy car! You have to do with it, but the main thing is to find the right set-up for the race," Tiago declared, "earlier this year we was that the ballast is not necessarily an obstacle to a good result. Other factors are important and I want to give priority to working on those factors. I am very motivated, I like the Brands Hatch circuit, and it was good to me in the past with my SEAT León, and I am curious to see how the TDI will behave."
The FIA WTCC is the most hotly contested auto racing world championship in 2008. At Estoril, there were seventeen drivers driving within the same second. The World Touring Car Championship will enter its second half at Brands Hatch, and Tiago Monteiro and Gabriele Tarquini are the only drivers to have won at least two races. The Portuguese driver thinks that all the necessary conditions have combined for him to score points for himself and SEAT Sport in the latter part of the season:
"The first half of the championship was full of emotions and every one of them strengthened my liking for the WTCC. I had two or three setbacks that kept me from scoring points, but these two wins had a very special taste for me. Winning at Estoril was very motivating at every level, but mainly because it was payback for the teamwork which gave me a car that led me to victory when we were not favourites on that track. It all makes me want to keep on the same path and to bring home more good results for SEAT Sport."
Weather forecasts are calling for Saturday July 26 to be rainy, with temperatures not expected to exceed 19°C on Sunday July 27. The UK races will be broadcast on Eurosport, with qualifying at 3:00PM on Saturday and the races airing live at 11:45 PM and 1:15 PM. Tiago in Action: the Portuguese Driver Takes Part in a comercial Film for SEAT Sport
Tiago Monteiro did not have time to catch his breath following his win at Estoril. He went to Almeria, Spain, where he took part in the shooting of a television film for SEAT. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Tiago and the other official SEAT Sport drivers were dedicated to the career of actor! The sun was blazing, and the days started at 5:00AM and ended at 10:00 PM. Without giving the film's plot away, Tiago revealed that the scenes had an impact on the drivers.
"Filming was very demanding, physically speaking. We had to drive a lot and a few jumps were dicey. We ended up having to pay with our bodies because I opened a lip and dislocated my jaw! But it was an interesting experience we won't soon forget"
Tiago revealed, giving his assurance that the SEAT Sport drivers would be at 100% for Brands Hatch. The result of the stunts and filming will be distributed worldwide later in the year for a SEAT promotional campaign.
