Dutchman links up with Monteiro at Honda-powered Boutsen Ginion Racing
Charismatic racer keeps familiar yellow colours for WTCR â FIA World Touring Car Cup
No more making up the numbers as Coronel vows to battle for title glory
Zandvoort homecoming event among the highlights for hugely popular driver
Tom Coronel wants to go from hunter to hunted when the WTCR â FIA World Touring Car Cup fires into life in Morocco from 7-8 April.
Having been quick to admit that heâs made up the numbers in recent seasons, the ever-charismatic and popular Dutchman believes he now has all the ingredients he needs to fight for glory in 2018.
Coronel, who from 2014 raced a ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 in the FIA World Touring Car Championship â which the WTCR replaces from 2018 â will drive a Honda Civic TCR at Boutsen Ginion Racing. He will team up with friend and fellow title contender Tiago Monteiro, who was confirmed at the Belgian outfit last month.
The 45-year-old has retained the support of loyal partners DHL, Eurol Lubricants, Tricorp Workwear, ERU Prestige Kaas voor Kerels, TW Steel, Intrax Suspension, 4.Brands, ASC Group, NoFear Energydrink, P1 racewear, Super-B, CM, Copernica and RSII. And he has confirmed his familiar all-yellow colour scheme will be carried over from the Chevrolet he campaigned in the WTCC to the Honda he will use during the planned 30-race WTCR season.
âWorld touring cars are my life, itâs my style of racing, itâs explosive and Iâm no longer letting other drivers have the fame, itâs possible for me also to have more opportunities to win,â said Coronel. âI know the car and the very good team I have chosen from TCR Benelux, I know the tyres, I know the drivers, I know the tracks and I know the tricks. This will be the most competitive year for touring car racing for 10 years and I really like the close racing. I would rather come second with a big fight than win a race leading by 10 seconds.â
François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCR promoter, said: âItâs great that Tom will continue to race in the FIAâs premier touring car series. Heâs very popular, a great ambassador and never stops promoting himself, his partners and, of course, what heâs racing in. Heâs not always had the car to be able to fight consistently at the front but whenever heâs had the opportunity in the past heâs made the most of it. Driving a Honda Civic at Boutsen Ginion Racing alongside Tiago Monteiro is certainly a big opportunity and he becomes another frontrunner on the WTCR grid.â
A full Q&A with Tom Coronel is available on request. Watch the video here. WTCR Race of Netherlands takes place at Circuit Zandvoort from 19-21 May.
