Honda secured a sensational 1-2-3 finish in the main race in Morocco last Sunday to leave the fourth round of the 2016 FIA World Touring Car Championship well and truly in title contention. Rob Huff, Norbert Michelisz and Tiago Monteiro dealt with challenging wet conditions brilliantly to lock out the podium positions and make Honda the first manufacturer to complete a clean sweep of the podium this year.
Rob converted his maiden Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team pole position into the lead of a wet main race and immediately built a lead of 1.5 seconds, never putting a wheel out of line despite the lack of grip on the heavily-revised Moulay el Hassan circuit in Marrakech.
Norbert, who started second, remained close by for the entirety and claimed not only his best finish since becoming a factory Honda driver, but also his third podium finish of the season.
Tiago lost third place on the race’s opening lap to Jose Maria Lopez, but secured the final podium spot when his title rival ran wide at Turn 10 at half-distance and gave him just enough room to squeeze by.
The Portuguese driver is just 14 points behind Lopez in the title fight with 16 races to go as a result of his fifth podium finish of the year and a superb recovery drive from eighth to fourth in the day’s opening race.
Rob’s victory and earlier sixth place elevated him to third place in the championship while Norbert is now fourth overall as a result of his second and fifth spots.
The results also ensure that Honda have reduced the deficit at the top of the manufacturers’ championship to just 39 points with 43 on offer at each remaining race.
