25.4.2009 von Wolfgang.

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25.4.2009 von Wolfgang.

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre allowed Panasonic Toyota Racing driver Jarno Trulli to qualify on pole and head up the first ever all-Toyota front row for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Trulli set a time of 1min 33.431secs, almost three tenths ahead of team-mate Timo Glock. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) went third fastest. Track conditions were improved from Friday, with more rubber laid and the temperatures were even hotter. Glock used the super soft tyre to go fastest in the morning practice session with a time of 1min 32.605secs.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was very good for Toyota as both of their cars qualified on the front row, so congratulations to them and Jarno Trulli for his fourth pole position. We saw further progress from Friday’s running with the circuit grip level improved, particularly in the practice session, due to the track being cleared of sand, and more rubber being laid. Qualifying was very exciting through every session, with even the faster cars using the super soft tyre to get through the first qualifying session.”

How are the two compounds working here in Bahrain?
“We are seeing an interesting weekend in terms of tyre performance. The super soft tyre has worked very well so far this weekend. It delivers a good fast lap time on average 0.7 seconds faster than the medium tyre. In terms of degradation the super soft presents an interesting challenge. Some teams can use the super soft for a long stint, however some teams will have to work hard to maintain the super soft from degradation. This means that usage of the super soft tyre will be the key point to the race. The medium tyre takes longer to warm up than the super soft, even in these hot conditions. In the race medium tyre will be very durable, however with a slower ultimate lap time than the super soft.”
Stats of the Day

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

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25.4.2009 von Wolfgang.

Quality trumps quantity! This is certainly the case at today’s test session on the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans, a place so steeped in history that you can almost taste it in the air. Although only a few teams are participating, there has been no shortage of excitement on the track throughout the three classes.

Team Pescarolo Sport enjoyed running at their home track whereas Team Essex demonstrated very promising signs of reliability and high speed and Patrick Dempsey debuted in the very competitive GT2 class.

Although a bright sunshine, a few red flags due to track cleaning-off have slightly thwarted the teams’ work schedules.

Click here to read more

www.lemans-series.com

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25.4.2009 von Wolfgang.

The 5^th and 6^th rounds of the season will be held on May 3^rd in Morocco, at Marrakech’s new street circuit, marking WTCC’s first visit to Africa.
The 4.6-km racetrack has been traced out in the hotel district of Agdal, which lies only a few chilometres South of the Medina, Marrakech’s historical centre. More than 2500 concrete impact blocks and as many debris fence panels have been put in place to bound the track, while the paddock has been paved alongside the walls of the Royal Garden.
The event was launched on Thursday in Marrakech, during a crowded press conference at the Naoura Barrière Hotel and Ryad.
"This is a great event for our city and requires special services and extraordinary measures. Huge efforts have been made to facilitate custom clearance of the teams’ trucks that will arrive at Tangier’s harbour and immigration of WTCC staff, teams’ personnel and international media at Marrakech Menara airport. Special plans have been established for public security and circulation. We have done whatever is possible to guarantee that the event will run smoothly and with success, because the common goal is to help the championship’s and the event’s promoters to extend their deal for a further three years," explained Mounir Chraibi, Waili of the city.

Marrakech will host the championship’s 5^th and 6^th round next week

BMW CARS SPORT NEW LOOK IN MARRAKECH
BMW National Teams’ cars will adopt a new face lift from the next WTCC event in Marrakech. The five 320si machines run by BMW Team Germany for Augusto Farfus and Jörg Müller, BMW Team UK for Andy Priaulx and BMW Team Italy-Spain for Alessandro Zanardi and Sergio Hernández, will sport the new bonnet, headlamps and front bumper with wider air intakes that were tested during last winter in Valencia.
Friedhelm Nohl, BMW Motorsport General Manager for Sports and Touring Cars explained: "The face lift is mainly an optical change. The WTCC cars are based on the normal production cars, and in September 2008 the facelifted version of the BMW 3 Series was launched on the markets. This is the reason why the race version adopts now these modifications as well. The new design will have only some marginal influence on the aerodynamics."

The BMW racing cars adopt the new face lift from the event in Morocco

EUROSPORT COVERAGE FROM MARRAKECH

Saturday, 2^nd: Qualifying - LIVE Eurosport 2, 17.00/18.00
Sunday, 3^rd: Warm up - LIVE Eurosport International, 12.00/12.30
Race 1 - LIVE Eurosport International, 14.45/15.45
Race 2 - LIVE Eurosport International, 15.45/16.45
Tuesday, 5^th: WTCC Magazine Eurosport International, 23.00/23.30

Times are CET (Central European Time)

www.fiawtcc.com

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