Photo: Castrol Honda WTC Team

Tiago Monteiro tops puncture-hit first practice session at Monza

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Tiago Monteiro led the first 45-minute practice session at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza for Honda, despite suffering a puncture half-way through the session, as did Münnich Citroën driver Rob Huff.

The session was initially led by Huff, who had topped the time sheets at the pre-season at the test last month with a time of 1:52.444.

The times today didn’t get under the 1:53 barrier. Huff set the early pace in the 1:53.9s, set during the first half of the session, before Honda’s Norbert Michelisz took over from the mid-way point with a time of 1:53.779.

Shortly following Michelisz’s improvement, team-mate and championship leader Tiago Monteiro locked up and went on at Della Roggia, experiencing a front-left puncture on his Civic WTCC.

Shorlty afterwards, Rob Huff then lost the rear of his C-Elysée into Variante del Rettifilo, and also picked up a puncture, forced to slowly drive around most of the 5.8km circuit and back to the pits.

There was a flurry of last-minute improvements in the last ten minutes with Tiago Monteiro, back out in a repaired Honda going fastest of all with a time of 1:53.572, just over a tenth of a second ahead of Polestar Volvo’s Thed Björk.

Michelisz would finish third, while Rob Huff would make a late improvement to go fourth with a 1:53.4, splitting Michelisz and team-mate Ryo Michigami, who’d finish the session in fifth place.

Néstor Girolami was sixth in his Volvo ahead of the privateer Sébastien Loeb Racing-run Citroën of Mehdi Bennnani, with Volvo’s Nicky Catsburg, RC Lada driver Yann Ehrlacher and ROAL Chevrolet driver Tom Coronel completing the top ten.

All 16 cars took part in the test, with WTCC newcomer Kevin Gleason in last place, just three-tenths behind Morocco Race 1 winner Esteban Guerrieri.

The second 45-minute practice session takes place at 12:00 CET.