ETCC: Valencia: Race day quotes

Gabriele TARQUINI -- AutoDelta Squadra Corse, 1st in Race 1 and 2nd in Race 2
"The races have once again shown that the Alfas really likes this track. We already knew that after the winter tests. But today it was a combination of different factors; the handicap weights on the BMWs certainly helped. The set-up of our three cars was very similar, but in the first race Augusto (Farfus) made a mistake, so Fabrizio (Giovanardi) and I overtook him. I was quicker than Fabrizio and he let me pass. After that, I was in a position to control the race. I actually expected a result like this one, with Alfa so far ahead of the rest. We easily set the fastest times during the winter, and we were also very consistent on the race distance."

Fabrizio GIOVANARDI -- AutoDelta Squadra Corse, 2nd in Race 1 and 1st in Race 2
"I'm really happy today, as I won again after so long. I have to thank Alfa Romeo, of course, because it would be rather difficult to win without them. In the second race I was pushing hard during the first couple of laps, until the tyres got warm, and that made the difference, even though Gabrielle was a little bit faster than me. The car has basically stayed the same over the course of the weekend, but I managed to improve my own performance. I've not been one hundred percent concentrated in the practice sessions. We just have the best car at the moment, and I'll push very hard to win again in Magny Cours."

Augusto FARFUS -- AutoDelta Squadra Corse, 3rd in Race 1 and 3rd in Race 2
"These were two very good races for me. The Alfas were just incredibly strong here! Me, Gabriele and Fabrizio were very close at the start, but then I made a mistake in the third lap and they both overtook me. Still, there was only a second between us. In the second race, I did quite a lot of overtaking. I enjoyed that a lot."

Salvatore TAVANO -- Oregon Team, 8th in Race 1 and 7th in Race 2
"I'm very happy, both for me and for the Oregon Team, that did a great job! I expected a good result when I came here, and I'm pleased that everything worked out so well. It shows that the 2003 Alfa Romeo Gta is still a very competitive car, when it's managed by a professional, though independent team. Valencia has been a good track for us; we'll see what the next few races will bring. But I'm very confident. We might even be in a position to fight for the independent trophy with Tom (Coronel)."

Jordi GENE -- SEAT Sport, DNF in Race 1 and 11th in Race 2
"It was a very disappointing weekend for me and SEAT, because it was our home race, and we could have had a very good result. And we were disappointed also because of the accident that put me and Rickard (Rydell) out of the first race. For me it's clear that Tom (Coronel) caused the accident. In the second race I was having fun overtaking a few cars. When I was chasing Zanardi and Coronel I was struggling with oversteering and while I could close up on them, I wasn't able to overtake them."

Dirk MÜLLER -- BMW Team Deutschland, 5th in Race 1 and 4th in Race 2
"I expected much more, even with the extra weight in the car. We tested here in December and we were just as fast as Alfas, and now they are miles ahead. Even in the second race, when I was fighting lap after lap to catch Farfus, there was no possibility to do it. I tried to put pressure on him and push him into a mistake, but there was absolutely no way to go by. Being best of the rest is not really satisfying for me. I'm looking at the championship, and the Alfas made a really big step forward. We really need to sit down and find out what's going on."

Jan MAGNUSSEN -- Peugeot Sport Engineering, 11th in Race 1 and DNF in Race 2
"We're quite happy with the result from the first race. The car was quite good and we could attack a little bit. I was a bit unlucky in the second race and got into a fight with D'Aste; I went off and then my front suspension broke. That was a shame. But at least we've had a good experience here. We know where we got to go with our work now. We gained a lot of experience and I expect we'll be a lot stronger when we'll come back."

Reiner STIEFEL -- team manager of RS-Line Rotpukt Sport
"Sebastian (Grunert) was very unlucky so far; we had to replace two engines on his car, and he also had transmission problems. We hope it's going to be better for him in Magny-Cours. But today we did a very good job with Klenke. He gave us good feedback and input on the car. We still have a lot to do, but it was a big step ahead. Too big maybe, because now everyone will be expecting us to make another step like this in Magny-Cours. But I don't think we will have a much better package than this in Magny Cours."

-fia/etcc-