Series newsletter 2008-11-07

IMOLA REPLACES MONZA IN WTCC CALENDAR

Wednesday in Paris the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved the changes to the 2009 World Touring Car Championship's calendar.

Two race meetings - Oschersleben and Okayama - have been postponed by one week, to September 6th and November 1st respectively.

The most important change concerns the Italian event that has been moved from Monza to Imola and will take place on September 20th.

MULLER AND TARQUINI FIGHT FOR THE TITLE

SEAT Sport team mates Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini are ready for the shoot out that will decide the 2008 FIA WTCC Drivers' Championship.

They both have obtained three victories during the season so far, but Muller has built a 14-point lead that it won't be easy to be erased with only 20 points still at stake.

WHAT IF.

Yvan Muller wins the title:

- he would be the first French World Champion in circuit racing, 15 years after Alain Prost in the 1993 Formula One Championship
- he would be the fifth French automobile World Champion after Alain Prost (F1), Jean-Louis Schlesser (Sportscars), Didier Auriol and Sebastien Loeb (Rally)

Gabriele Tarquini wins the title:

- he would be the first Italian World Champion in circuit racing, 17 years after Teo Fabi in the 1991 World Sportscars Championship
- he would be the eighth Italian automobile World Champion after Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari (F1), Mauro Baldi and Teo Fabi (Sportscars), Roberto Ravaglia (Touring Cars), Sandro Munari and Miki Biasion (Rally)
- he would be third driver ever to win both the World and the European Touring Car Championships after Roberto Ravaglia and Andy Priaulx

THE FIGHT FOR THE PODIUM POSITIONS

Although they still have theoretical chances to climb up to the second position in the Drivers Championship, Chevrolet's Robert Huff, SEAT Sport's Rickard Rydell and BMW UK's reigning World Champion Andy Priaulx will more likely be fighting for the third position on the final podium. Rydell has won to races so far, against the only victory claimed by Huff and Priaulx. However the Chevrolet driver is one point ahead of his Swedish competitor in the standings, while Priaulx is a further five points adrift.

TANEV JOINS PROTEAM MOTORSPORT

Bulgarian youngster George Tanev will join Proteam Motorsport for the championship final at Macau.

Tanev, who previously took part in the events of Oscherleben, Imola and Monza at the wheel of a Petrol GT Racing Team BMW 320si, will replace Stefano D'Aste at the wheel of one of Proteam's two BMW cars, joining Sergio Hernandez, current leader of the Independents' Trophy.

TEST SESSION ON THURSDAY MORNING

At Macau the FIA WTCC competitors will hit the track for the first time on Thursday, November 13th at 12.20, for a 30-minute test session that will enable them to shake the cars down after the trip from Japan.

FIA BUREAU REJECT RPM ENTRIES

The FIA Touring Car Bureau rejected the applications lodged by Macau-based RPM Racing Team to enter two cars in the FIA World Touring Car Championship final race meeting that will take place at Macau, on November 16th.

The decision issued by the Bureau reads that: "both cars are not in keeping with the spirit of the FIA Super 2000 regulations."

LACETTI GIVES WAY TO CRUZE IN ESTORIL

Chevrolet's 2009 WTCC contender, the Cruze, continued its extensive test and development programme with a first public test at the Portuguese Estoril track on Monday and Tuesday. The test followed on the initial private sessions at the MIRA proving ground in the UK and at Guadix in Spain. The test and development programme will continue throughout the winter at different tracks across southern Europe.

The Portuguese test also marked the very last time the current Chevrolet Lacetti was used in testing. The successful Lacetti will bow out at the season's final races in Macau, after which the team will only concentrate on developing the new Cruze.

COUNTDOWN TO MACAU: - 9 DAYS

-creidt: wtcc