WTCC – Upcoming developments at Honda

After a break of almost a month and a half, the WTCC peloton will return to the track this weekend in Argentina, on the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. A test eagerly awaited by Honda, which wants to continue the development of its Civic TC1. The cars driven this season by the Italian Gabriele Tarquini and the Portuguese Tiago Monteiro carried out tests in Valencia in Spain during the break. “We were able to thoroughly test new parts – such as different suspension options – and understand whether or not we can continue to move in the right direction. » explains Alessandro Mariani, manager of JAS Motorsport, which enters the Japanese cars.

Daisuke Horiuchi, WTCC project manager in Honda's R&D department, also emphasizes the developments of the in-house 1,6 liter turbo. “Since Spa we have had updates on the engine side and in Valencia we were able to try a few different set-ups. So we're really looking forward to seeing them in action in the next race and checking how well they work. »

Reigning world champion, the Asian firm is, this season, largely dominated by the Citroën C-Elysées of José Maria Lopez, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb, who are at the top of the general classification. The first tests on the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit will begin tomorrow at 17 p.m. French time.