FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER# 37 – 7th October 2005
LADA AVTOVAZ ANNOUNCE FIA WTCC PROGRAMME
Russia’s biggest automaker LADA Avtovaz announced their
participation in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The
programme will be officially launched in a press conference
at the Moscow Sport-Motor-Tuning Exhibition on November 3.
The official press release reads: 2006 is the 40th anniversary
of LADA Avtovaz. In conjunction with this milestone anniversary,
LADA will campaign a motorsport programme in the FIA WTCC
from 2006. To participate at this premier international level
is a logical extension for LADA, who desire to show their
technical expertise and a new open marketing strategy supporting
the brand image campaign.
“Our objective is to improve our brand image in European
and international export markets with the assistance of this
ambitious motorsport programme,” said Vitaly Vilchik,
President-General Director of Avtovaz. “LADA have a
35-year tradition in motorsport, mostly concentrated in the
home market and not visible for international audiences; but
that will change now and the three-year commitment to the
FIA WTCC will allow LADA to promote this campaign aggressively.”
The two-car LADA WTCC Racing team will be operated by MTEC
Sport in Germany together with the motorsport division of
LADA, which already have extensive experience in Touring Car
racing in Russia. “We are extremely proud that Avtovaz
will start this campaign with our team,” commented Racing
Director Norbert Ruths.
The LADA factory team will face the first year in the FIA
WTCC as a testing period before they will start racing the
the new LADA Priora in 2007. Drivers for the programme are
being reviewed in Europe and in the US; announcements will
be made by next winter.
HARRISON IMPRESSED IN VALENCIA TEST
On Monday, JAS Motorsport remained in Valencia to give Simon
Harrison, who will join Adriano De Micheli in Macau, the chance
to get familiar with the Honda Accord and the team. The Briton
completed 30 laps around the Spanish track, with impressive
times; he was clocked in 1:43.9 with very used tyres, equivalent
to a potential 1:42:5 with new tyres, which would have been
good for a top-five position on the starting grid.
"I am very much pleased with the car," Harrison
commented. "This is the first time I drive a competitive
Super 2000, and one of the few drives this year at all, as
I have only done some races in the Asian Porsche Cup. The
Accord is very sensitive to set-up changes, and very effective
in any part of the circuit. I do look forward to a highly
competitive race in Macau."
ATCC LEADER TO RACE IN MACAU
Franz Engstler, who is comfortably leading the Asian Touring
Car Championship (ATCC), will take part in the FIA WTCC final
meeting in Macau. The first of the two races on the Guia track
will also count as the ATCC final round.
At the wheel of an Engstler Motorsport BMW 320i, the 41 year
old German has claimed 8 victories out of the 10 ATCC rounds
held so far, which gave him a solid 55-point lead ahead of
Malaysian driver Farique Hairuman, with 60 still to be awarded.
ATCC last-butone meeting will take place in Zhuhai, China,
on October 23.
Engstler and his team will enter three BMW cars in the WTCC
Race of Macau, with Ratanaul Prutirat from Thailand and Paul
Poon from Hong Kong alongside their team principal.
MAN OF THE WEEK: XAVIER SERRA
This week we got an insight about what it is like to work
for a racing team. Xavier Serra, 31 years old from Barcelona,
has worked in motorsport for nine years and is now a Race
Engineer for Jordi Gené at SEAT Sport. There are two
good reasons for him being nominated man of the week: Gené’s
victory in Race 1 at Valencia and the fact that he will get
married tomorrow.
What does your job involve?
“During the week I work in the factory developing the
cars and I am also responsible for the chassis. The week before
the event we prepare the cars. Saturday is a busy day because
the cars go out on the track three times and we have to make
sure the set-up is good enough to be competitive on race day.”
How difficult has it been to change car from the
Toledo to the León during the season?
“Extremely difficult and hectic because we were operating
both models. We tested the Toledo, we raced the Toledo, we
tested the León and now finally we are racing with
the León. It’s been a challenging process but
Jordi’s win at Valencia was a great reward.”
Did you have to plan your wedding around the racing
calendar?
“For sure, the first thing I did was looking at the
racing calendar and then we decided on an available date.
My fiancé doesn’t get too involved in motorsport,
but she is slowly taking an interest.”
FLASH NEWS
MEDIA AT THE WHEEL: BMW gave German journalist
Dieter Serowy the chance to spend one day as an FIA WTCC works
driver. This week at the Salzburgring racetrack in Austria,
Serowy tested Jörg Müller’s BMW Team Deutschland
race car in order to publish a story on German magazine Auto
Zeitung. The journalist successfully completed the test under
the very eyes of a rather worried Jörg.
THEY SAID: QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Andy Priaulx commenting of his race in Valencia: “This
is the time of year that the aggressive and determined Andy
Priaulx has to come out to play. I think I proved that in
my battle with Dirk for third position in Valencia."
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