PRO ANNUAL 2018

Tiago Monteiro FEARLESS DRIVER iago has had an incredible 20-year career so far. Full of so many special moments that when asked to pinpoint his biggest “high” he struggled to answer. He had great times in Porsche Cup: five wins and five pole positions to become B-class champion and rookie of the year in 1997 - not too shabby. 1998 was also an equally successful year in French F3. He also thoroughly enjoyed his five Le Mans 24hr races – who wouldn’t - but, of course, his time in F1 was extremely special and being on the podium with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello was a high. Good to hear that despite the extremely controversial nature of that particular 2005 United States Grand Prix in which the Michelin teams withdrew, it didn’t prevent Tiago from being able to make the most of the moment and enjoy his well- earned podium – his moment in the F1 spotlight when he beat teammate Narain Karthekayan to the 3 rd spot. Then, more latterly, Tiago has had some fantastic times in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). His success in Vila Real at any time was a great moment for everyone involved but for Tiago 2016 was extremely special. “The support of the fans in Vila Real is incredible. To win a race on home turf is a really good feeling, but 2016 was extra special. We were running with a few problems so it was touch and go as to whether the car would be ok to race. I was on pole, I had Yvan Muller right on my tail throughout then the engine cut on lap five. It was a very tense race which made the win even more enjoyable and the podium that followed was unreal!” That was his second win of what was a fairly solid It is not unusual to hear drivers blame bad luck for misfortune in a racing season... and it is not always warranted blame. However, when it comes to Porto born racer Tiago Monteiro, Lady Luck really has taken a back seat... at a really bad time T S T O R Y B Y : A L E X A N D R A L E G O U I X PRO ANNUAL 2018 75