Race preview: Monteiro hoping history repeats when the WTCR turns 100 and the Joker Lap returns to

Three years after he was roared to victory on the streets of Vila Real, home hero Tiago Monteiro will lead the WTCR − FIA World Touring Car Cup’s eagerly anticipated return to the epicentre of northern Portuguese motor racing later this week. With the brake dust still settling following an all-action WTCR Race of Spain weekend at MotorLand Aragón, the series heads west to an iconic round-the-houses track that has been kept off the calendar since 2019 due to the global health pandemic.

Ad/> But it’s back from July 1-3 for the WTCR’s 100th race, which includes the ground-breaking Joker Lap, used in an FIA-sanctioned motor race for the first time in 2017 when it was added to the challenging Vila Real layout to further spice up the action. WTCRNagy relishes time up front in the WTCR13 HOURS AGO Inspired by the FIA World Rallycross Championship, the Joker Lap provides a passing opportunity on a circuit where overtaking isn’t always so straightforward.

It must be taken by all drivers but not during the first two laps following the start or during a safety car intervention or full-course yellow. The Joker Lap is located at the roundabout that helps to form the final corner of the 4.790-kilometre circuit following a fast, downhill section.

Instead of keeping to the right, the Joker Lap takes drivers on an alternative and slower route to the left. It adds 86 metres to the full lap and the name of the game is to ensure positions are not lost but, potentially, gained.

Calling the moment at which drivers take their Joker Lap puts the onus on the teams to get the strategy just right, while the pressure on drivers not to slip up is huge, as Monteiro explained. “The timing and the decision between you and the team has to be perfect and