ROUNDS 3 & 4 – ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS RACE 1 REPORT
Weather: cloudy, with a cold wind a dry track.
1-2 FINISH FOR CHEVROLET WITH RANGONI IN THIRD
Chevrolet have recorded their best ever result in the WTCC
with a 1-2 finish for Alain Menu and Nicola Larini. The two
began from the front of the grid and survived a restart following
a lap under safety car conditions. It was in fact the third
Chevrolet driver, Rob Huff, who caused the safety car to be
deployed after he spun at the Audi Esses on lap 8. Privateer
Luca Rangoni finished third after a good start promoted him
from 4th to the podium position. Fourth to cross the finish
line was Tiago Monteiro who, in his first race for SEAT Sport,
got the best result for the team. His team-mate, Yvan Muller
was involved in an accident on the first lap along with Félix
Porteiro and Stefano D’Aste. Muller pitted for repairs
and rejoined after 8 laps.
On lap 2 Andy Priaulx overtook James Thompson in his N.technology
Alfa Romeo for 10th. On the same lap Miguel Freitas spun at
the Slotemaker bend and his Alfa Romeo 156 had to be towed
away.
Priaulx forged forward and passed Tarquini at the Tarzan
corner of lap 5 to claim 9th position. Following Huff’s
crash the reigning champion will begin race 2 from pole position.
Lap 6 saw local man Tom Coronel clash with James Thompson.
The GR Asia SEAT León made a move on the inside of
the Alfa Romeo 156 but Thompson braked late and the Dutchman
collided into the side of his car and shot across the track.
Thompson was able to continue and eventually finished 13th.
Augusto Farfus and Tiago Monteiro had their own battle during
the race. Monteiro got a fantastic start going from 5th to
4th almost immediately. He had Farfus chasing him until lap
7 when the Brazilian overtook. However, the SEAT man didn’t
give up and re-claimed the position on the next lap. Farfus
eventually had to settle for 5th ahead of SEAT drivers Roberto
Colciago and Gabriele Tarquini in 6th and 7th.
BULLET NEWS
CHEVROLET TAKE A BOW
Chevrolet’s project manager, Eric Nève
and team manager, Mark Busfield decided to celebrate the team’s
first pole position from qualifying by wearing blue and gold
bow-ties. “We call our Chevrolet logo ‘the bow-tie,”
commented Nève “so Mark and I thought it would
be a fun way of celebrating Alain qualifying on pole.”
Following Menu’s win perhaps the bow-ties will become
a regular good luck garment for the team.
WARM-UP: RANGONI AND CORONEL CHASE MENU
Alain Menu topped the morning warm-up with a lap of 1:47.832
clocked towards the end of the session. Menu outpaced independent
Luca Rangoni (1:48.562) and GR Asia’s Tom Coronel (1:48.769)
who were leading the timesheet only 0.039 seconds apart.
MONTEIRO’S T-SHIRT COLLECTION
A limited edition t-shirt collection was launched by Tiago
Monteiro yesterday titled ‘Monteiro in Motion’.
Carrying on a tradition the Portuguese driver began in Formula
One, a new tshirt will be designed for each FIA WTCC race
and distributed to show his appreciation to everyone that
supports him, especially the press. The designs on the t-shirts
are the work of Portuguese street artist Paulo Arraiano.
MONROE OFFICIAL PARTNER OF WTCC
Monroe, the world’s leading brand of shock
absorbers has become ‘official suspension partner’
and sponsor of the FIA WTCC. The deal was sealed yesterday
at Zandvoort, when the agreement was signed by Jacques Raynaud,
Vice-Chairman of Eurosport and Alex Gelbcke, Vice-President
of Aftermarket Europe, Tenneco Inc.
THEY SAID, THEY SAID…
Alain MENU
“I couldn’t have expected more from the
race, it was almost a dream. I always thought we could get
a podium here but it was unknown how the tyres would wear
over a race. I wanted to be kind on my tyres and therefore
I didn’t push too hard. They did drop off a bit so when
we had the safety car I was slightly concerned. It was good
to have Nicola (Larini) behind me because I knew he wouldn’t
do anything stupid. Everything has come together this weekend
and I believe a lot of the success came form qualifying so
well.”
Nicola LARINI
“The track and car felt good from the first
shake-down and this result for us means I can be confident
for future races. I didn’t have a great start but it
was good enough to keep my position. I didn’t challenge
Alain (Menu), not only because he is my team-mate, but also
because he was just too fast to catch. Behind me was Rangoni
but I wasn’t worried about him until the safety car.
Then I got concerned because my tyres were worn but in the
end it finished perfectly.”
Luca RANGONI
“That was a tough race because mid-way through
I had a problem I couldn’t identify. My grip went and
I lost contact with the two Chevrolets. When the safety car
came out I was able to close them again but then I had to
keep Monteiro behind me.” 2007 FIA World Touring Car
Championship
Zandvoort
Circuit Length = 4.3070 km.
Start: 12:03 End: 12:28
Printed - 12:30 Sunday, 06 May 2007
Race Director: Steward: Timekeeper:
RACE CLASSIFICATION - RACE 1
POS NO CL DRIVER NAT CAR TIME LAPS GAP KPH BEST
Weather/Track: Bright 13°/Dry 27°
1 8 Alain MENU SUI Chevrolet Lacetti 25:12.863 13 133.23
1:48.983
2 7 Nicola LARINI ITA Chevrolet Lacetti 25:13.514 13 0.651
133.17 1:48.915
3 30 I Luca RANGONI ITA BMW 320si 25:13.850 13 0.987 133.14
1:48.858
4 18 Tiago MONTEIRO POR SEAT Leon 25:15.221 13 2.358 133.02
1:48.990
5 3 Augusto FARFUS BRA BMW 320si 25:15.868 13 3.005 132.97
1:48.866
6 19 I Roberto COLCIAGO ITA SEAT Leon 25:18.484 13 5.621 132.74
1:49.381
7 11 Gabriele TARQUINI ITA SEAT Leon 25:18.876 13 6.013 132.70
1:49.398
8 1 Andy PRIAULX GBR BMW 320si 25:19.287 13 6.424 132.67 1:48.969
9 9 Jordi GENE ESP SEAT Leon 25:20.097 13 7.234 132.60 1:49.355
10 2 Jorg MULLER GER BMW 320si 25:20.483 13 7.620 132.56 1:49.929
11 5 Felix PORTEIRO ESP BMW 320si 25:21.025 13 8.162 132.52
1:49.556
12 4 Alessandro ZANARDI ITA BMW 320si 25:23.663 13 10.800
132.29 1:50.136
13 15 James THOMPSON GBR Alfa Romeo 156 25:24.644 13 11.781
132.20 1:49.771
14 23 I Pierre-Yves CORTHALS BEL SEAT Leon 25:24.800 13 11.937
132.19 1:50.227
15 10 Michel JOURDAIN MEX SEAT Leon 25:25.328 13 12.465 132.14
1:50.323
16 16 Olivier TIELEMANS NED Alfa Romeo 156 25:26.357 13 13.494
132.05 1:50.379
17 26 I Stefano D'ASTE ITA BMW 320si 25:26.683 13 13.820 132.03
1:50.645
18 21 I Emmet O'BRIEN IRL SEAT Leon 25:31.500 13 18.637 131.61
1:50.423
19 52 I Viktor SHAPOVALOV RUS BMW 320i 25:38.576 13 25.713
131.00 1:53.092
20 50 I Lev FRIDMAN RUS BMW 320i 25:40.913 13 28.050 130.81
1:53.026
21 51 I Evgeny ZELENOV RUS BMW 320i 25:56.142 12 1 LAP 119.56
1:57.241
NOT CLASSIFIED
6 Robert HUFF GBR Chevrolet Lacetti 13:00.035 7 D.N.F. 139.14
1:49.441
20 Tom CORONEL NED SEAT Leon 12:52.779 6 D.N.F. 120.38 1:49.806
12 Yvan MULLER FRA SEAT Leon 25:30.851 5 N.C.F. 50.64 1:50.483
33 I Miguel FREITAS POR Alfa Romeo 156 8:25.136 3 D.N.F. 92.08
2:06.006
FASTEST LAP
30 I Luca RANGONI BMW 320si 1:48.858 2 142.43kph 88.50mph
3 Augusto FARFUS BMW 320si 1:48.866 2 142.42kph 88.49mph
RACE 2 REPORT
Weather: cloudy, with a cold wind and a slippery track. Crowd:
28,000 over the weekend, 20,000 on Sunday.
FIRST VICTORY FOR TARQUINI AND SEAT
Gabriele Tarquini secured SEAT’s first victory in a
race that was declared wet after light rain fell just before
the start. After he and Andy Priaulx touched at Scheivlak
bend on lap 2, the Italian took the lead for good. Augusto
Farfus came home 2nd ahead of his BMW Team Germany companion
Jörg Müller. Luca Rangoni completed a brilliant
day by winning again the independents’ race and finishing
6th just ahead of his closest competitor Roberto Colciago.
Nicola Larini was also on top form for Chevrolet as he came
from 7th on the grid to finish 4th. Along the way he made
stunning overtaking moves on Roberto Colciago who finished
7th, Priaulx who finished 5th and eventually Rangoni.
On lap 4 Alain Menu, who was lying 8th went off at the Audi
Esses; exactly like his team-mate Rob Huff in race 1. He did
not rejoin. Huff started from the back of the grid along with
Tom Coronel; they crossed the line 13th and 14th respectively.
Félix Porteiro had a successful race, claiming the
final point position for BMW Team Italy-Spain. He and team-mate
Alessandro Zanardi came very close to crashing at the Tarzan
corner before Porteiro squeezed through on lap 5. Three laps
later the Spaniard overtook fellow countryman Jordi Gené
for 9th. To obtain the final point he then had to make a move
on Tiago Monteiro; he did so with two laps to go.
The Alfa Romeo N.technology team had a difficult time. James
Thompson started from the pit lane and fought hard to finish
19th. Dutchman Olivier Tielemans faired slightly better crossing
the chequered flag 17th.
BULLET NEWS
TEAMS STAY FOR TESTING Following the event
at Zandvoort, some of the WTCC teams will stay put at the
Dutch track on Monday for testing. BMW teams Germany and Italy-Spain
are confirmed. BMW Team UK is still to decide. GR Asia is
going to be present but rather than testing for technical
purposes they are treating SEAT Holland boss to some promotional
laps. Weather forecasts say it will be rainy.
THEY SAID, THEY SAID…
Gabriele TARQUINI
“The win is an especially good result considering the
trouble we had with qualifying. We changed things on the brakes
and subsequently the car worked well. I had a great first
race to go from 13th to 7th which meant points and lining
up on the front row for race two. Andy (Priaulx) and I made
contact when I came from the inside. Perhaps he didn’t
see me because he closed in and when we hit he went wide.
Then it was hard to keep the lead with several BMWs behind.
I think the low temperatures helped me because it meant the
tyres lasted longer. In these very slippery conditions the
front wheel drive cars definitely have the edge.”
Augusto FARFUS
“There were plenty of times it might have
been possible to make a move on Tarquini because I was quicker
than him on the infield. I decided to wait until the end of
the race to see if he lost his tyres but the opportunity never
came so I had to settle for second. To be leading the championship
is positive but that also means going to Valencia with a lot
of weight. The challenge of the championship is still out
there for everybody.”
Jörg MÜLLER
“The lights went out extremely quickly for this race.
I, as an old guy, must have better reactions than the younger
ones because I got off at rocket speed and overtook five cars
on the straight. We had a bad day yesterday, but this morning
after the warm-up we completely changed the set-up: springs,
dampers, roll bars, everything. For race two I had the perfect
car. In terms of the championship the past shows I am the
man of the second half of the season so let’s wait and
see.”
Nicola LARINI
“Winning races is always better than anything
else but it’s still been a very positive day for me.
What I achieved in race two was the best result possible.
I didn’t have the speed to overtake the BMWs normally
but when Rangoni and Priaulx made mistakes I was ready to
gain from them. I guess I have to say thank you for their
mistakes!”
Luca RANGONI
“It has been a perfect weekend for me. The second race
was fantastic and I was involved in a great fight. In the
end I decided to leave the fighting to the works drivers because
I am focused on the independent category.”
RACE CLASSIFICATION - RACE 2
POS NO CL DRIVER NAT CAR TIME LAPS GAP KPH BEST
1 11 Gabriele TARQUINI ITA SEAT Leon 22:06.110 12 140.30 1:49.243
2 3 Augusto FARFUS BRA BMW 320si 22:06.559 12 0.449 140.25
1:49.429
3 2 Jorg MULLER GER BMW 320si 22:06.784 12 0.674 140.23 1:49.523
4 7 Nicola LARINI ITA Chevrolet Lacetti 22:07.088 12 0.978
140.20 1:49.321
5 1 Andy PRIAULX GBR BMW 320si 22:07.824 12 1.714 140.12 1:49.291
6 30 I Luca RANGONI ITA BMW 320si 22:08.392 12 2.282 140.06
1:49.564
7 19 I Roberto COLCIAGO ITA SEAT Leon 22:09.574 12 3.464 139.94
1:49.721
8 5 Felix PORTEIRO ESP BMW 320si 22:11.328 12 5.218 139.75
1:49.475
9 18 Tiago MONTEIRO POR SEAT Leon 22:12.461 12 6.351 139.63
1:49.465
10 9 Jordi GENE ESP SEAT Leon 22:13.904 12 7.794 139.48 1:49.673
11 4 Alessandro ZANARDI ITA BMW 320si 22:16.055 12 9.945 139.26
1:49.838
12 12 Yvan MULLER FRA SEAT Leon 22:17.009 12 10.899 139.16
1:49.847
13 6 Robert HUFF GBR Chevrolet Lacetti 22:17.439 12 11.329
139.11 1:49.714
14 20 Tom CORONEL NED SEAT Leon 22:18.302 12 12.192 139.02
1:49.981
15 23 I Pierre-Yves CORTHALS BEL SEAT Leon 22:19.582 12 13.472
138.89 1:50.010
16 10 Michel JOURDAIN MEX SEAT Leon 22:21.092 12 14.982 138.73
1:50.126
17 16 Olivier TIELEMANS NED Alfa Romeo 156 22:24.109 12 17.999
138.42 1:50.076
18 26 I Stefano D'ASTE ITA BMW 320si 22:27.302 12 21.192 138.10
1:50.448
19 15 James THOMPSON GBR Alfa Romeo 156 22:31.190 12 25.080
137.70 1:49.506
20 21 I Emmet O'BRIEN IRL SEAT Leon 22:31.800 12 25.690 137.64
1:50.679
21 33 I Miguel FREITAS POR Alfa Romeo 156 22:45.084 12 38.974
136.30 1:51.694
22 50 I Lev FRIDMAN RUS BMW 320i 23:03.599 12 57.489 134.47
1:52.429
23 52 I Viktor SHAPOVALOV RUS BMW 320i 23:03.884 12 57.774
134.44 1:53.173
24 51 I Evgeny ZELENOV RUS BMW 320i 22:12.844 11 1 LAP 127.96
1:57.323
NOT CLASSIFIED
8 Alain MENU SUI Chevrolet Lacetti 5:40.178 3 D.N.F. 136.73
1:49.969
FASTEST LAP
11 Gabriele TARQUINI SEAT Leon 1:49.243 3 141.93kph 88.19mph
30 I Luca RANGONI BMW 320si 1:49.564 6 141.51kph 87.93mph
|
