Honda enters WTCC car in VLN race

Honda has entered its World Touring Car Championship Civic test car in this weekend's eighth round of the VLN Nurburgring Nordschleife long distance series.

The decision to contest the event with factory drivers Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro is part of Honda's preparations for the inaugural Nordschleife WTCC race next season. Tarquini and Monteiro contested their first VLN race in a two-liter normally aspirated Civic, purpose-built by Honda's WTCC car builder JAS, at the end of August (pictured below).

Former Formula 1 driver Monteiro took class pole thanks to a time of 9m49s in the VLN SP3 specification Civic, but Tarquini said that pursuing laptimes was not a primary purpose this weekend.

"It's really not our objective this weekend to chase performance," Tarquini said. "It is just to give our first feedback of the WTCC car on this track.

"The previous car we took there was not very powerful, but just good enough to learn the circuit. We will have a very different set-up on the WTCC car this weekend than we usually race with.

"There will be different downforce, different suspension and shock absorbers and different ride-height, as the circuit is very bumpy and there are lots of changes of direction. Also there are no slow corners, it's full of fast corners."

Tarquini revealed that Monteiro will take on the majority of the development work this weekend, owing to his superior circuit knowledge.

"I need more time," said 2009 WTCC champion Tarquini. "I have learned about 70 percent of the circuit."

Unpredictable weather and low temperatures at the Nordschleife from October onward could prevent Honda from entering further VLN races or testing at the track over the winter, but Tarquini said further test runs in 2015 were possible.