FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER # 38 – 14th October 2005
FIA WTCC NIGHT - LIVE FROM MACAU ON EUROSPORT
“Eurosport, host broadcaster of the FIA World Touring
Car Championship, will put in an strong effort to give the
best possible exposure to the championship’s finale
in Macau,” revealed Executive Producer Eric Lazayres.
Eurosport will air a special “FIA WTCC Night”:
more than 9 consecutive hours of broadcast, from 0.45 to 10.00
on Sunday, November 20th.
Programming will begin with live coverage of the warm-up,
from 0.45 to 1.15. Immediately afterwards Eurosport will air
repeats of the championship’s latest three meetings:
Oschersleben, Istanbul and Valencia, from 1.15 to 4.45.
Live broadcast of the two FIA WTCC races in Macau will start
at 4.45, and continue until 7.00. This will be followed –
from 7.00 to 8.30 by repeats of both races and, from 8.30
to 10.00 by live broadcast of the 52nd Macau Formula 3 Grand
Prix.
Eurosport coverage from Macau on the same day will include
highlights of the FIA WTCC – from 12.00 to 13.30 –
and the Motorsport Weekend Magazine from 21.00 to 21.30.
LAUNCH OF THE 52ND MACAU GRAND PRIX
The 52nd Macau Grand Prix has been launched at a crowded
press conference; the event will include the final rounds
of the 2005 FIA World Touring Car Championship.
“The prestige afforded to Macau in holding motorsport
events will, without doubt, be significantly increased. This
achievement means that the Macau Grand Prix, with its distinguished
history of over half a Century, this year begins a whole new
era,” stated Dr Chui Sai On - Secretary for Social Affairs
and Culture of Macau Special Administrative Region.
Engineer João Manuel Costa Antunes - Co-ordinator
of the Macau Grand Prix Committee, added: “Macau is
proud to host the final round of the FIA’s newest world
championship. We are also delighted to welcome Sociedade de
Jogos de Macau, S.A. as the presenting sponsor of the FIA
WTCC races. Having the final round of the FIA WTCC in Macau
brings with it a great deal of additional prestige to both
our event and our city, but even more exciting still is the
fact that the very first championship will be decided right
here on the Guia Circuit.”
According to Macau Grand Prix Committee’s official
figures, ticket sales have increased 36% over the same period
last year.”
TWO MACANESE DRIVERS TO JOIN FIA WTCC FINALE
Two Macanese drivers have entered in the FIA World Touring
Car Championship’s final meeting. With the addition
of Chi Hong Ao and Chong Seng Lei to the four competitors
of the Asian Touring Car Championship – Franz Engstler,
Ratanakul Prutirat, Paul Poon and Jody Coseteng – who
will also race in Macau, the FIA WTCC field has topped 30
cars.
Ao is another regular competitor in the Asian Touring Car
Championship, in which he was placed third in 2004, and is
lying fourth in the current season. 45-years old and considered
one of the best drivers from Macau, Ao will drive a BMW 320i
run by his own Ao’s Racing Team. Chong Seng Lei, a front
runner in the Hong Kong and Macau Touring Car Championships,
will be at the wheel of a Honda Civic Type-R. During last
year’s Macau Guia Race, Lei obtained two top-ten results
– 9th in Race 1 and 10th in Race 2 – emerging
as the best of the Asian drivers.
MAN OF THE WEEK: DIRK MÜLLER
After Valencia, Dirk Müller regained his championship
lead by a single point and is in confident spirits for Macau.
With the final round a month away, we asked the BMW Team Deutschland
man what he is getting up to.
What are you doing this month?
“i am doing a small amount of testing and have some
sponsorship events to attend; there is one in Paris this weekend
actually. As well as this I am continuing to work with the
young Formula BMW drivers, which means travelling to Valencia.
And of course, preparing for Macau.”
How exactly are you preparing for Macau?
“Having been there last year I have some experience
of the track. What I have to do now is study the information
from last year and learn what I need to change. It is also
great for me that the team has been to Macau a few times and
their knowledge is very valuable.”
What has changed for you since the birth of your
daughter?
“The only thing is that I try and stay at home as
much as possible to help my wife Daniela with our daughter
who was born on 31st August. I do have lots of work but I
still have plenty of time at home and everything is working
well. It’s great.”
FLASH NEWS
FIA ETC CUP: Two FIA WTCC regulars –
Alessandro Zanardi and Tom Coronel – take part on Sunday
in the first edition of the FIA European Touring Car Cup on
the Italian track of Vallelunga. Zanardi and Coronel are facing
24 other drivers coming from ten different countries, including
Jason Plato, Tomas Engtsröm, Salvatore Tavano and Alessandro
Balzan who also took part in some FIA WTCC rounds during the
current season.
THEY SAID: QUOTE OF THE WEEK
MSV boss Jonathan Palmer, owner of Snetterton, Brands Hatch
and Oulton Park: "We have big plans for Snetterton. I've
always been very keen that all MSV circuits should be fantastic
places to drive at. Part of the development is to bring the
track up to FIA Grade 2 specification and that would mean
we could hold races for anything from the World Touring Car
Championship."
|
