Néstor Girolami tells of the new Honda Civic Type R TCR

WTCR vice champion Néstor Girolami was the driver who tested the new Honda Civic Type R TCR designed and built by Honda technical partner JAS Motorsport.

The Argentine drove the car for the first time last week at Cervesina, Italy and tells of his experience.

The cockpit: “This is the first big difference. You feel much more comfortable with the seating position, which is adjustable like in a GT3 car, and the level of technology at your fingertips feels two steps ahead of the previous car. You sit closer to the centre of the car and lower too so it’s better for the weight distribution and because you sit lower, you feel what the car is doing through your body much more.”

The driving: “The new car it’s a bit easier to drive on the limit than the old one. It’s smoother all-round and you don’t have to fight as much to clock very good lap times. Drivers who are new to TCR should find it easier to find the limit, but the best drivers should still be able to make the difference.”

The development: “The old Civic was very good in medium-speed corners, but the new car has a longer wheelbase, so the handling is improved in higher-speed corners and the stability is better under braking. Because the steering has been modified quite significantly, it’s more reactive on turn-in too. The wheel is open at the top and you can’t cross your hands over in a really tight corner, so this is a big help. It should make the car very strong on street circuits and in countries like Denmark and Sweden where the tracks are short and have some very tight corners.”

The testing: “We completed two days at Cervesina, but it’s felt very promising. The engine ran strongly with no reliability issues. We still have a lot of work to do with the testing programme before it races, but it’s been a very encouraging start. The target is to make this car the global leader in TCR competition in 2023 and I feel very proud to have been chosen for these first tests by JAS Motorsport as we all work together to help their customer teams achieve this.”

Picture: JAS Motorsport