17 – 20th May 2005 FIA WTCC DRIVERS MEET FANS IN
BOLOGNA
Once again the FIA WTCC will meet the fans before a race.
Following the successful event held in London’s Leicester
Square to promote the 5th and 6th rounds in Silverstone, KSO
has organised another special event before the 7th and 8th
rounds in Imola. On Thursday 26th May, five racing cars –
Alfa Romeo, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford and SEAT – will be
exhibited in Piazza Maggiore, the heart of Bologna’s
historical centre, from 3.30 to 6.00 PM. A group of drivers,
including home boy Alessandro Zanardi and other leading Italian
drivers like Fabrizio Giovanardi and Nicola Larini, will meet
the fans in an autograph session from 4.00 to 5.00 PM.
ELEVEN CARS HAVE BALLAST ONBOARD The new
FIA WTCC handicap weight system is becoming more and more
effective. After the first three race meetings of the season,
eleven cars already have ballast. Gabriele Tarquini, who won
the first race in Silverstone and climbed back to second in
the championship classification, will carry the heaviest handicap:
55 kg. His rivals in the title fight, the Müllers and
Andy Priaulx, will not be much lighter. As well as SEAT’s
leading man Rickard Rydell, who claimed victory in Race 2
at Silverstone.
Driver |
handicap for results in
the previous meetings |
handicap for the
championship points |
total handicap |
Gabriele Tarquini |
40 kg |
15 kg |
55 kg |
Andy Priaulx |
30 kg |
10 kg |
40 kg |
Dirk Müller |
20 kg |
15 kg |
35 kg |
Rickard Rydell |
30 kg |
5 kg |
35 kg |
Jörg Müller |
20 kg |
10 kg |
30 kg |
Augusto Farfus jr. |
20 kg |
10 kg |
30 kg |
James Thompson |
10 kg |
10 kg |
20 kg |
Antonio García |
10 kg |
5 kg |
15 kg |
Jason Plato |
10 kg |
0 kg |
10 kg |
Jordi Gené |
0 kg |
5 kg |
5 kg |
Fabrizio Giovanardi |
0 kg |
5 kg |
5 kg |
MEXICAN DRIVER JOINS FIA WTCC IN IMOLA AND PUEBLA
The FIA WTCC welcomes Mexican youngster Carlos Mastretta Aguilera.
The 21-year old will join Tom Coronel at the GR Asia team
in Imola and Puebla, taking the wheel of the SEAT Toledo Cupra
that was driven by Valle Mäkelä in the first three
meetings. “Carlos Mastretta’s participation has
been organised in close cooperation with José and Julian
Abed, promoters of the Mexican event. To have a local driver
will greatly help us to promote the meeting at Puebla,”
explained Marcello Lotti, promoter of the FIA WTCC. Considered
one of the best prospects of Mexican motorsport, Carlos Mastretta
claimed the 2001 Mexican Formula A karting title before moving
to car racing. He was elected rookie of the year in the 2002
Copa Corona for Formula Renault. After racing in the British
Formula Renault last year, he came back to the Mexican Copa
Corona and finished third in the opening round of the current
season at El Águila.
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