19th and 20th races of the FIA World Touring Car Championship

The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) is going from historic circuit to historic circuit. Two weeks after making his Léon No. 18 car roar at Brands Hatch, Tiago Monteiro enters the den of speed this coming weekend. Located 20 kilometers north of Milan, Monza has been a Mecca of auto racing and will wrap up the European portion of the championship season, which has its conclusion at Macau the third weekend in November.The Lombardi circuit is the temple of horsepower par excellence. Its endless straightaways compel SEAT Sport to concentrate its efforts on top speeds. Consequently, Tiago will be trying out a new engine at Monza. The power gain is offset by a handicap of 50kg ballast but Tiago and his crew are convinced that it will be the best way to get the performance necessary to rake in the big points. "I can't wait to drive at Monza with the SEAT Léon. It is a mythical and magical circuit that I have driven on in Formula 3000 and Formula 1. You have to have as much power as possible at Monza but you also have to have a well-balanced car because the braking is very intense. In 2006 in Formula 1, I had to abort my race because my brakes were dead," Tiago recalls."At Monza the power is good for defending your place and overtaking because there are several zones where overtaking is possible. You can't hesitate to get on the curbs but you also have to be careful not to hurt the car because they are very tall."For SEAT Sport, Tiago's Monza experience will be rewarding. The driver of the León No. 18 car will have an essential role in helping Yvan Muller, the French driver of the León TDI, who is in third place in the championship and still has a chance at the title.Qualifying and races at Monza will be rebroadcast live on Eurosport: Saturday at 10:00AM and Sunday at 10:45AM and 2:15PM (UK Time).