FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER # 45 – 15 November 2007
FIRST PART OF TIMETABLE DELAYED BY ONE DAY
Track action for the final event of the 2007 FIA
World Touring Car Championship in Macau has been postponed
by one day due to logistical issues that resulted in a delayed
delivery of spare parts to some of the teams.
The FIA Stewards decided to move the event’s first
two days back by 24 hours. The meeting will now get underway
tomorrow at 4.15 pm local time with the 32 drivers taking
part in a 30-minute test that was originally scheduled at
1.20 pm today. Action will continue on Saturday morning with
two 30-minute free practice sessions at 7.00 am and 12.00
(noon). Then at 4.10 pm the WTCC drivers will hit the track
again for the qualifying session (aired LIVE on Eurosport
International) that will last 45 minutes instead of the usual
30. Extended qualifying sessions already took place in Pau
and Porto, the two other street circuits included in the WTCC
calendar.
The Sunday timetable remains unchanged, with the warm up
at 8.00 am and the two races starting at 12.00 (noon) and
1.20 pm respectively.
WTCC REVISED TIMETABLE
Friday, 16th November 16.15 (09.15 CET) Test session
Saturday, 17th November 07.00 (00.00 CET) Free practice 1
12.00 (03.30 CET) Free practice 2
16.10 (09.10 CET) Qualifying
Sunday, 18th November 08.00 (01.00 CET) Warm Up
12.00 (05.00 CET) Start of Race 1
13.20 (06:30 CET) Start of Race 2
WTCC TEAM WINS MACAU PROMOTIONAL RACE
Wednesday of the race week in Macau is traditionally dedicated
to promotional activities. Yesterday eight WTCC drivers –
Coronel, Farfus, Huff, Larini, Menu, Tarquini, Priaulx and
Yvan Muller – competed against their colleagues from
F3 and bikes in a race at Fisherman’s Wharf on board
pedicabs, Macau’s traditional tricycle taxis. In the
final round, Yvan Muller pedalled the WTCC carriage to victory
with Huff and Tarquini as his passengers. They crossed the
line five seconds ahead of the fastest F3 team despite attempts
from the bikers to block their path. After the race, drivers
and riders posed for pictures and met the fans in an autograph
session.
NEW GEARBOX FOR HUISMAN AND ROSENBLAD
Team AVIVA have changed the gearbox on Duncan Huisman’s
car, from a 6-speed sequential to a 5-speed H pattern. Elgh
Motorsport did the same on Carl Rosenblad’s car. 2
This will result in a huge reduction in the minimum weight
of their BMW cars. Instead of being given 30 extra kilos for
using the sequential gearbox and 60 more because of the Touring
Car Bureau’s decision concerning all the cars running
on the basis of national homologation, Huisman will only receive
the usual 10kg ballast imposed to the newcomers to the championship,
while Rosenblad had already paid this fee on his first appearance
of the season at Anderstorp.
On top of this they will also benefit from the 25kg reduction
granted by the Bureau to rear-wheel drive cars from the beginning
of the season.
This also means that Huisman and Rosenblad are now also eligible
to score championship points.
BMW CONFIRM ALL DRIVERS FOR 2008
BMW announced their programme for the next year, confirming
all the five drivers who have been successful for BMW in the
current season: Andy Priaulx, Augusto Farfus, Jörg Müller,
Félix Porteiro and Alessandro Zanardi.
"The previous 20 races in the championship have shown
that we are very well equipped with this set of drivers,"
said BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. "Therefore,
we see no reason to change. I am certain that our quintet
will also play an important role in the coming season."
For the sixth consecutive season Priaulx will race for BMW
Team UK and RBM Team, while Müller and Farfus will stay
at BMW Team Germany. As for the BMW Team Italy-Spain, they
retain Porteiro and Zanardi.
ENGSTLER ANNOUNCE 2008 WTCC PROGRAMME
After three successful seasons that brought them
two Asian Touring Car Championships (2004 and 2005) and this
year’s ADAC Procar title, German outfit Engstler Motorsport
will move to the FIA WTCC next year.
“In the last three years we have established ourselves
at an international level and achieved all our goals. In this
respect moving to the WTCC is the logical step for us,”
explained team manager Kurt Treml.
With backing by lubricant specialist Liqui Moly, the team
will race with two BMW 320si cars for Franz Engstler (46)
and Andrey Romanov (28) who will be the first Russian to race
the full season in an FIA World Championship.
“We are aware that WTCC is an ambitious programme,
but we are preparing for it in the best way,” commented
Engstler. “We decided to race in Macau to get familiar
with the championship and its challenges. Obviously we cannot
compete with the factory teams, but we aim to be competitive
in the Independents’ Trophy.”
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