Oschersleben: Series preview

MAX BALLAST FOR MULLER & MULLER

Current championship leader, SEAT Sport's Yvan Muller, and BMW Team Germany's Jorg Muller, the winner of the first race in Brands Hatch, will both carry the maximum 70kg success ballast in Oschersleben.

Gabriele Tarquini, who is trailing fellow SEAT man Muller in the Driver's Championship by one point, will be one kilo lighter. While BMW Team Italy-Spain's Felix Porteiro and Chevrolet's Alain Menu get 64 and 59 kilos of ballast respectively, with Alessandro Zanardi and Andy Priaulx both on 54.

A total of twenty-two drivers will have success ballast in Estoril, including Proteam Motorsport's team-mates Stefano D'Aste and Sergio Hernandez who appear for the first time in the ballast list because of the championship points they scored in Brands Hatch's second race.

Success ballast - Germany

70 kg Y. Muller, J. Muller
69 kg G. Tarquini
64 kg F. Porteiro
59 kg A. Menu
54 kg A. Zanardi, A. Priaulx
48 kg R. Rydell
36 kg R. Huff
34 kg J. Gene
30 kg A. Farfus , N. Larini, G. Tanev, A. Biter, K. Poulsen, M. Colak
24 kg T. Monteiro
14 kg T. Coronel
3 kg J. Thompson
2 kg S. D'Aste
1 kg O. Tielemans, S. Hernandez

BULGARIAN TEAM READY FOR DEBUT

The Petrol GT Racing Team and George Tanev are ready to make their first apperance in the WTCC at Oschersleben. This will mark the first ever Bulgarian entry in an FIA automobile World Championship.

The 25-year old Tanev is the current leader of the Bulgarian Touring Car Championship; at Oschersleben he will drive a BMW 320si, a former BMW Team Italy-Spain's test car.

The team have planned to join the WTCC again in Imola and Monza later in the current season.

TWO CARS FOR WIECHERS-SPORT

The German Wiechers-Sport outfit will enter a second car for their home race meeting in Oschersleben.

After they were forced to skip the previous event in Brands Hatch the team have planned to race a couple of BMW 320si machines.

24-year old Dutchman Olivier Tielemans is due to take back the wheel of the #16 car, while the name of the second driver will be announced in the next days.

CHANGE OF PLANS FOR GOLDEN MOTORS

The Russian team Golden Motors have changed their plan to join the championship again in Oschersleben, Imola and Monza. Due to sponsor-related reasons, the two Honda Accord cars of Andrey Smetsky and Alexander Lvov will finish the season in the Finnish Super Touring Championship (in which Lvov is currently third) before taking part in the FIA European Touring Car Cup at Salzburg.

EUROSPORT COVERAGE FROM OSCHERSLEBEN

Saturday, 30th:
Qualifying Eurosport 2, 19.00/19.45

Sunday, 31st;
Warm up - LIVE Eurosport International, 08.45/09.15
Race 1 - LIVE Eurosport 2, 11.45/12.45
Race 1 - highlights Eurosport International, 15.00/15.30
Race 2 - LIVE Eurosport International, 15.30/16.30

Times are CET (Central European Time)

COUNTDOWN: - 9 DAYS

-credit: fiawtcc.com