Honda’s successful start to its home round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship continued with the Japanese make’s trio of factory drivers – Esteban Guerrieri, Norbert Michelisz and – claiming victory in the Manufacturers Against the Clock team time trial.
They set set a two-lap target of 4m25.354s around the 4.801-kilometre Twin Ring Motegi in heavy rain with Team Volvo unable to to find an answer to Honda’s effort.
With Guerrieri – Tiago Monteiro’s temporary stand-in at Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team – taking part in WTCC MAC3 for the first time, the performance was particularly impressive.
“Congratulations to the Honda team,” the Argentine said. “I’m getting up to pace in the car and there was a good pace set by Norbi [Michelisz] ahead of me. But it’s tough to follow in the spray, it’s difficult to see anything. It will be challenging in the races later on.”
Honda’s triumph means it scores 12 points towards the FIA World Touring Car Championship for Manufacturers with Volvo Polestar adding eight points to its leading total.
Team Volvo Polestar’s Nicky Catsburg, Néstor Girolami and Thed Björk were off the Honda pace from the beginning of WTCC MAC3. The trio’s two-lap time was 2.5s down on Honda’s threesome following a no-risk approach in the difficult conditions.
The on-track action continues later today with the 11-lap Opening Race due to get underway at 14h15 local time followed by the Main Race, which is scheduled for 13 laps, beginning at 15h30.