FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER # 12 – 28 April 2006
ON THE EVE OF THE FIA WTCC BERU RACE OF FRANCE
The second meeting of the 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship
will get underway tomorrow morning at 9.00, when the 33 cars
will hit the Magny-Cours racetrack for the first free practice.
A second free practice session will take place at 12.15,
followed by the only 30- minute qualifying session at 3.05
PM that will decide the starting positions for Sunday’s
Race 1. Qualifying will be broadcast live on Eurosport.
The start of both races on Sunday will be postponed by 10
minutes as opposed to the original schedule, meaning Race
1 at 3.15 and Race 2 at 4.25.
WTCC TEAMS TO STAY IN MAGNY-COURS FOR TESTING
When all the activities are over in Magny-Cours not everyone
will be leaving the venue. Yokohama will remain at the French
track to conduct a one day test session involving the SEAT
León of Jordi Gené and one of the Müllers’
BMW 320si cars.
“We asked all four manufacturers to stay for the test
session but Chevrolet and Alfa Romeo decided not to,”
stated Kazuyoshi Sekiguchi, supervisor for Yokohama.
“Yokohama are happy with the tyre produced for this
year but it is important to keep making steps forward and
we are already working to develop a new product for the future,”
Sekiguchi added.
BMW Team Italy-Spain, BMW Team Germany, BMW Team UK, SEAT
Sport, JAS Motorsport and Proteam Motorsport will also be
staying at the French track for private testing at the same
time.
A BRAND NEW CAR FOR ANDY PRIAULX
The damage to Andy Priaulx’s BMW 320si obtained in
the high speed collision with Dirk Müller in Race 2 at
Monza was so severe that the body shell has been replaced
for this weekend’s Magny-Cours meeting.
From analysing the car data, it has been calculated that
the force of the impact was a massive 4Gs. “There simply
wasn’t enough time for us to re-build the existing car
in time for Magny-Cours,” commented Bart Mampaey, team
manager of BMW Team UK. “It took us 19 days of very
hard work to build the new car and has compromised our testing
programme.” Reigning champion, Priaulx, sits 3rd in
the drivers’ championship entering the second round
of the season.
ENGINES: CHECKS AND PENALTIES
After the collision between Dirk Müller and Andy Priaulx
in Monza, BMW Team Germany and BMW Team UK applied for authorisation
from the Stewards to check the engines.
The FIA WTCC Sporting Regulations state each engine must
be sealed and used in four consecutive races, however, permission
was granted, the checks were made under the supervision of
the FIA Technical Delegate and no penalties were issued.
On the other hand, Elio Marchetti of DB Motorsport will be
dropped 10 positions on the grid for Race 1 on Sunday due
to an engine change on his Alfa Romeo 156.
ROBERT HUFF WINS IN HIS OLD MGB
Robert Huff returned to his racing roots last week. The 26
year old Briton took to the wheel of the very car that cemented
his desire to be a racing driver seven years ago. He won his
class in the MG Car Club BCV8 Championship at Cadwell Park
last weekend and came 5th overall. The car, an MG B, is owned
by a family friend who will not allow anybody but Huff to
compete in it.
SKI RACER GHEDINA SWITCHES TO MOTOR SPORT
Kristian Ghedina who was the patron of the FIA WTCC race
of Monza in 2005 is once again present in the paddock. One
of the most successful Italian downhill racers ever, he announced
his retirement from ski competitions three days ago and will
make his car racing debut at Magny-Cours in the Formula 3000
International Masters which supports the WTCC.
As well as this, the 39 year old born in Cortina, Italy is
set to join the Italian Touring Car Championship for selected
rounds. The man with 13 world cup race victories in his belt
said: ‘When I was young my father wouldn’t let
me get involved in motorsport because I was too crazy! The
importance of lines and carrying speed is the same in racing
and skiing. I hope to make a name for myself as a talent in
motorsport not just Kristian Ghedina, ‘the skier’.”
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