ROUNDS 13 & 14 – ANDERSTORP, SWEDEN RACE 1&2
REPORTS
Weather: cloudy and windy, with a wet track.
RACE 1: HUFF MASTERS THE WEATHER
Robert Huff claimed victory in particularly tricky racing
conditions in Anderstorp. Poleman Tiago Monteiro came a close
second after a charge at the end of the race while James Thompson
stormed through the battling field to occupy the final podium
position.
Rain fell as the cars waited on the grid and consequently
tyre selection was a gamble for the teams. Huff was on wets
and got a superb start to lead into the second corner. Behind
him followed the SEATs of Tiago Monteiro and Jordi Gené
(also on wets). It was evident that the drivers on slicks
(including Gabriele Tarquini, Alex Zanardi, Alain Menu and
Robert Dahlgren) were struggling as they had already dropped
down the rankings.
Gené and Monteiro battled side by side until lap three
when the Spaniard moved up to third. However, his race was
to take a turn for the worse; as the track dried his tyres
wore out and he fell down the positions one-by-one to an eventual
18th. Quite the opposite happened for his team-mate Tarquini.
His slick tyres punished him at the start as he dropped to
15th from seventh but in the late stages he charged through
overtaking several cars at a time to cross the line fifth.
Fellow SEAT drivers Tom Coronel and Yvan Muller passed the
chequered flag fourth and sixth respectively; the Frenchman
being slowed down by a power-steering failure, but scored
the first points in a turbo diesel car.
The decision to use slicks also benefited Alain Menu who
plunged across the line ahead of Rydell to take pole for the
second race. Nicola Larini was constantly in the action with
Rydell as they shuffled for position several times and fought
with Fredrik Ekblom, the most competitive of the BMW drivers.
However the Italian drove determinedly to finish seventh making
it an all Chevrolet front row. Rydell crossed the line just
out of the points in ninth. With Ekblom dropping down to 12th
in the final part of the race, Andy Priaulx achieved the best
result for BMW in 11th position.
The winner of the Independent competitors was Luca Rangoni,
classified 17th overall; his choice to start on slicks paid
off as in the final laps he managed to overtake Roberto Colciago
and win the race.
BULLET NEWS
FIVE CARS AT THE BACK OF THE GRID
Five competitors have applied for neutralization of the parc
fermé at the end of Race 1, in order to repair damage:
Alexander Lvov and Andrey Smetsky in the Golden Motors Honda
Accord cars, Carl Rosenblad of Elgh Motorsport and Sergio
Hernández of Proteam Motorsport both in BMW 320si,
and Michel Jourdain of SEAT Sport.
They will all line up at the back of the grid.
THEY SAID, THEY SAID…
Robert HUFF
“Yesterday I asked for conditions in between wet and
dry and I got them! I had a great start. I think Tiago (Monteiro)
was defending against Nicola (Larini) and so I managed to
pull away and got quite a gap over the first few laps. At
one point I was six or seven seconds ahead. When the track
dried out I had no grip and really struggled, the light rain
in the final couple of laps helped a lot. I knew I would need
the tyres to be in good condition at the end so I tried not
to over-drive. The last three corners were the most difficult
as Tiago was very fast behind me. Alain (Menu) is on pole
for the second race so I’m hoping for another Chevrolet
win.”
Tiago MONTEIRO
“You always want more than second place but this is
my best result so far and it was a great race for everyone.
We made the decision to use wet tyres but on a dry set-up
which really worked at the end as I caught Rob up. I wanted
the race to be a few laps longer. At the beginning I had no
grip or rhythm and I could see lots of lights in my mirror.
I had to maintain my pace as best as possible and wait until
the track dried to be able to chase the blue car in front.”
James THOMPSON
“The car was very quick in the corners and I was faster
than Thompson’s Alfa Romeo but I thought it was better
not to risk overtaking because I knew I was leading the Independents’
race and the points are more important. I dedicate this win
to my sister because it was her birthday yesterday.”
Gabriele TARQUINI
“That was a thoroughly enjoyable race. A good charge
from the back is always very fulfilling. Today patience was
the key as I looked after my tyres and sneaked up through
the field later in the race. The straight was immensely slippery
and visibility was poor. My old engineer was surprised that
I’d gone with the majority to opt for wet tyres because
usually if there is a gamble to be had I take it. However,
being sensible worked for me today and it proves there is
life in our old car yet.”
Luca RANGONI
“The team and I knew such conditions are the most difficult
for the BMW cars so the only way we could give ourselves a
chance was to go for slicks. The win was important because
I have come from three consecutive negative weekends.”
RACE CLASSIFICATION - RACE 1
Cars 28 & 60 not eligible to score Championship points.
Weather/Track: Sun 14°/Wet 26°
Race Director: Steward: Timekeeper:
1 6 Robert HUFF GBR Chevrolet Lacetti 23:51.708 13 131.35
1:47.704
2 18 Tiago MONTEIRO POR SEAT Leon 23:52.437 13 0.729 131.29
1:46.804
3 15 James THOMPSON GBR Alfa Romeo 156 24:04.209 13 12.501
130.21 1:47.107
4 20 Tom CORONEL NED SEAT Leon 24:10.173 13 18.465 129.68
1:48.774
5 11 Gabriele TARQUINI ITA SEAT Leon 24:12.566 13 20.858 129.47
1:45.626
6 12 Yvan MULLER FRA SEAT Leon TDI 24:12.850 13 21.142 129.44
1:49.040
7 7 Nicola LARINI ITA Chevrolet Lacetti 24:17.529 13 25.821
129.02 1:49.934
8 8 Alain MENU SUI Chevrolet Lacetti 24:17.600 13 25.892 129.02
1:45.150
9 88 Rickard RYDELL SWE Chevrolet Lacetti 24:18.145 13 26.437
128.97 1:50.157
10 60 G Robert DAHLGREN SWE Volvo S60 Flexifuel 24:19.234
13 27.526 128.87 1:45.326
11 1 Andy PRIAULX GBR BMW 320si 24:32.546 13 40.838 127.71
1:50.878
12 14 Fredrik EKBLOM SWE BMW 320si 24:32.846 13 41.138 127.68
1:50.049
13 16 Olivier TIELEMANS NED Alfa Romeo 156 24:32.966 13 41.258
127.67 1:49.492
14 5 Felix PORTEIRO ESP BMW 320si 24:33.416 13 41.708 127.63
1:51.622
15 2 Jorg MULLER GER BMW 320si 24:34.436 13 42.728 127.55
1:51.082
16 3 Augusto FARFUS BRA BMW 320si 24:35.414 13 43.706 127.46
1:51.633
17 30 I Luca RANGONI ITA BMW 320si 24:35.684 13 43.976 127.44
1:45.585
18 9 Jordi GENE ESP SEAT Leon TDI 24:36.418 13 44.710 127.37
1:51.289
19 19 I Roberto COLCIAGO ITA SEAT Leon 24:37.279 13 45.571
127.30 1:51.592
20 4 Alessandro ZANARDI ITA BMW 320si 24:37.460 13 45.752
127.28 1:45.887
21 26 I Stefano D'ASTE ITA BMW 320si 24:37.817 13 46.109 127.25
1:46.212
22 23 I Pierre-Yves CORTHALS BEL SEAT Leon 24:58.720 13 1:07.012
125.48 1:46.951
23 22 I Maurizio CERESOLI ITA SEAT Leon 25:01.828 13 1:10.120
125.22 1:46.688
24 54 I Alexander LVOV RUS Honda Accord Euro R 25:10.732 13
1:19.024 124.48 1:52.576
25 28 G Carl ROSENBLAD SWE BMW 320si 24:11.525 12 1 LAP 119.58
1:51.585
26 55 I Andrey SMETSKY RUS Honda Accord Euro R 24:15.328 12
1 LAP 119.26 1:58.123
NOT CLASSIFIED
10 Michel JOURDAIN MEX SEAT Leon 13:44.422 7 D.N.F. 122.66
1:48.972
31 I Sergio HERNANDEZ ESP BMW 320si 9:11.051 3 D.N.F. 78.33
2:15.653
FASTEST LAP
8 Alain MENU Chevrolet Lacetti 1:45.150 10 137.80kph 85.62mph
60 G Robert DAHLGREN Volvo S60 Flexifuel 1:45.326 9 137.57kph
85.48mph
30 I Luca RANGONI BMW 320si 1:45.585 10 137.23kph 85.27mph
ROUNDS 13 & 14 – ANDERSTORP, SWEDEN RACE 2 REPORT
Weather: cloudy, with a drying track.
RYDELL LEADS A CHEVROLET 1-2-3
Rickard Rydell’s choice to run on slick tyres saw him
coming from ninth on the grid to first on the podium. His
win came in the final corners after he tussled with and overtook
his team mates Nicola Larini and Alain Menu who had been leading
the race from the line. They both suffered problems with their
wet tyres wearing out on the drying track and finished second
(Larini) and third (Menu) behind Rydell. This is the second
time this season Chevrolet has finished 1-2-3, after the first
race in Porto three weeks ago.
Off the line it was Gabriele Tarquini who got the best start
but his SEAT Sport team-mate Jordi Gené stalled. Yvan
Muller was running on slicks and almost immediately was overtaken
by Tom Coronel of GR Asia who achieved a commendable fourth;
the best SEAT finisher. The Frenchman was then overtaken by
Robert Huff. Muller’s race came to an end when he was
battling with Andy Priaulx on lap seven, went off the track
and then retired in the pits again with power-steering problems.
Andy Priaulx too suffered as he dropped a couple of positions
and eventually finished 13th.
James Thompson and Huff had a riveting fight for fifth place
during lap three, four and five. The countrymen jostled many
times before Thompson broke away in the Alfa Romeo 156 to
finish fifth. Huff came home 11th overall. By lap six the
track had nearly dried up and the drivers on slicks began
pushing through the field. Tarquini dropped from third place
on lap six to finish seventh overall. His team-mate Tiago
Monteiro was on slicks and claimed sixth.
Despite finishing in a brilliant eighth position, Robert
Dahlgren and his Volvo S60 were not eligible for points and
therefore the ninth placed Augusto Farfus took one, making
him the only BMW to score this weekend. All six BMW works
drivers (Priaulx, Farfus, Müller, Zanardi, Porteiro and
Ekblom) had started the race on slicks. Jörg Müller
is still leading the championship one point ahead of Farfus
and two points ahead of Priaulx.
Roberto Colciago also started on slicks which helped him
to recover in the final part of the race, overtaking Stefano
D’Aste and Luca Rangoni and taking victory in the Independents’
Trophy for SEAT Sport Italia.
BULLET NEWS
CORTHALS LEADS THE INDEPENDENTS’ TROPHY
Despite a difficult weekend in which he achieved a fourth
and fifth place, Pierre-Yves Corthals still keeps the lead
in the Independents’ Trophy. However, the Belgian is
closely chased by Stefano D’Aste and Luca Rangoni who
are 4 and 6 points behind respectively.
THEY SAID, THEY SAID…
Rickard RYDELL
“For me to go on slicks was the right choice because
I managed to stay with those on dry tyres and in the end that’s
what won the race. It is thanks to Eurosport and Chevrolet
that I’ve been able to take part in my home race and
for that I am grateful. I really hope to be back in the WTCC
because it is a great championship.”
Nicola LARINI
“No, I don’t regret my tyre choice. I didn’t
expect to have to fight and use all my grip at the end of
the race. The next race will be hard for us and I don’t
think it will be easy for me to maintain my championship position
so I will look forward to Brands Hatch.”
Alain MENU
“I’m very pleased that, after qualifying 16th,
I have come away with an 8th and 3rd place. I realised on
the warm-up lap that I’d made the wrong tyre choice
and we should have been on slicks. It’s great that we
are catching SEAT in the Manufacturers’ Championship
but we are here to win the game and the game is to have a
driver as world champion.”
Roberto COLCIAGO
“I’m happy to have won this race for me and the
team. The car was better in the wet but in the second race
it became dry very quickly, therefore it was certainly the
right choice to go out on slicks.”
Tom CORONEL
“I was nearly on the podium today. In both races I
was running third but on both occasions I was overtaken. To
be honest at the beginning of the races I just behaved and
it was a matter of being clever and not being fast. On the
first five laps of both races I was saving the tyres and after
that ‘kill and attack’. The others were easy targets
because on the first five laps they destroyed their tyres.”
Robert DAHLGREN
“I’m really pleased for the team and for Volvo
that we have shown we can score a virtual point in the WTCC
driving on ethanol. It was our target to finish in the top
eight but unfortunately bad qualifying made that a lot harder
to achieve. I can only dream of where I could have finished
if I’d had a good qualifying. The goal in my career
is to be in the WTCC and become world champion so I really
hope to be back soon.”
RACE CLASSIFICATION - RACE 2
1 88 Rickard RYDELL SWE Chevrolet Lacetti 23:41.120 13 132.33
1:43.076
2 7 Nicola LARINI ITA Chevrolet Lacetti 23:42.728 13 1.608
132.18 1:46.381
3 8 Alain MENU SUI Chevrolet Lacetti 23:42.976 13 1.856 132.16
1:46.570
4 20 Tom CORONEL NED SEAT Leon 23:46.277 13 5.157 131.85 1:46.735
5 15 James THOMPSON GBR Alfa Romeo 156 23:47.190 13 6.070
131.77 1:46.914
6 18 Tiago MONTEIRO POR SEAT Leon 23:47.916 13 6.796 131.70
1:43.010
7 11 Gabriele TARQUINI ITA SEAT Leon 23:49.885 13 8.765 131.52
1:47.252
8 60 G Robert DAHLGREN SWE Volvo S60 Flexifuel 23:49.904 13
8.784 131.52 1:43.546
9 3 Augusto FARFUS BRA BMW 320si 23:50.027 13 8.907 131.51
1:43.179
10 2 Jorg MULLER GER BMW 320si 23:50.226 13 9.106 131.49 1:42.451
11 6 Robert HUFF GBR Chevrolet Lacetti 23:51.575 13 10.455
131.36 1:46.886
12 10 Michel JOURDAIN MEX SEAT Leon 23:52.479 13 11.359 131.28
1:43.166
13 1 Andy PRIAULX GBR BMW 320si 23:53.173 13 12.053 131.22
1:43.348
14 14 Fredrik EKBLOM SWE BMW 320si 23:53.438 13 12.318 131.19
1:43.086
15 4 Alessandro ZANARDI ITA BMW 320si 23:56.566 13 15.446
130.91 1:42.432
16 5 Felix PORTEIRO ESP BMW 320si 23:59.030 13 17.910 130.68
1:42.690
17 28 G Carl ROSENBLAD SWE BMW 320si 24:06.836 13 25.716 129.98
1:44.311
18 19 I Roberto COLCIAGO ITA SEAT Leon 24:14.164 13 33.044
129.32 1:44.667
19 26 I Stefano D'ASTE ITA BMW 320si 24:18.733 13 37.613 128.92
1:48.784
20 30 I Luca RANGONI ITA BMW 320si 24:22.779 13 41.659 128.56
1:49.863
21 16 Olivier TIELEMANS NED Alfa Romeo 156 24:25.067 13 43.947
128.36 1:47.999
22 31 I Sergio HERNANDEZ ESP BMW 320si 24:26.047 13 44.927
128.28 1:48.564
23 23 I Pierre-Yves CORTHALS BEL SEAT Leon 24:31.901 13 50.781
127.76 1:48.561
24 9 Jordi GENE ESP SEAT Leon TDI 24:33.356 13 52.236 127.64
1:44.053
25 22 I Maurizio CERESOLI ITA SEAT Leon 24:33.393 13 52.273
127.64 1:48.191
26 54 I Alexander LVOV RUS Honda Accord Euro R 24:35.426 13
54.306 127.46 1:45.194
27 55 I Andrey SMETSKY RUS Honda Accord Euro R 25:25.378 13
1:44.258 123.29 1:53.576
NOT CLASSIFIED
12 Yvan MULLER FRA SEAT Leon TDI 15:21.085 8 D.N.F. 125.51
1:49.616
FASTEST LAP
4 Alessandro ZANARDI BMW 320si 1:42.432 13 141.46kph 87.89mph
60 G Robert DAHLGREN Volvo S60 Flexifuel 1:43.546 12 139.93kph
86.95mph
19 I Roberto COLCIAGO SEAT Leon 1:44.667 11 138.43kph 86.02mph
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