Honda Civic Type R TCR Drivers Look For Success in Hungary
After a somewhat disappointing start to the season, Münnich Motorsport arrived in Hungary looking for a return to form.
Round 4 of WTCR
Coming off of the six-week summer break, the Münnich Motorsport racing team was coming into round 4 in search of a return to their winning ways at a race track where they've been greatly successful in recent years. The Honda Civic Type R TCR had claimed victories in five of the nine World Touring Car Championship (WTCR) races in Hungary.
Looking For a Return to Form
The car's previous success at the Hungaroring gave the team cause for some optimism, despite suboptimal performances in the earlier portions of the season. The drivers, Tiago Monteiro (#18), Esteban Guerrieri (#86), Nestor Girolami (#29), and Attila Tassi (#9) all approached the race weekend with a sense of urgency, wanting to get back on form.
Girolami: Quali Hero
All four drivers put their best foot forward during qualifying, trying their best to get as close to the front of the grid as possible. But it was Girolami in car number 29 that ultimately outperformed the other Civic Type Rs, clocking fastest of his teammates in all three sessions of qualifying on Saturday. He maintained his pace with elite-level driving skills, clinching a second-row start, and earning the praise of the paddock in the process.
Tough Day at the Office
Monteiro, Guerrieri, and Tassi had a more difficult time on Saturday. All three had issues with the drivability and balance of their cars, which the engineering team tried to resolve. In the end, though, they all missed out on the top 10, with Guerrieri at 12th, and Monteiro and Tassi starting the race in 13th and 14th respectively.
Points Finish
The Hondas found moderate success in the first race of the weekend, with all four drivers finishing with points on the board. Guerrieri finished in 8th, coming away with 8 points. Girolami was 9th, taking 7 points, and Monteiro finished just behind him in 10th place and was awarded 6 points. A few places down in 13th was Tassi, who took 3 points.
Race 2
Race 2 started with the Argentinian Girolami slightly further up on the grid than expected, as team manager Dominik Greiner admitted. So the mission for him was to maintain his position. The other three drivers had a contrasting strategy, as they looked to move up the field from where they qualified.
Valiant Effort
Things shaped up nicely for "Bebu" Girolami in the second race. The pole-sitter couldn't start the race, which bumped the Honda driver into 3rd place. From there, a great start saw him take second on the first lap, though contact with another driver at turn one caught the attention of the stewards. Despite his valiant efforts and finishing the race in second place, he was awarded a five-second penalty, which knocked him down to fifth in the official classification.
Decent Points Haul
With that said, it was still a decent race for the team, as all four drivers finished the 15 laps with points again. Aside from Girolami's unfortunate penalty taking him down a place from where he qualified, the other drivers all managed to climb up. Guerrieri finished 8th again, and Tassi and Monteiro grabbed 10th and 11th.
