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Honda set to keep illegal floor for Nurburgring weekend

Honda has launched an appeal to protest the FIA stewards' decision to exclude it from the last two WTCC events due to an allegedly illegal flat floor, which is also set to encompass future events.

Tiago Monteiro, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC

Tiago Monteiro, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC

FIA WTCC

Tiago Monteiro, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC
Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC
Tiago Monteiro, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC
Podium: race winner Rob Huff, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC, second place Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC, third place Tiago Monteiro, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC
Podium: race winner Rob Huff, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC, second place Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC, third place Tiago Monteiro, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC
Yvan Muller, Citroën World Touring Car Team, Citroën C-Elysée WTCC
Rob Huff, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC
Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda Civic WTCC

Honda stated that it categorically disagrees with the stewards decision, which was made late on Thursday night at the Nurburgring.

“We are totally convinced that our flat floors are in full compliance with the current FIA World Touring Car Championship technical regulations," read a statement from the Japanese manufacturer.

“Appeals will therefore be lodged against all decisions."

The FIA issued a statement explaining their decision, which followed an earlier statement at the Hungaroring in which the stewards declared the Hondas clear to race until the FIA technical delegate Manuel Leal’s investigation was complete.

“The three-person panel of stewards, which convened at the Nurburgring Nordschleife yesterday (26 May) under the authority of Article 11.9.2.s of the International Sporting Code, reviewed the post-competition technical reports, prepared by the FIA technical delegate, from both events and also heard submissions from representatives of both entrants.

“They concluded that sections of the flat floor from car numbers 5 (Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS), 12 (Rob Huff, Honda Racing Team JAS), 18 (Tiago Monteiro, Honda Racing Team JAS) and 55 (Ferenc Ficza, Zengo Motorsport) did not comply with the technical regulations of the 2016 FIA World Touring Car Championship and excluded all four cars from the two events.”

With no other parts available, Honda is set to continue to compete with its current components, which will mean the legality of the Honda Civic will be challenged again after qualifying.

Therefore, the results of qualifying and this weekend’s races at the Nurburgring are also set to be kept provisional, subject to the team’s appeal.

The official championship standings will remain unchanged until the appeal is heard, but should Honda be excluded from the last two events, Jose Maria Lopez would lead the championship on 154 points, with Sebastien Loeb Racing's Mehdi Bennani becoming his closest challenger on 99 ahead of Yvan Muller in third on 92.

Tiago Monteiro, presently second in the standings, would fall to fourth on 77 points, exactly half of Lopez's tally, with Norbert Michelisz and Rob Huff dropping from third and fourth to sixth and ninth respectively.

Neil Hudson / TouringCarTimes

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