FIA WTCC NEWSLETTER # 40 – 12 October 2007
TITLE FIGHT GOES TO THE WIRE
52,000 fans gathered last Sunday at the Monza circuit for
the last European meeting of the FIA WTCC. They attended two
frantic races and showed their enthusiasm by invading the
track at the end of the second race and crowding under the
podium to cheer the winners.
The two Italian races sanctioned the effectiveness of the
diesel power, as the SEAT León TDI cars claimed two
more victories, with Yvan Muller and Jordi Gené respectively.
But performances at Monza were extremely balanced with drivers
of Alfa Romeo, BMW and Chevrolet on the pace with their SEAT
colleagues.
James Thompson and Nicola Larini obtained podium results
for Alfa Romeo and Chevrolet respectively. Augusto Farfus
could have done the same for BMW without a collision at the
start of Race 2 that sent him off. His fellow drivers Andy
Priaulx and Jörg Müller were also eliminated in
different incidents, which left the three BMW’s top-men
with only two points, collected by Farfus in the first race.
These results meant an upheaval of the Drivers’ Championship’s
classification, with Priaulx rejoined by Yvan Muller in the
lead, and Thompson squeezing between Farfus and Jörg
Müller in fourth position.
The fight for the World Title goes to the wire once again,
with six drivers still in contention, including Larini whose
20-point gap makes his chances more theoretical than concrete.
For the third consecutive year the championship will be decided
on the streets of Macau, where rounds 21 and 22 will be held
on November 18th.
LAUNCH OF THE 54th MACAU GRAND PRIX
The 54th Macau Grand Prix was launched today at Macau; the
event will include the FIA World Touring Car Championship’s
final meeting as well as the 25th edition of the FIA Formula
3 Intercontinental Cup and the 41st Macau Motorcycle Grand
Prix. During a crowded press conference held at the Fisherman’s
Warf Convention Centre, Dr Fernando Chui San Oi, Secretary
for Social Affairs and Culture, stated: “As one of the
major sports tourism attractions, over the last 54 years the
Macau Grand Prix has been an essential tool with which to
boost the development of the city’s tourism, enhancing
the promotion of the non-gaming entertainment sector, while
playing an important role in promoting Macau’s image
as a tourism city worldwide.”
Engineer João Manuel Costa Antunes, coordinator of
the Macau Grand Prix Committee, commented on the third appearance
of the FIA WTCC in Macau: “Since its inception, the
FIA WTCC has been decided at Macau. We are thrilled that this
year we will once again host the title decider and we are
also very pleased to announce that long-time Macau Grand Prix
supporter, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM), will be again
the title sponsor for the FIA WTCC Guia Race of Macau.”
According to the Macau Grand Prix Committee, ticket pre-sales
for the event have increased by five per cent compared to
last year.
ZANARDI IN THE NEW YORK MARATHON
Alessandro Zanardi is ready for another outstanding exploit:
he will take part in the ING New York City Marathon on November
4th, riding a hand-bike. “I’m ambassador of Barilla,
who is a sponsor of the event. They wanted to involve me in
the Pasta Party they organise on the Saturday night for thousands
of runners. And I said that if I had to be there I might as
well take part in the marathon.”
Have you ever done anything like that before? “No,
but I have done a lot of crazy things before and always eat
and train like an athlete. I feel like saying that I won’t
only cross the start line, but the finish line too. And I
hope I can make it to the end in good condition and in a good
time, my goal is to finish in less than two hours.”
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