FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER # 06 – 17 March 2006
34 CARS TO ATTEND FIA WTCC TEST IN MONZA
The official launch of the 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship
will happen next week at the Italian circuit of Monza, which
will also host the season’s opening meeting on April
1 and 2.
Official test sessions will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday,
21 and 22 March. The participation of 34 cars has already
been confirmed, including 8 competitors from the Italian Superturismo
Championship.
Tuesday 21 March
10.10 – 11.10 FIA WTCC – testing
14.55 – 15.55 FIA WTCC – testing
17.00 – 18.00 FIA WTCC – testing
Wednesday 22 March
10.10 – 11.10 FIA WTCC – testing
14.00 – 15.00 FIA WTCC – testing
17.00 – 18.00 FIA WTCC – testing
RANGONI AND D’ASTE TOGETHER AT PROTEAM
Italy-based Proteam Motorsport, the winner of the 2005 FIA
WTCC Teams’ Trophy, have unveiled their own 2006 campaign.
The team owned by Valmiro Presenzini will run two BMW cars
for Luca Rangoni and Stefano D’Aste. The former returns
to the FIA Touring Cars after a successful 2004 season in
the European Championship, while D’Aste faces his third
season with the team; last year in Spa he claimed an outstanding
second position overall.
The team will start the season with one new BMW 320si for
Rangoni, while D’Aste will be at the wheel of a 2005
BMW 320i again. “We hope to be in a position of preparing
a second new car for him as well, during the season,”
team owner Presenzini said.
GR ASIA: CERESOLI JOINS CORONEL
The GR Asia line-up has been completed with the arrival of
Maurizio Ceresoli alongside the experienced Tom Coronel. The
22-year old Italian faces his first season in professional
motorsport, after obtaining interesting results in Formula
Ford and F3. The team will campaign two SEAT cars, with Coronel’s
backed by SEAT Holland. “We’ll start with two
Toledos, but we’ll switch to the Leóns as soon
as possible. Tom will have a new car in time for the second
or third event, and Maurizio a bit later,” team principal
Paul Ridgway explained, adding: “I’m very confident
about the season. We have built a strong relationship with
SEAT and we have a good team: Tom is very experienced and
Maurizio is a promising young guy.”
TEST AT VALENCIA FOR SEAT AND BMW
SEAT Sport and BMW works teams tested this week in Valencia.
Reigning WTCC champion Andy Priaulx and his BMW Team UK were
there for three days, from Tuesday to Thursday. On days 1
and 2 Priaulx was joined on the track by SEAT Sport with all
their six drivers, while BMW Team Germany (with Jörg
and Dirk Müller) and BMW Team Italy- Spain (with Alessandro
Zanardi and Marcel Costa) tested at the Spanish circuit from
Wednesday to Thursday.
Charly Lamm, team manager of BMW Team Germany commented.
“We had nice weather, which enabled us to test the Advan
slicks tires and different set-ups. We are quite happy with
the results but now we are in a hurry to finish the cars just
in time for the media day at Monza.”
YVAN MULLER MEETS FRENCH PRESS IN TRAPPES
This morning Yvan Muller met a group of French journalists
at Jean-Pierre Beltoise’s test track in Trappes, a few
kilometres from Paris. The meeting was organised by Eurosport,
with the cooperation of SEAT France, in order to present Muller’s
new commitment to the FIA World Touring Car Championship as
a member of the SEAT Sport team. Patrick Goddet, director
of Eurosport France, introduced Eurosport’s involvment
as host broadcaster of the world championship and unveiled
the basic elements of the TV production and coverage for the
new season.
After Mr Goddet’s speech, Yvan Muller was interviewed
by the attending media. Finally the Andros Trophy multi-champion
took the wheel of a SEAT León road car, giving the
journalists the thrill of some laps around the track.
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