Tiago Monteiro will start from pole position for the second race in Slovakia this weekend after the Portuguese Jas Motorsport Honda driver secured the tenth best time that was converted into first place for race two due to the reverse grid system used by the FIA World Touring Car Championship, WTCC.

The qualifying result of this fourth round of the season could have been a lot worse for Tiago Monteiro after he experienced a very rare event: the engine cover of team-mate Gabriele Tarquini's car suddenly opened and folded back on to the windshield of his Honda Civic as the Italian started the second phase of qualifying causing him to slow abruptly. Tiago, who was following closely behind his teammate, was then forced to go across the gravel trap at high speed.

Therefore, the Portuguese driver was left with mixed feelings on the end result. "On one hand, there is the satisfaction of getting pole position for race two but on the other there is the disappointment of not being able to make use of the full potential of the Honda Civic because since the last race the car feels more competitive with new tires," explained Tiago. "Then, following the incident, and despite all the hard efforts of the team, the car was not as well balanced. 10th place is a lesser evil."

Tiago Monteiro will start from the middle of the pack in the first race and hope will focus on his ability to get off to a good start as he has done since the start of the season. "This is exactly what I plan to do," confirmed the driver of the Honda Civic # 18. "I will try to make up places and finish the race with maximum points."

For race two, starting from pole position. "Expectations will be very different, I will try to stay ahead. But until then, we must make some changes to the car because it is very competitive with new tires, but not so much with worn tires, so the team is trying everything to find a solution that would allow me to win my first race of the year."