BMW Motorsport
WTCC - Rounds 1 and 2 - Monza - Preview
2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)
Rounds 1 and 2 - 01st/02nd April 2006 - Preview
BMW begins mission to defend title in Monza.
Munich, 27th March 2006. The new season of the FIA World
Touring Car Championship (WTCC) gets underway this weekend.
The first stage of touring car racing's biggest prize takes
place at the "Autodromo Nazionale di Monza". For
the first time in 2006, the BMW national team drivers will
race against the competition in two sprint races.
The drivers already gave fans a taste of what is to come
in the 20 races in Europe, Asia, South and Central America
on 21st and 22nd March. During the "Media Days"
in Monza, the teams ran a two-day testing programme. Reigning
champion Andy Priaulx (GBR) of BMW Team UK topped the timesheets
after setting a time of 2:00.688 minutes. However, the BMW
Team Germany drivers Dirk Müller (GER) and Jörg
Müller (GER), as well as Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) and
Marcel Costa (ESP) of BMW Team Italy-Spain, also made a good
impression on the track with the highest full throttle percentage
of the race calendar.
The quintet will be using the new BMW 320si this season.
The race car was developed by BMW based on the road car edition
of the same name. The requisite power is provided by the 275bhp
4-cylinder in-line engine. After the wins in 2005 at the Drivers'
Championship, the Manufacturers' Championship and the Independents
Trophy, BMW is once again aiming to dominate the front end
of the grid in this FIA WTCC season.
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"I am convinced the BMW 320si will carry on the BMW success
story in touring car racing. This year's WTCC should prove
even more exciting than in 2005. There are new manufacturers
involved, the field of participants will expand further and
there are some new venues in the calendar. Overall, the World
Touring Car Championship offers everything a race series needs.
With our three national teams and the new BMW 320si, we are
in a good position to be up there with the front-runners again."
Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK):
"I can't wait for the season to finally begin. Last year's
successes are a thing of the past; now I'm concentrating on
achieving a good start to the season in Monza. The reversed
starting grid and the handicap weight should prevent any driver
from winning the title easily. I predict the championship
will be decided in the last race of the season once more."
Dirk Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"It was great to be able to compete against the rest
of the pack again during the tests in Monza. However, I don't
believe they all showed their full potential. That's why I
am intrigued to find out which driver is how strong this weekend.
Last year I experienced a good start to the season in Monza,
and it would be great if I could repeat that this time around."
Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"Finally the new season starts. Although I have been
in motorsport for quite a few years now, the build-up to the
first race of the season is always something special. I had
a lot of bad luck in the last couple of seasons. That's why,
in 2006, I want to prove that I am still a driver to be taken
seriously. I hope I will be able to prove that in Monza already."
Alessandro Zanardi (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
"The season starts with my home race in Monza. I like
the track, and I'm looking forward to competing in front of
a home crowd. I fell in love with the new BMW 320si immediately,
and I hope it can help us achieve a good result at the beginning
of the season. I collected a lot of points towards the end
of the 2005 season, so I hope I'll be able to continue that
way."
Marcel Costa (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
"The test days in Monza were very important for me. I
had never been on the track before but I immediately took
to it during the tests. The BMW 320si is a fantastic car,
and I can't wait to compete in my first WTCC race on Sunday.
Additionally, I am very proud to be in a team with Alessandro.
I think I will be able to learn a lot from him."
History and background:
Monza already hosted last year's WTCC season opener. Three
rounds of the European Touring Car Championship had already
been held at the "Autodromo Nazionale di Monza"
before 2004.
In 2005, Dirk Müller was the most successful driver
at the high-speed track. The 30-year-old won the first race.
In the second race of the season he managed to finish in 2nd
place.
Monza is located 15 kilometres northeast of Milan and is
a part of the Lombardy Region. 122,000 people live here.
The race track was opened in 1922 and has been redesigned
many times in its history. The remains of a steep corner pay
testament to the major changes the track has experienced over
the years. Since the 1,000-kilometre race was held in 1967,
the oval, which belonged to the original layout of the track,
has not been used.
The WTCC is not the only FIA-sanctioned World Championship
that holds a race on the classic circuit. On 10th September,
the BMW Sauber F1 Team will compete in the 13th race of the
Formula One season.
Both WTCC races cover nine laps. This makes for an overall
distance of 51.93 kilometres per race. The first race begins
on Sunday at 15:05hrs. The race will be broadcast 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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