WTCC - Rounds 3 and 4 - Magny-Cours - Preview
BMW determined to continue winning streak in Magny-Cours.
Munich, 24th April 2006. For rounds 3 and 4 of the FIA World
Touring Car Championship (WTCC), the BMW national teams are
returning to a track on which they were able to celebrate
many successes. At the "Circuit de Nevers" in Magny-Cours,
BMW drivers have been able to win for three years running.
Especially Jörg Müller (GER) of BMW Team Germany
is a specialist when it comes to the 4.411 kilometre track.
In 2003, the 36-year-old achieved a double victory in the
European Touring Car Championship, and in 2005, he was able
to repeat this triumph, when the WTCC visited the circuit
in the heart of France for the first time.
Last year, Jörg Müller benefited from the fact
that he was able to battle for world championship points without
having to carry additional weight on board in Magny-Cours.
The experienced driver will enter this year's races without
any ballast once more, as will the two drivers of the BMW
Team Italy-Spain, Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) and Marcel Costa
(ESP). Following his victory at the first race of the season
in Monza, reigning world champion Andy Priaulx (GBR) will
be forced to take 45 kilograms of extra weight on board of
his BMW 320si WTCC. BMW Team Germany driver Dirk Müller
(GER), who came fourth in the first race of the season, is
required to load ten additional kilograms.
Dirk Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"Obviously I am one of the few drivers who actually really
like Magny-Cours. Since the beginning of my career I have
always enjoyed coming here. The track layout is interesting
and demanding. The track has its little obstacles, which you
simply need to know of, if you want to achieve a top result.
Of course it is a little difficult to get here but I don't
waste my time thinking about things like that. Instead, I
rather concentrate on the two races."
Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"I like Magny-Cours, even if I can't exactly explain
why. Last year, I entered the event without any handicap weight,
which naturally made the double victory easier. It is extremely
fun to race on this track. The most important thing is to
get through the chicanes well. For this purpose you need a
chassis that enables you to drive over the kerbs with a lot
of speed. The interaction between suspension, dampers and
stabilisers has to work smoothly."
Charly Lamm (Team Manager, BMW Team Germany):
"Unlike in Monza, a track full of variety awaits us in
Magny-Cours, where not only sheer engine power, but particularly
the perfect set-up is important. The track surface is very
even and allows a firm set-up. The grip conditions can, however,
change within minutes if clouds block out the sun and temperatures
lower. The spectators can look forward to many overtaking
manoeuvres, particularly in the Adelaide hairpin at the end
of the back straight."
History and background:
Last year, Jörg Müller experienced the perfect WTCC
weekend in Magny-Cours: He not only won both races, but started
from pole position and recorded the fastest laps. No other
driver was able to celebrate such a complete triumph during
the 2005 season.
The rurally located "Circuit de Nevers" is a modern
race track with a comparatively even surface. It offers a
demanding combination of fast and slow corners, as well as
plenty of overtaking possibilities.
The drivers are required to master some corners in Magny-Cours
which are recreations of distinctive sections on other European
tracks, such as the Imola chicane, the Adelaide hairpin and
the Estoril corner.
Motorsport has a long tradition in Magny-Cours. Following
the initiative of then mayor Jean Bernigaud, the first kart
track was built in 1959. This facility was the foundation
of what was later to become the centre of French motorsport
in a year-long, step-by-step process. In 1989 the track officials
celebrated the inauguration of the new Grand Prix circuit,
which hosted a Formula One race for the first time two years
later.
To date, 15 Grands Prix have been held at the "Circuit
de Nevers". This year, Formula One racing will take place
in Magny-Cours on 16th July.
At the same time, the track is an evergreen on the race calendar
of the WTCC and its preceding series, the ETCC. For the sixth
time, international FIA Touring Car Championship races will
be held here this year.
The circuit is named after Nevers, which lies 200 kilometres
south of Paris. 68 000 people live in the capital of the Département
Nièvre, the former province of Burgundy, on the north
shore of the Loire.
Nevers first appeared in the history books as the Roman colony
of Noviodunum. In the middle ages, the town rose to become
a dukedom and was controlled, among others, by the Italian
Gonzaga family and later by Cardinal Jules Mazarin.
The drivers are required to complete twelve laps in both races,
equalling a total distance of 52.93 kilometres. The first
race commences on Sunday, at 15.10 hrs (CET), Race 2 starts
at 16.15 hrs. The event will be televised live on EUROSPORT.
Race Calendar:
2nd April - Monza (ITA), 30th April - Magny-Cours (FRA), 21st
May - Brands Hatch (GBR), 4th June - Oschersleben (GER), 2nd
July - Curitiba (BRA), 30th July - Puebla (MEX), 3rd September
- Brno (CZE), 24th September - Istanbul (TUR), 8th October
- Valencia (ESP), 19th November - Macau (CHN).
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