Autosportfoto

Monteiro to miss start of WTCR season

Boutsen Ginion Racing's Tiago Monteiro will miss the start of the WTCR - FIA World Touring Cup presented by OSCARO as his recovery from injury continues.

The Portuguese driver has not raced since a high-speed testing accident last September. Despite a strong recovery, he has not yet reached a suitable condition to return to racing. No timeframe has been set for this return.

Benjamin Lessennes, Boutsen Ginion Racing Test and Reserve Driver, will deputise for Monteiro, starting with this week's official pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.

"I knew this was a possibility as the way the human body is not an exact science," said Monteiro. "Although my physical condition has recovered extremely well, the same has not yet happened with my vision and the result is that I cannot yet return to competition. My recovery has been remarkable and the treatment I've received from my medical team has been incredible, but I simply cannot take the risk at this stage. I did everything that was within my reach, but both my body and vision are not yet fully recovered.

"I must take this opportunity to thank the fantastic team that has worked tirelessly to support me through this difficult process. Of course, I'm incredibly disappointed. I wanted the effects of the accident to be behind me and to start afresh for the new season. That's not possible just yet, but I will continue my recovery as hard as I can in the expectation that everything will return to normal soon.

"Until then, I will support the team and my Honda colleagues and use my experience and knowledge as much as possible to help them achieve strong results. I may not be on-track, but I will be on-hand to make as much of a contribution as I can. It is very important to maintain team spirit and provide this support."

Marrakech in Morocco hosts the WTCR season opener from 7-8 April.

Zdroj: fiawtcr.com