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FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER # 29 – 12th August 2005
GENÉ TO DRIVE NEW SEAT IN OSCHERSLEBEN
SEAT Sport will keep their promise to race the new León
Cupra in S2000 specs at the next meeting of the FIA World
Touring Car Championship in Oschersleben. Since the announcement
of this plan, on May 5 when the new car was unveiled at the
Barcelona International Motor Show, the Spanish team ran a
number of test sessions comparing the León with the
Toledo Cupra that has been used so far in the championship.
It was a race against time, complicated
by the need to further develop the Toledo in order to keep
on fighting for both the FIA WTCC Drivers’ and Manufacturers’
titles.
SEAT Sport decided to bring only one new car in Oschersleben.
Jordi Gené, who had more testing time than his team-mates
with the León, will have the honour to drive it in
the maiden race. His Rickard Rydell and Peter Terting will
race the Toledo Cupra again, but they will also switch to
the new car before the end of the season.
THE MAN OF THE WEEK:
THOMAS KLENKE
Thomas Klenke is 38 and drives for the Ford Hotfiel Sport
Team. Being German means Oschersleben is his home track but
the link is stronger as Thomas works as a driving instructor
at the Motopark Academy which is based at the circuit.
What does your job as a driving instructor involve?
“We provide expert instruction for people who want to
improve their driving skills, and incentive days for factories.
I spend a lot of time on the track and therefore I am quite
familiar with its turns, breaking points and the best way
to drive it.”
You develop the Ford Focus car at Oschersleben,
is it a favourable track for it? “I think so.
It is much better than Spa because the straights are shorter
so we should be faster. Spa was a tough weekend; in fact,
I am still recovering after my very scary crash.” What
are your hopes for Oschersleben? “A top ten finish would
be great. It is my dream to finish 8th in Race 1 and therefore
start the next race from pole position.”
FLASH NEWS
PEUGEOT: In preparation of their second
appearance in the championship, Peugeot Sport Denmark will
test at the Lausitz Eurospeedway on 22nd August with Eric
Hélary.
THEY SAID:
QUOTE OF THE WEEK Alessandro Zanardi describing
his crash in Spa for his column published by Italian weekly
Autosprint: “When I came out of the wrecked car a young
lady doctor kept asking me if I was feeling good, because
she saw that I had a strange way of walking. She felt reassured
only after I explained that it was a problem caused by a previous
accident…”
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