Macau: Roal Motorsport preview

14th November 2006 - This weekend, the FIA World Touring Car Championship stages its season finale at the "Guia Circuit" in Macau (CHN). Three drivers of the BMW national teams have the chance to win the drivers' title in rounds 19 and 20 of the series. Furthermore, BMW (221 points) is leading SEAT in the Manufacturers' Championship prior to the races at the former Portuguese colony by ten points.

An impressive total of nine drivers still can be the 2006 World Champion. Defending champion, Andy Priaulx (GBR) of BMW Team UK, is currently ranked second in the drivers' classification, having 59 points under his belt. For the season finale, the 32-year-old gets a team-mate: Jan Magnussen (DEN) will support BMW in the title fight at the wheel of the BMW 320si WTCC.

The two BMW Team Germany drivers, Jörg Müller (GER) and Dirk Müller (GER), are also hoping to emerge as the 2006 champion. Jörg Müller is on equal points with Priaulx and holds third position in the championship.

Dirk Müller is set to leap to the front and make up the seven-point gap to championship leader, Augusto Farfus (BRA). BMW Team Italy-Spain's Alesandro Zanardi (ITA) and Duncan Huisman (NLD) also want to score a good result in Macau, thus aiding BMW to win the title.

The two WTCC rounds will both be 9-lap races, representing a total distance of 55.053 kilometres per race. Race one will start on Sunday at 11:05hrs local time (3:05hrs CET), the lights go off for race two at 12:15hrs (4:15hrs CET).

Alessandro Zanardi
"Last year I experienced that everything is possible in Macau. Following a really difficult qualifying, I started race one from 24th position. Over the course of two races, however, I managed to benefit from the many incidents on the track, thus gaining ground. Finally, I was able to finish the second race in fourth place, which was a satisfying end of the season. I'm highly motivated to do this again in 2006. It's my goal to score many points for BMW in the final races of the season, in order to bring the Manufacturers' Championship home".

Duncan Huisman
"Macau is the most exciting track in the world. For me it's a mixture of Monaco and the infamous Nürburgring-Nordschleife. We reach the highest top-speeds of the season there, and on the other hand, overtaking is prohibited in the extremely slow Melco hairpin. That's unique. I have won in Macau four times. So it's not necessary to mention that I like this circuit. The crucial corner is Lisboa. There have been some accidents in 2005 as well. It will be all about keeping out of all the turmoil, although that's hardly possible in Macau".

-credit: www.roal-motorsport.com