FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER # 11 – 23 March 2007
35-KG HANDICAP FOR BMW TRIO IN HOLLAND
Andy Priaulx, Jörg Müller and Augusto Farfus are
in joint lead of the Drivers’ Championship as well as
on top of the handicap weight list for the FIA WTCC’s
next meeting that will take place at Zandvoort’s, Netherlands,
on May 6th. The three BMW men will carry 35 extra kg apiece
on board their cars.
SEAT Sport’s Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini will
be the heaviest of the rest, with 20 kg of ballast. Of the
drivers who scored points in Curitiba, only Luca Rangoni will
benefit from a reduction of 5 kg in the handicap weight. All
the other competitors have lost the automatic 10 kg ballast
they had for the first event, handicap that will be now imposed
to Portuguese newcomers Tiago Monteiro and Miguel Freitas.
Driver handicap for results in previous meeting handicap
for the championship points total handicap
Andy Priaulx 10 kg + 20 kg 5 kg 35 kg Jörg Müller
10 kg + 20 kg 5 kg 35 kg Augusto Farfus 10 kg + 20 kg 5 kg
35 kg Yvan Muller 10 kg + 10 kg 20 kg Gabriele Tarquini 10
kg + 10 kg 20 kg Alessandro Zanardi 10 kg + 5 kg 15 kg Robert
Huff 10 kg + 5 kg 15 kg Tom Coronel 10 kg + 5 kg 15 kg Tiago
Monteiro 0 kg + 10 kg 10 kg Miguel Freitas 0 kg + 10 kg 10
kg Luca Rangoni 10 kg – 5 kg 5 kg
MIGUEL FREITAS JOINS WTCC
23-year old Portuguese Miguel Freitas will join the WTCC
for the season from the second meeting in Zandvoort. Freitas,
who is not related to the championship’s FIA permanent
race director Eduardo Freitas, will drive an Alfa Romeo 156
run by Wim Coekelbergs’ Racing for Belgium team. The
Alfa is an ex-Antonelli Sport car that Alessandro Balzan drove
to an outstanding 4th place in last year’s WTCC second
race at Monza.
“I know this is a difficult task, because I don’t
know the tracks and I face a lot of experienced drivers. My
approach will be very cautious, especially on my first appearances.
I have to thank my sponsors – Roff, Unilogos and 2Call
– for giving me this great opportunity of stepping up
my racing career at the level of a world championship,”
Freitas said.
SEAT TEST THREE DAYS IN BARCELONA
From Monday to Wednesday, the SEAT Sport team completed three
days of testing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.
Jordi Gené, Gabriele Tarquini, Yvan Muller and Michel
Jourdain were joined by Tiago Monteiro who took part in his
first test as a SEAT works driver in view of his WTCC debut
at Zandvoort.
“It was an important occasion, because my previous
test in Valencia was only a recognition, with no need to look
at the lap times. This time it was serious, about working
with the engineers on the set up and getting to know the car,”
said the former Formula 1 driver from Portugal. “The
most difficult task is to adapt myself to the front-wheel
drive and to take the most out of the new tyres. It will take
a lot of hard work.”
BMW AND SEAT TO TEST IN BRNO
Four teams have already confirmed their presence in the first
of the three WTCC official tests that will take place in April.
BMW Team Germany, BMW Team UK, BMW Team Italy-Spain and SEAT
Sport will be testing at Brno’s Masaryk Circuit, Czech
Republic, on April 3rd and 4th.
The following official tests will be held at Oschersleben,
Germany (April 16th and 17th) and Monza, Italy (April 24th
and 25th).
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