The FIA World Touring Car Championship prepares to celebrate the 100th race since the series in 2005 was launched.
The second race in Porto, on July 5th, will mark this historical moment for the championship, four years and fifty race meetings after the inaugural event that took place at Monza on April 10th, 2005. Since then, the WTCC has constantly grown, becoming more and more attractive and establishing itself as one of the most spectacular, competitive and fans‘ favourite motorsports series.
"We are delighted to celebrate this 100th race, which marks a milestone in the history of our championship. We would like to associate to this jubilee date all partners, sponsors, circuit promoters as well as media who have supported our series since 2005. Special tribute shall be paid to the manufacturers, teams and drivers who provide close battles at each race meeting, offering the fans spectacular and action-packed shows," Marcello Lotti, Managing Director of KSO said.
Figures say it all about the continuous attractiveness and loyalty to the WTCC.
Three out of the four registered manufacturers competing in 2009 were already there in 2005: BMW, Chevrolet and SEAT (LADA only joined the championship this year), while 10 out of this year’s 28 drivers have taken part in all the events from Monza 2005 to Porto 2009.
Since its creation, the WTCC has steadily progressed in all fields, consolidating its strong position alongside the two other FIA World Championships as well as increasing its popularity worldwide. Some of the latest developments this year proved that WTCC plays a pioneering and innovative role in spreading its appeal to fans around the world: from its first successful visit to Africa (Marrakech), to the switch to second generation bio-fuel. The WTCC has also become the first-ever FIA World Championship produced in native High Definition.
All these innovations contribute to the growing popularity and success of the FIA WTCC. As a result, in 2008, a new TV audience record was set with a reach of 350 million viewers around the world throughout the season. In addition, 675,000 spectators enjoyed the races on site.
Like its tagline "Real Cars, Real Racing" implies, the WTCC offers thrilling racing and close competition. This is the reason why more and more motor sport fans around the world become addicted to this championship.
"We are very proud of the tremendous work we have done in the past years with all stakeholders, and we are looking forward to further developing the WTCC. We are building history and future of the world touring cars at the same time!" concluded Marcello Lotti.