FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER # 36 – 13 October 2006
NINE MEN IN THE TITLE FIGHT Two more races
and the 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship will crown
its champions. With 18 rounds already in the archives, the
series is now heading to Macau for the “grand finale”.
The fight for the Drivers’ Championship will be remembered
in the motorsport annals, as never before an FIA World Championship
arrived at the last meeting with nine drivers still involved
in the title fight – and covered by 12 points with 20
at stake. Alfa Romeo’s Augusto Farfus is the new leader
after Valencia with 60 points, only one ahead of BMW fellow
drivers Andy Priaulx (the reigning champion) and Jörg
Müller.
Another BMW man, Dirk Müller is placed 6th, 7 points
off the lead. SEAT’s hopes rely on a quintet formed
by Gabriele Tarquini (4th with a gap of 3 points), Rickard
Rydell (5th, 3 points behind Tarquini), James Thompson (7th
with 49 points) and the duo Yvan Muller/Peter Terting (tied
in 8th place with 48).
In the Manufacturers Championship, BMW edge SEAT by 10 points.
The two final races on the streets of the infamous Guia track
will definitely be not advisable for the weak-hearted.
ANDRÉ COUTO TO JOIN SEAT SPORT IN MACAU
The SEAT Sport team will run a seventh SEAT León for
the final pair of races in the FIA World Touring Car Championship.
Joining the Spanish team’s six regular drivers will
be Macau resident André Couto. The 29 year old won
the Macau F3 Grand Prix in 2000 and was leading the Macau
WTCC race last year at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo when he
retired with mechanical problems. Couto’s inclusion
in the SEAT Sport Squad for his home races underlines the
team’s determination to secure both the 2006 Drivers’
and Manufacturers’ WTCC titles.
“I'm very happy for this opportunity to join SEAT Sport
in the Macau WTCC races. This event is very 'big' for me but
I know it is also very important for SEAT. I know the track
so well and I'm very confident I can do a good job to help
SEAT Sport to win the WTCC titles,” commented Couto.
JAN MAGNUSSEN IN MACAU WITH BMW UK After
André Couto the Guia Race of Macau will see another
champion joining the WTCC field for the ‘grand finale’.
BMW announced today that former Formula 1 star Jan Magnussen
will be teaming with Andy Priaulx at BMW Team UK. “I’m
really happy to be a part of the WTCC season highlight with
BMW,” said Magnussen. “This series is amazingly
exciting and the field could hardly be any closer. I hope
to be able to do my share in BMW’s mission to defend
both titles.”
Over the past years, the 33 year old Dane has established
himself as an expert in touring cars and long-distance races.
He claimed victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Sebring
12 Hours and the American Le Mans Series. A winner of the
Danish Touring Car Championship for Peugeot in 2003, this
weekend – in a BMW 320si run by Den Blå Avis Fleggaard
Racing – Magnussen has the chance to clinch the national
crown again. He is facing the DTC final six points behind
his BMW fellow driver Casper Elgaard.
CORONEL IS KING OF THE INDEPENDENTS Mission
accomplished. Tom Coronel and GR Asia have clinched the WTCC
Yokohama Independents’ Trophy at the end of the first
race in Valencia. This result is a well deserved reward to
the Dutch driver and the team directed by Paul Ridgway, whose
SEAT Holland-backed León has become more and more competitive
race after race. From the moment he switched to the new car
(he had driven a Toledo Cupra until Magny-Cours), Coronel
was consistently fighting for the overall points and on a
couple of occasions he nearly claimed a podium. In Valencia’s
first race Coronel – together with other drivers –
was involved in the collision that put Gabriele Tarquini out
of contention. However, after having viewed the films of the
accident, the Stewards judged it as a normal racing incident
and exonerated Coronel from any responsibilities.
“I managed to win the Independents’ trophy already
in 2004, but that was a European title, now I also have a
world title!” said Coronel.
MENU DROPPED TEN POSITIONS IN MACAU Chevrolet’s
Alain Menu will be dropped ten positions on the grid for Race
1 in Macau. The penalty is a consequence of an incident that
involved the Swiss driver and Dirk Müller last Sunday,
during the deceleration lap of the second race at Valencia.
The Stewards judged Menu responsible of causing an avoidable
collision and imposed a euro 5,000 fine. However, because
he had received a suspended penalty of ten grid positions
due to a previous collision (with Rangoni at Istanbul), he
will be dropped in Macau. The penalty will be applied to Menu’s
results in the qualifying session. Two other drivers received
a ten grid position penalty: Alessandro Zanardi, for improving
his lap time during the warm up session while yellow flags
were deployed, and Andy Priaulx, for a colliding with Tarquini
at the start of Race 1. Their sanctions remain suspended and
will only be applied if the drivers commit the same infringement
again.
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