TARQUINI FLIES TO SECURE POLE POSITION
Gabriele Tarquini (1:38.265) claimed his second pole of the season for SR-Sport in Zolder today after rain brought an early end to proceedings. Teammate Jordi Gené (1:38.430) will line up alongside him on the grid for Race 1 while Chevrolet’s Alain Menu (1:38.494) will start third.
Norbert Michelisz (1:39.072) finished top rookie in sixth for the Zengö-Dension Team while local racer Pierre-Yves Corthals (1:39.610) was top Independent in 13^th on his season debut for Exagon Engineering.
After a closely fought Q1 with the top ten covered by less than 0.4-seconds, the drivers only had chance for one flying lap in Q2 before the heavens opened making it impossible for anyone to improve.

Q1 – On a dry track Andy Priaulx was quickest out the box with his first time of 1:39.349 already much faster than any time this weekend so far. As the times continued to drop, the final minutes saw a jostle for positions with Michelisz improving on his final run to knock SR-Sport’s Tom Coronel out of the top ten.
Darryl O’Young was in the top ten for the majority of Q1 following his promising start to the weekend. However, as the top drivers improved further he ended 14^th with a time of 1:39.824. Belgium’s Vincent Radermecker (1:40.003) will start 16^th for Chevrolet.
The top ten going forward into Q2 were Menu, Monteiro, Tarquini, Priaulx, Muller, Gené, Michelisz, Farfus, Barth and Huff.
Corthals clocked the 13^th fastest lap, emerging as the best of the Independents ahead of O’Young and Kristian Poulsen.

Q2 – The 10-minute Q2 session was over quickly as after eight of the top ten had only recorded their first flying laps the rain began to fall. All but the BMW Team RBM cars had set a fast time before the rain fell with Farfus and Priaulx’s decision to wait costing them dearly.
The final order after one flying lap was therefore Tarquini from Gené, Menu, Muller, Michelisz, Barth, Monteiro, Priualx and Farfus. With the track now wet Tarquini’s second pole position of the season, following his first at Marrakech last month, was secured.

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Augusto Farfus (1:40.096) topped the timesheets in testing for his BMW Team RBM’s local event this afternoon in Zolder, finishing ahead of Yvan Muller (1:40.259) and teammate Andy Priaulx (1:40.311).
Testing got underway at Circuit Zolder today as the World Touring Car Championship makes its first ever visit to the Belgian racetrack this weekend. Brazil’s Farfus was consistently at the sharp end but it was his final lap of the session that jumped him from fifth to first as the chequered flag came out. It was a good start to the weekend for BMW Team RBM, who is based less than a 150 km up the road in Mechelen, with Priaulx also in the top three. Bamboo-engineering’s Darryl O’Young leapt up the order in the second half of the session, recording a time of 1:40.507 to end fourth, topping the Independents‘ and Rookie categories in his Chevrolet Lacetti. SR-Sport’s Tom Coronel (1:40.647) rounded out the top five.
After spending the middle portion of the session in the pits, Chevrolet’s Rob Huff (1:40.883) posted the sixth quickest time ahead of teammate Alain Menu (1:40.961). After being quickest at the halfway point, Jordi Gené (1:41.123) ended the afternoon eighth in his SEAT León TDI with reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini posting exactly the same time down to a thousandth of a second around the 4-km circuit.
Local hero Vincent Radermecker (1:41.244) rounded out the top ten on his season debut for Chevrolet, while his fellow countryman Pierre-Yves Corthals set the 21^st fastest lap (1:43.279).
The 30-minute session was free of any major incidents with Sergio Hernández spinning his BMW 320si at Turn 1 in the closing minutes.
Augusto Farfus commented: "It’s a great start to the weekend. Obviously it is just the beginning so there is a long way to go and we were lucky to get a good clear lap this afternoon but everything is looking fine."

Farfus‘ BMW was the fastest car in today’s testing at Zolder

O’YOUNG CREATES THE FIRST SURPRISE AT ZOLDER
Bamboo-engineering’s Darryl O’Young clocked a suprising fourth fastest lap in today’s test session that marked the team’s first appearance at the Belgian racetrack.
"The team did a fantastic job. It’s the first time they and the Chevrolet Lacetti have been to the circuit and they did a great job to give me a good set up right from the beginning. I have been to the circuit before, last year in FIA GT, so I know the track but we do have a few things we need to fine tune still. Overall the car felt good and we were on the pace so I’m really happy with Chevrolet. The grip was pretty low as the track was dirty so everyone will go quicker this for sure. We are going to have to keep working hard to keep up there but there is definitely still time to be found," commented the Chinese driver.

Darryl O’Young set the 4^th fastest lap in the bamboo-engineering Chavrolet

2010 WTCC SETTLES ON 11 RACE MEETINGS
The current FIA WTCC season will remain with the eleven already confirmed events.
The possibility to replace the Mexican meeting – that was originally scheduled at Puebla on April 21^st – has finally been dropped after the negotiations with interested event promoters did not meet with the championship’s logistic and promotional requirements.
Marcello Lotti, CEO of KSO explained: "We did not find the conditions to seal a satisfactory agreement, and taking into account that this is a season affected by the global crisis, we thought it was better to settle on eleven events."

iOPENER HELPS ONLINE GAMERS TO RACE AT ZOLDER
The WTCC rounds in Zolder will be the first FIA races in which gamers worldwide, sitting behind their own PC, will be able to race live against the real drivers using iOpener enabled technology.
After months of preparation and testing of the systems in practice and regional races, the iOpener enabled technology will be used for the first time live in an official FIA event.
"We are extremely proud that we can offer gamers from all over the globe the option to virtually participate live in a world championship race. And all that in real-time!" said Andy Lürling, Group President of iOpener.
With highly accurate satellite navigation and high-performance software algorithms the real and the virtual are merged. The iOpener enabled racing game plots the real drivers‘ real times in the game and allows gamers to join the race.
Tom Coronel is one of the drivers chosen to be challenged by online gamers: "It is a huge kick to experience the new competitors. You not only need to keep an eye on the guys on the track, but you continuously wonder whether someone online is quicker than you! They will have the same car as me, so everything will be down to the driving skill."
Join the WTCC races at Zolder visiting www.realtime-racing.com!

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The 7^th and 8^th rounds of the 2010 FIA WTCC will take place at Zolder next week.
This event marks the championship’s first visit to the 4-km racetrack, that was home to the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix between 1973 and 1982. It will also be the WTCC’s return to Belgium after its only visit, in 2005 at Spa-Francorchamps.
Back in 2001, Zolder hosted one meeting of the reborn FIA European Touring Car Championship that was split in two separate categories.
Gabriele Tarquini (Honda Accord) and Fabrizio Giovanardi (Alfa Romeo 156) shared victories in the Super Touring championship, while Duncan Huisman (BMW 320i) won the Super Production race.

The FIA touring cars return to Zolder nine years after the 2001 ETCC

40 KG OF EXTRA WEIGHT FOR CRUZE AND LEÓN
The Chevrolet Cruze and the SEAT León TDI remain the heaviest cars of the field. Like in the previous event at Monza, in Zolder they will again carry the maximum compensation weight of 40 kilos.
The compensation weight has been determined by the lap times set in Brazil, Morocco and Italy. According to this calculation, the León TDI emerged as the fastest car, one tenth faster than the Cruze and half-a-second faster than the BMW 320si. The German cars, that ran in Monza with no compensation weight on board, have been imposed 20 extra kilos for the Belgian event.
The Chevrolet Lacetti and Kristian Poulsen’s BMW (an old model) will have 20kg deducted from their minimum weight, while Pierre-Yves Corthals‘ petrol-powered SEAT León TFSI will also run on the maximum compensation weight because Zolder marks the first appearance of this model car during the current season.

Compensation weight Zolder
+ 40 kg SEAT León TDI, Chevrolet Cruze LT, SEAT León TFSI
+ 20 kg BMW 320si
– 20 kg Chevrolet Lacetti, BMW 320si (old model)

SEAT León TDI and Chevrolet Cruze remain the heaviest cars in Zolder

ENDURANCE FEVER FOR TOURING CAR DRIVERS
WTCC drivers are used to sprint races. However, sometimes they take also part in long distance competitions.
Last week Chevrolet’s racers Rob Huff and Vincent Radermecker claimed an outstanding result in the 12 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, part of the Belgian Touring Car Series. Sharing a Volvo S60 car with Eric van de Poele, they finished in a brilliant second place, losing a comfortable lead after a late safety car intervention.
This weekend Augusto Farfus, Andy Priaulx and Tom Coronel will compete in the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While the Dutchman joined the Spyker Squadron to share a Spyker C8 with Jeroen Bleekemolen and Peter Dumbreck, Farfus and Priaulx are at the wheel of BMW M3 works cars. The Brazilian is teaming up with Jörg Müller and Uwe Alzen, the Briton joins Dirk Müller and Dirk Werner.

TARQUINI TO RACE IN BUENOS AIRES 200KM
Reigning World Champion Gabriele Tarquini has signed for Argentine top team Equipo Petrobras to take part in the Buenos Aires 200KM, the 11th round of the TC2000 championship that will take place on November 7^th.
Tarquini will share a Honda Civic car with Argentine raising star José María López, winner of two back to back TC2000 titles in 2008 and 2009.
"I’m really happy for this opportunity. I had positive comments about the race from my European colleagues who took part in previous years. And I am flattered at having received a proposal from the champion team to share the car with Péchito López. I know he is very fast and I followed sympathetically his failed attempt to join F1. That matter made us united someway, as I also signed an F1 contract with a team – First Racing – that never raced." said Tarquini.
Team principal Victor Rosso commented: "It is a great honour for us to have such an experienced and competitive driver joining our team. We are extremely happy to enter a team formed by the reigning champions in the world and the Argentine touring cars."

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With three back-to-back world championships achieved (from 2005 to 2007), BMW Team RBM’s Andy Priaulx is undoubtedly one of the most effective and consistent players in the FIA WTCC.
His recent victory in the second race at Monza, not only enabled him to close in on the championship leader Yvan Muller of Chevrolet, but also meant that the Briton was the first driver to go beyond the 500-point mark.
Since 2005 Priaulx started all the 116 WTCC races held so far, finishing 106 of them, claiming 14 wins (just one short of his current team-mate Augusto Farfus) and scoring 505 points (4.35 on the average per race).
According to the all-time scorers statistics, Muller and SEAT Customers Technology’s Gabriele Tarquini are placed immediately behind Priaulx. No wonder they both were also crowned world champions.
The Frenchman who won the 2008 title has collected 480 points over 94 races; however, because he did not join the championship until 2006, his 5.10 points average per race is better than Priaulx’s.
Tarquini, the reigning champion, is on 465 points over 113 races or 4.11 per race.

Andy Priaulx was the first driver to score more than 500 WTCC points

TURKINGTON JOINS WTCC FROM PORTUGAL
Reigning British Touring Car Champion, Colin Turkington, confirmed today he signed up for an initial three rounds of this year’s WTCC – and may be running further rounds.
Turkington plans to join the grid for the WTCC round in Portimão, followed by Brands Hatch and Brno at the wheel of a BMW 320si car run by West Surrey Racing.
"I feel this is a natural progression for me after last year’s victory in BTCC," said Turkington. "We were bitterly disappointed when we were unable to compete in a full programme. This opportunity – initially for three rounds – has been made possible through the support of a group of sponsors. We are really grateful to them and hopefully, with further support from others, we may be able to make additional rounds towards the end of the season."
The Irishman added: "This is part of our plan to target a full programme in 2011. We will be working hard over the coming months to demonstrate the WTCC is a fantastic event with which to be associated as a sponsor and will be speaking with a number of organisations in the hope they will come on board for next year."
WSR Team Principal, Dick Bennetts, commented: "We are all really looking forward to seeing how Colin and the team go in the WTCC. The guys have nearly finished rebuilding his BMW and we are just waiting on a fresh engine and some parts from BMW Motorsport, before doing some testing prior to our first race in Portimão."
Turkington and WSR are not new to WTCC as they took part in two events back in 2008 at Brands Hatch and Macau, claiming one 3^rd and one 4^th in their home race meeting.

Colin Turkington claimed a podium on his first WTCC appearance in 2007

PROTEAM DUO LEADS INDEPENDENTS‘ TROPHY
The Proteam Motorsport duo of Sergio Hernández and Stefano D’Aste is leading the WTCC Independents‘ Trophy after the first three events. They have both been crowned Independents‘ champions in the past: Hernández in 2008 for Proteam and D’Aste in 2007, when racing for Wiechers-Sport.
The latest race meeting in Monza provided ups and downs for the two drivers. D’Aste struggled in qualifying, but then shone in both races. He finished third in Race1, but was promoted to second following Bennani’s penalty, and later claimed his first victory of the season in Race 2.
His Spanish team-mate remained in the pits for most of the time during Friday’s testing and Saturday’s practice due to technical issues. In spite of this he completed both races, collecting 10 points that propelled him on top, with a gap of 5 ahead of D’Aste.
Their rivals are close behind: Mehdi Bennani and Franz Engstler are one and two further points adrift respectively, while Harry Vaulkhard lies fifth, with a 9-point gap from the leader.

SEAT DRIVERS DOMINATE ROOKIE CHALLENGE
The first three events of the season have seen a domination by SEAT drivers in the new Rookie Challenge. Making the most out of track layouts that favoured their TDI cars, Fredy Barth, Michel Nykjær and Norbert Michelisz have won all the six races held so far and built a comfortable margin ahead of Mehdi Bennani and his BMW.
At the wheel of his León car backed by SEAT Switzerland, Barth has already claimed four race victories and leads the standings with 48 points. During the latest meeting at Monza, Norbert Michelisz broke his winning duck by taking victory in Race 2; now Zengö-Dension Team’s Hungarian youngster chases Barth with a gap of just 5 points.
Nykjær – winner of the second race at Curitiba – saw an amazing overall victory in Monza vanishing because of a tyre failure. However, he is only two further points adrift.

HUFF JOINS RADERMECKER IN SPA 12 HOURS
Chevrolet WTCC drivers Rob Huff and Vincent Radermecker will take part in the 12 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, part of the the Belgian Touring Car Series (BTCS).
Huff and Radermecker will join former Formula One driver and local hero Eric Van de Poele at the wheel of a Vovo S60 silhouette car.
"I am delighted to have this opportunity to go back to Spa-Francorchamps. It is a magnificent track and the 12 Hours is a very nice event, with many cars and an enthusiastic crowd. I raced there in 2005, it was my first time in Spa. This time I am going to enjoy the experience and support Vincent and Eric in their BTCS campaign." said Huff.
Radermecker, who will join the Chevrolet WTCC team in Zolder driving a fourth Cruze, echoed: "The 12 Hours is quite an event for BTCS, and in terms of points can make the difference in the title fight, so it is important for Eric and me to do well there. Having with us a fast and motivated driver such as Rob will definitely be a plus. I am sure we will be competitive."

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The first three events of the 2010 FIA WTCC proved that all three car Manufacturers represented in the championship are fighting on equal ground, in qualifying and in the races.
BMW, Chevrolet and SEAT Customers Technology have equally shared pole positions (one each) and race wins (two each).
Chevrolet’s Yvan Muller claimed pole and Race 1 victory at the season opener in Brazil, with Gabriele Tarquini (SEAT CT) emerging as the winner in the second race. The Italian remained on top in Marrakech, setting pole position and winning the first race, while BMW’s Andy Priaulx won the second one.
Last week in Monza, Priaulx’s team-mate Augusto Farfus was fastest in qualifying and on Sunday, Priaulx and Muller shared victories.
The championship classifications reflect this balance. Muller leads the Drivers‘ by 24 points, while Tarquini and Rob Huff are joint second. Priaulx lies fourth, only two points adrift.
In the Manufacturers standings Chevrolet, SEAT Customers Technology and BMW are covered by just 35 points.

SEAT, Chevrolet and BMW cars are fighting on equal ground

PERNÍA SCORES ON HIS MAIDEN APPEARANCE
Argentine driver Leonel Pernía managed to score his first WTCC point on his maiden appearance, despite everything – circuit, team, car and tyres – being totally new to him.
After a cautious approach at the wheel of the fourth Chevrolet Cruze car, run by the Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden team, Pernía improved consistently throughout the Monza weekend.
The Argentine had a puncture in the late stages of the first race, stopping in the gravel trap of the Parabolica while he was running 11^th. He therefore started Race 2 from the back of the grid but made a brilliant recovery to move up to 10^th position. His fastest lap of 2:02.582 was only seven-hundredths slower than the race winner Yvan Muller’s.
"I had some exciting battles in the middle of the pack in Race 1. Starting from the back in Race 2, I managed to follow Alain (Menu) and move ahead of all the privateers to score a world championship point. This was the reward of an amazing weekend: I must thank Chevrolet and the entire team for this opportunity. Having had my first run with the car during Friday’s testing session, this was the best I could hope for in my first racing experience outside Argentina," commented Pernía who returned to Argentina and the Equipo Petrobras to take part this weekend in the TC2000 round at Alta Gracia.

First WTCC point for Argentine racer Leonel Pernía in the Chevrolet Cruze

NYKJÆR CLOSE TO MAIDEN VICTORY
SUNRED’s Michel Nykjær was very close to become the second driver in WTCC history to win a race in a non-factory car last Sunday in Monza. Something that only Tom Coronel managed to do when he claimed victory at Okayama in 2008.
In the second race on the Italian track, the Danish driver was denied a resounding result when the front-left tyre of his SEAT León TDI car exploded at the Roggia chicane during the last lap. Nykjær, who had lost fifth place in Race 1 under similar circumstances, had no other options than to stop and hand the lead to Yvan Muller.
Though disappointed he said: "We had the speed, the car was behaving perfectly, and I had already stopped pushing when the puncture happened. I have proved that I am quick enough to win a race, now I just need to do it. I will have another try in Zolder!"

Michel Nykjær leads the second race at Monza from Yvan Muller

BAMBOO DRIVERS SHINE IN ITALY
Last weekend in Monza, bamboo-engineering drivers Harry Vaulkhard and Darryl O’Young had their best WTCC weekend so far with their Chevrolet Lacetti cars run by the British team, proving they can compete with the BMWs for the Independents‘ Trophy lead.
On Saturday O’Young set pole position, claiming a brilliant 12^th place overall and beating his team-mate by two-tenths. The Chinese driver was unlucky at the start of the first race, clashing with Kristian Poulsen’s BMW soon after the rolling start.
Vaulkhard crossed the finish line in second place, after a tough battle with Proteam’s Stefano D’Aste and Sergio Hernández, but then inherited victory when Mehdi Bennani was imposed a 30-second time penalty for cutting a chicane.
In the second race O’Young made a great recovery, finishing a close second behind local hero D’Aste, while Vaulkhard completed the podium.

Harry Vaulkhard chased by his bamboo-racing team-mate Darryl O’Young

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MULLER AND CHEVROLET JUMP INTO THE LEAD
Monza was benevolent with Chevrolet that made the most out of today’s races on the Italian superfast racetrack. The blue-and-white cars collected one victory (with Yvan Muller in the second race), two third places (with Rob Huff) and a number of points that propelled the Frenchman into the lead of the Drivers‘ Championship and the American brand to the top of the Manufacturers‘.
As usual the WTCC races in Monza were extremely exciting and were both decided on the last laps, when a combination of speed and hot asphalt took its toll on the leading drivers with of front-left tyres exploding.
Gabriele Tarquini and Huff were fighting for victory in the first race when they both dropped down presenting an unexpected 1-2 finish to BMW drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus.
The same fate hit Michel Nykjær on the last lap of Race 2 after he had created a gap. As the Dane stopped, Muller inherited his second win of the season and jumped on top of the standings with a 24-point margin ahead of Tarquini and Huff.
Chevrolet leads the Manufacturers, closely followed by SEAT Customers Technology and BMW.
Mehdi Bennani missed a great opportunity to take the lead in the Independents‘ Trophy. The young North African was stripped of his Race 1 victory for straight-cutting a chicane, and in the second race he received a drive through for a clear jump start. His problems, combined with Franz Engstler’s engine failure, enabled Sergio Hernández to climb on top ahead of his team mate Stefano D’Aste.
Fredy Barth scored another victory (his fourth so far) in the Rookie Challenge, while Norbert Michelisz claimed his maiden win in the second race.
The championship will resume for rounds 7 and 8 at Zolder, Italy, on June 20^th

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FARFUS TAKES FIRST POLE FOR BMW
Augusto Farfus claimed the first pole position of the season for BMW with a lap time of 2:00.672, one year on from his last pole position at Brno. The Brazilian will line up alongside Chevrolet’s Rob Huff (2:00.697) on the front row with BMW Team RBM fellow driver Andy Priaulx in third (2:00.807)
Top rookie Norbert Michelisz (2:01.731) will start eighth overall with bamboo-engineering scoring a 1-2 in the Independents‘ class with Darryl O’Young (2:02.186) finishing 12^th overall, ahead of team mate Harry Vaulkhard (2:02.384) in 14^th.

Q1 – As the 20-minute session began, Huff took provisional pole for Chevrolet as most of the field headed out for their first runs. Huff had a 0.436-second lead at the halfway point but as the cars completed their second sets of laps, Tarquini edged ahead with a time of 2:00.690.
Sergio Hernández’s problems continued into qualifying as the Proteam Motorsport crew worked on his car for a large part of Q1. He eventually got on track to record a quickest time of 2:04.260 but down in 20^th.
Franz Engstler spun at the second chicane early in the session before running wide later on at the second Lesmo.
The top ten going forward into Q2 was Tarquini, Huff, Muller, Monteiro, Priaulx, Michelisz, Menu, Farfus, Barth and Gené.

Q2 – In the ten minute shootout the field of ten cars stayed close together on the high speed Italian track as team work and slipstreaming is crucial to getting a good grid position.
On the first lap out Tarquini and Barth both ran wide kicking up the dirt at the second Lesmo. Farfus took the provisional pole position which he then never relinquished. After the first two runs Farfus led from Huff and Priaulx with Priaulx also running wide at the second Lesmo. The top drivers didn’t improve on their final run leaving Menu (2:00.899) fourth from Muller (2:01.078), Gené (2:01.400) and Tarquini (2:01.544).
Norbert Michelisz lost time with the cars running wide at the Lesmos ahead of him, but still posted a time of 2:01.731 to start tomorrow’s race eighth and top rookie. Fredy Barth (2:01926) will start ninth with Tiago Monteiro (2:01.927) rounding out the top ten.

GRID PENALTY FOR TIAGO MONTEIRO
SR-Sport driver Tiago Monteiro posted the 10^th fastest lap in today’s qualifying. However he will start from the 15^th spot on the grid for tomorrow’s Race 1 at Monza.
The Portuguese driver was handed a 5-grid position penalty for repeatedly cutting the first chicane and improving his lap time during the Q1 session.

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The World Touring Car Championship descended on Monza today, to begin the European leg of the 2010 season which starts with the WTCC Yokohama Race of Italy this weekend.
Set in the picturesque Villa Reale park north of Monza, testing got underway this afternoon on the 5.793 kilometre Autodromo Nazionale with BMW Team RBM’s Augusto Farfus leading the way.
The Brazilian made steady progress throughout the session regaining the top spot with just over 10-minutes to go and improving in the final seconds to record a best lap of 2:01.491.
It was a good start for all the manufacturers with Yvan Muller finishing the session second (2:01.831) in his Chevrolet Cruze and Tom Coronel rounding out the top three in his SEAT León TDI (2:01.992). Chevrolet’s Rob Huff (2:02.152) and Alain Menu (2:02.223) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Huff and Muller were two of the drivers to cut the first chicane as the field got to grips with the high speed challenge of Monza during the 30-minute session. Defending champion Gabriele Tarquini (2:02.323) posted the sixth fastest time while team mate Jordi Gené (2:02.364) was seventh.
Danish newcomer Michel Nykjær (2:02.667) was the best of the rookies finishing eighth overall, while Stefano D’Aste (2:03.200) was the top Independent in ninth. Hungarian rookie Norbert Michelisz (2:03.435) rounded out the top ten.
On his first outing for Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden, Argentine newcomer Leonel Pernía finished thirteenth with a time of 2:03.664 in his Chevrolet Cruze LT.
It was a mixed afternoon for BMW Team RBM with Farfus ending on top while team mate, and Marrakech race winner, Andy Priaulx had a brake disk explode at the end of the straight. He cut the chicane to avoid hitting Menu who was just ahead, before crawling back to the pit lane.
Rookie Challenge racer Fredy Barth had oil pressure problems so stopped out on track early and then pitted to avoid any further damage to his SEAT León TDI. Moroccan Independent racer Mehdi Bennani stopped out on track, but with gearbox problems. Sergio Hernández did not take part in the session due to technical problems with his BMW 320si, which the team are still investigating.

Augusto Farfus and his BMW 320si posted the fastest lap today in Monza

NYKJÆR FASTEST IN THURSDAY’S TEST
Just a handful of WTCC independent and rookie drivers took part in Thursday’s private test at Monza ahead of the Race of Italy this weekend.
Sunred’s Michel Nykjær drove his SEAT León TDI car in six out of the seven sessions, completing 61 laps and posting the day’s fastest lap time of 2:02.409.
Mehdi Bennani of Wiechers-Sport completed an even longer test, covering 72 laps split across the seven sessions. The best lap of the Moroccan’s BMW 320si was 2:02.993, which was the second fastest time of the day.
Other drivers who participated in the test were: Franz Engstler (47 laps, best 2:03.304), Fredy Barth (50 laps, best 2:03.320), Stefano D’Aste (11 laps, best 2:04.686) and Andrei Romanov (60 laps, best 2:04.989).

FOURTH CHEVROLET FOR RADERMECKER AT ZOLDER
After running Argentine guest driver Leonel Pernía this weekend in Monza, the Chevrolet team will enter a fourth Cruze car once again in the WTCC Race of Belgium at Zolder; this time for local hero Vincent Radermecker.
Radermecker is not new to Chevrolet. The 42-year old from Liège claimed the 2006 ADAC Procar Championship in Germany at the wheel of a Maurer Motorsport Chevrolet Lacetti that he also drove in two rounds of that year’s WTCC. He was also crowned Belgian touring car champion in 2005 and French Supertouring vice-champion in 2002.
Vincent Radermecker commented: "I am really happy with this opportunity to be back in the WTCC behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Cruze, in ideal conditions and in my own country. I am conscious that the level of professionalism and competitiveness in the series is tremendously high, but I hope that my excellent knowledge of the track will be a plus and I am confident that I can do well. This weekend I will be in Monza to work with the team and the drivers, and then I will participate in the shake-down at MIRA ahead of the Zolder race, which will allow me to familiarize myself with the Cruze".

Vincent Radermecker will drive for Chevrolet at Zolder

WTCC INCREASES TV COVERAGE IN SOUTH AMERICA
Argentine fans will be able to follow the performances of Touring Car star, Leonel Pernía, on TV this weekend when he joins the WTCC in Monza, thanks to new TV deals concluded by Eurosport Events in the South American Country.
For this season, TyC Sports, the leading cable sports channel in Argentina, will extend its WTCC coverage with live broadcasts of the races (starting with Monza), while SPEED Channel Latin America will also start covering the championship. In addition, highlights and news reports focusing on Leonel Pernía will also be aired by TV news channels Todo Noticias (TN) and Channel 13.

YOKOHAMA PRESENTS THE WTCC RACE OF ITALY
Yokohama is the Event Presenting Partner of this weekend’s WTCC event in Monza.
As title sponsor, the Yokohama Rubber Company will gain increased exposure via exclusive naming rights of the event – WTCC Yokohama Race of Italy – and a premium visibility on TV, at the track, on the internet and on all promotional documents.
The Japan-based manufacturing company, who is the World Championship’s official tyre supplier, will use this sponsorship opportunity to promote the launch of its new road-going C.drive2 eco tyre.
"We’re delighted to support the Italian event of the WTCC," said Yokohama’s European Motorsports Manager, Farid Al-Samarrai. "Yokohama has been the official tyre supplier to the WTCC since 2006 and strives to continue the development of our products for both on and off the race track. Not only has this year seen the launch of our C.drive2 eco tyre for the road, but also our new eco racing tyre, which is currently being used by the WTCC teams."

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After a one-year break, the FIA WTCC returns to Monza for the third meeting of the season. The Autodromo Nazionale, Italy’s temple of speed and one of the best known racetracks in the world, used to be a traditional venue for the World Touring Cars.
It hosted the championship’s inaugural event back in 2005 and then continued to be home to the WTCC Race of Italy until 2008, only being replaced by Imola last year.
Now the 5.8-km circuit is set to open the European season and to once again be filled by a large crowd of enthusiastic Italian fans.
BMW and Alfa Romeo shared victories in 2005 and 2006 but the SEAT León TDI cars made the most out of Monza’s superfast layout and won all the four races held in 2007 and 2008.
On the last WTCC visit, Yvan Muller was the winner of the first race on his way to clinching the World Championship crown, while his SEAT Sport team-mate and reigning world champion Gabriele Tarquini won Race 2.

The FIA WTCC returns to Monza afte a one-year break

ARGENTINE DRIVER JOINS CHEVROLET AT MONZA
Argentine Touring Car star Leonel Pernía will drive a fourth Chevrolet Cruze LT in the WTCC Race of Italy, at Monza on May 23^rd. He will be the first Argentine to race in the FIA World Championship.
The 34-year old driver from Tandil (Buenos Aires) has emerged as a top runner in the competitive TC2000 Championship in Argentina since 2006. At the wheel of a Honda Civic car run by Equipo Petrobras he claimed two race victories and in 2009 was vice-champion behind his team-mate José María López.
Chevrolet Motorsport boss Eric Nève explained: "It is a privilege for us to have Pernía at Monza. In our strategy towards conquering the WTCC title this year, it is useful to enter a fourth car in selected events, entrusted to drivers who have proven pedigrees in touring car racing. Moreover, the presence of Leonel can boost the visibility of the WTCC in South America and the image of Chevrolet in a key market like Argentina."
Pernía commented: "I am delighted to have the opportunity to race in the world’s top touring car championship and with a front-running team like Chevrolet. This is an unexpected and wonderful chance for me and I hope to contribute to the team’s success in Monza. I know the level in the WTCC is very high but I am confident that my TC2000 experience will prove useful."

Leonel Pernía is the first Argentine driver to join the WTCC

PRIVATE TESTS ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
Track action at Monza will start earlier than usual. In addition to the 30-minute test session on Friday afternoon that is always authorized by the FIA when a new track is visited by the series (which is the case, as Monza was not part of the 2009 calendar), the championship promoter agreed to the requests coming from private teams to organise further testing on Thursday. However, this will be reserved for the Independent and Rookie drivers only.
Seven 60-minute sessions have been scheduled, from 9:00 to 18:00. Four of them will also be opened to the competitors of the SEAT Eurocup.

COMPENSATION WEIGHT COMES INTO FORCE
The Compensation Weight system will come into force for the first time this season at Monza. The system determines the running weight of the WTCC cars on the basis of lap time calculation.
The best lap times of the two fastest cars of each model in qualifying and the two best lap times of the two fastest cars of each model in both races are averaged. The calculation is based on a three event rolling average, being applied after the first two events.
The compensation weight has been determined by the lap times set in Brazil and Morocco; the circumstances of the second race at Marrakech, with most of the laps completed behind the safety car, advised the Stewards to discard the second lap times set by the drivers in that race. As a consequence, the SEAT León TDI was indentified as the reference model and will receive a compensation weight of 40kg in addition to the minimum weight. The Chevrolet Cruze LT will be on the same weight as the SEAT, while the BMW 320si will be 40kg lighter and won’t have any compensation weight added.
As for the Chevrolet Lacetti it will have 20kg deducted from its minimum weight.

Compensation weight Monza
+ 40 kg SEAT León TDI, Chevrolet Cruze LT
± 0 kg BMW 320si
– 20 kg Chevrolet Lacetti

POULSEN AND FABIANI TO RACE AT MONZA
The number of BMW Independent drivers will increase in Monza with two additional competitors, Kristian Poulsen and Fabio Fabiani, joining the field.
The 34-year old Dane will start his WTCC campaign in Italy at the wheel of a BMW 320si car run by his own team Poulsen Motorsport. A former race winner in the Danish Touring Car Championship and a podium finisher in the 2007 and 2010 FIA European Touring Car Cup, Poulsen took part in last year’s WTCC with Liqui Moly Team Engstler, claiming his best result of 10^th at Pau.
Fabiani, 35 from Italy, will drive Proteam Motorsport’s third BMW 320si car alongside team regulars Sergio Hernández and Stefano D’Aste. Fabiani, winner of the 2008 FIA Super Production Cup, made his first WTCC appearance in 2009 at Imola, also with Proteam.

www.fiawtcc.com

Three Moroccan drivers will join the FIA WTCC event at Marrakech, in addition to their fellow countryman and championship regular Mehdi Bennani.
Thanks to the support of the Fédèration Royale Marocaine de Sport Automobile (FRMSA), Ismaïl Sbaï, Youssaf El Marnissi and Larbi Tadlaoui will compete under the banner of "Morocco Team" at the wheel of three identical Chevrolet Lacetti cars run by the Swiss outfit Maurer Motorsport.
The three drivers are very popular with local fans. Last year Sbaï (29-year old from Tanger) and El Marnissi (34 from Al Hoseima) teamed up to give Morocco the Legends Cars World Championship. Together with Tadlaoui (33 from Casablanca) they also claimed the National Racing Championship for Clubs.

From the left: El Marnissi, Sbaï and Tadlaoui will form the Morocco Team

MNTO PARTNER OF WTCC RACE OF MOROCCO
For the second consecutive year the Moroccan National Tourist Office (MNTO) will be the Event Presenting Partner of the WTCC Race of Morocco.
As title sponsor, the Moroccan tourism organisation will benefit from premium visibility on TV, on-site and on the internet. In addition to being incorporated in the event’s logo, the MNTO brand will also appear on banners around the circuit, the press conference and podium backdrops, the grid girls‘ outfits and the license plates of all WTCC cars.
"We are proud to renew our support to the WTCC Race of Morocco. The quality of this world-scale event’s organisation and its major media exposure reveal the capacity of Morocco to take up huge challenges, requiring an impressive commitment in terms of human resources and logistics. The event brings an unprecedented economic and touristic opportunity, especially concerning jobs creation and the promotion of Morocco as an attractive destination. Once again, the city of Marrakech demonstrates its capability to offer a wide range of tourism facilities and high-quality welcoming to the visitors, to host big international events and to position itself as a key touristic destination," said Hamid Addou, Managing Director of the Moroccan National Tourist Office.
"This cooperation will enable the Moroccan National Tourist Office to benefit from the WTCC’s powerful multimedia platform, on-air, online and through event sponsorship and will contribute to positioning Morocco as a highly sought-after tourist destination. We are even more pleased to have MNTO return to the WTCC in 2010 as they are a long standing partner of the Eurosport Group," stated Jacques Raynaud, Vice-Chairman of Eurosport Group and Eurosport Events.

www.fiawtcc.com

Last Monday at the Circuit Park Zandvoort, reigning WTCC Independent champion Tom Coronel launched his autobiography entitled "20 years to the limit".
The book, written with the assistance of Dutch journalists Coo Dijkman and Rick Winkelmann, tells the story of Coronel’s first twenty years in motorsport, from the 1990 Easter Monday Trophy at Zandvoort, when he made his debut in the Dutch Citroën AX GT Cup, until last year’s victory in the FIA World Touring Car Championship’s Independents‘ Trophy, going through all the different steps of his career: Formula Opel, Formula 3, Formula Nippon, Endurance races, the FIA and Japanese GT championships, and the Dutch, European and World Touring Car Championships.
The book may be purchased on line at:
http://www.wehkamp.nl/boeken/boeken/waargebeurd-biografie/tom-coronel-20-jaar-op-de-limiet/C15_BOE_B11_695765/

Tom Coronel launched his book at Zandvoort on the Easter weekend

MARRIOTT EXTENDS WTCC SPONSORSHIP DEAL
The Marriott hotel group has renewed its sponsorship agreement with the FIA World Touring Car Championship for 2010, with an option for the 2011 season.
This loyal sponsorship deal, which was first signed in 2007, will see Marriott continue as Official Hotel Partner of the WTCC and receive increased visibility as part of this endorsement, including event title sponsorship of the Race of the UK at Brands Hatch (18 July), on-track signage at all events and on the website, as well as advertising, promotions and hospitality.
As part of this year’s partnership package, the brand "Courtyard by Marriott" – one of Marriott’s largest brands and the world’s 12^th largest lodging chain – will get sponsorship visibility during the first half of the season, while the Marriott umbrella brand will be predominantly displayed in the second half of 2010.
Jacques Raynaud, Vice-Chairman of Eurosport Group and Eurosport Events, said: "Marriott has been a faithful series partner of the WTCC for the past three years and we are very excited about continuing our relationship with such a prestigious group. With the WTCC, we are able to provide our partners with a unique 360° multi-territory communication and marketing platform and we look forward to generating even more brand leadership recognition for Marriott and its brands."
"We value the strong relationship we have established with Eurosport Group and Eurosport Events through the sponsorship of the WTCC series around the world. This relationship provides Marriott Group through its main iconic brands ‚Courtyard by Marriott‘ and ‚Marriott Hotels & Resorts‘ the desired reach to further raise the level of awareness and distribution of both brands globally," echoed Osama Hirzalla, Vice President Brand Marketing & eCommerce Europe – Marriott Hotels Limited.

www.fiawtcc.com

Following the cancellation of the season’s second event in Mexico the FIA WTCC is looking forward to resuming in Marrakech on May 2^nd.
This will be the second time the championship has visited Morocco with its fast 4.5-km circuit winding along the boulevards of the Agdal hotel district, in the Southern outskirts of Marrakech.
Compared to last year, when it was inaugurated, bringing international auto racing back to Morocco after half-a-century, the racetrack has been slightly modified. The two chicanes on the long Avenue Mohammed VI straight have been redesigned to make them faster and safer.

The FIA WTCC will resume at Marrakech in one month time

WTCC CRUZE EXHIBITED IN NEW YORK
The Chevrolet Cruze racing car that takes part in the FIA World Touring Car Championship is currently being exhibited for the first time to the USA public.
The white-and-blue machine is placed in the centre of the stage of the Chevrolet stand at the New York International Autoshow that opened on Thursday, April 2^nd at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the 11^th Avenue, Manhattan. The show will go on until Sunday, April 11^th.
The exhibition of the WTCC Cruze is part of the promotional actions organised for the launch of the Chevrolet’s saloon to the American market.

The WTCC Cruze in the Chevrolet stand at the New York International Autoshow

www.fiawtcc.com

The FIA World Touring Car Championship has demonstrated its support for improving global road safety with the rebranding of its Safety Car, From the season opener in Curitiba it has run with liveries displaying the Make Roads Safe campaign logo and the web site address where more information on the UN backed road safety initiative can be found.
Following the recent Decade of Action for Road Safety declaration by the UN General Assembly, the FIA is developing a ten-year international action plan to support the initiative. The FIA is encouraging its motorsport and mobility membership as well the competitors and key stakeholders in its Championships to participate in the Decade of Action.
The Make Roads Safe campaign is an initiative of the Commission for Global Road Safety and has been spearheaded by the FIA Foundation.
As a direct result of the Make Roads Safe Campaign and the work of the Commission for Global Road Safety, this March the United Nation proclaimed 2011-2020 a Decade of Action for Road Safety. With road deaths having been set to double in the next 10 years, this landmark resolution will pave the way to halve the deaths over the next decade saving five million lives.

The FIA WTCC safety car sports the logo of the Make Roads Safe campaign

HONDA TEAMS JOIN FORCES FOR ETCC AND WTCC
The two most successfull Honda teams in touring car racing from Scandinavia – Denmark-based Hartmann Racing and Sweden’s Engström Motorsport – have joined forces for the 2010 FIA European Touring Car Cup.
"We know each other very well from the last three years, as both teams have taken part in the European Touring Car Cup, which we won last year. We have been discussing ways of co-operating and now it is a reality," team owner Hans Hartmann of Hartmann Racing said.
"I am looking forward to working with Hans and the guys from his team, as they have given a good impression of themselves, when we have been fighting in the European finals over the last three seasons," Tomas Engström said.
The Swede will be at the wheel of one of the team’s two Honda Accord cars alongside the reigning European Touring Car Champion James Thompson in the three events of the FIA ETCC and also in selected events of the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

Tomas Engström and Hans Hartmann have sealed their deal

www.fiawtcc.com

The FIA, in agreement with promoter KSO, has decided to cancel as a case of Force Majeure the second race meeting of the 2010 FIA World Touring Car Championship scheduled to take place in Puebla, Mexico, on April 11^th.
The FIA’s decision is based on security reports from the region and follows close consultation and guidance from OMDAI, the Mexican National Sporting Authority.
About the possibility to replace the Mexican event, KSO general manager Marcello Lotti stated: "No decision has yet been taken. We will think about it, evaluate the different opportunities and decide before the next meeting in Marrakech. As a matter of fact we are not looking for a replacement on the same date of Puebla, because there would not be enough time to organise the event properly with an appropriate promotional campaign. If there is a replacement, this will take place in the gap between Valencia and Okayama and, therefore, would be somewhere on the way to Japan. However we could very well stay with eleven events."
The championship will resume with rounds 5 and 6 at Marrakech, Morocco, on May 2^nd.

The FIA WTCC will not visit Puebla this year because of security issues

WTCC SIGNS BROADCASTING DEAL WITH RTL IN GERMANY
The FIA World Touring Car Championship is delighted to announce an important deal with leading German commercial channel RTL, covering the broadcasting of the 2010 season.
RTL will show a 10-minute highlights programme of WTCC races before the broadcast of F1 qualifying sessions, within a captive motorsport fan audience. The first programme will be aired on March 13^th alongside the F1 season opener in Barhain.
In addition, WTCC will also receive coverage on RTL multimedia platform, including editorial features on the RTL website and in the news reports.
Marcello Lotti, General Manager of KSO, the promoter of the WTCC, commented: "This deal with RTL marks an important strategic development for us. Getting our World Championship onto terrestrial TV in the leading automotive market in Europe is a massive boost for everyone involved and will bring the WTCC to a major new audience. For the championship, sponsors and teams, this is great news that will further grow the brand and increase interest levels in Germany".
Manfred Loppe, head of sports, RTL said: "We are happy to air WTCC, the premier world touring car competition in our programmes and to offer our audience an additional attractive motorsport series around our Formula 1 broadcast." 
Over the past five years, the WTCC has enjoyed a steady audience growth, consolidating its FIA World Championship status as well as increasing its popularity worldwide.
In 2009, the WTCC drew record viewing figures with a cumulative global audience of 430 million different viewers (+23% over 2008) and increased its worldwide distribution to more than 160 countries across 75 TV networks.

www.fiawtcc.com

History repeated in Brazil with Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini taking a victory apiece for the second year in succession in Curitiba and leaving Brazil as joint leaders of the Drivers Championship, the only difference being the teams they are competing for.
The Chevrolet team commanded Race 1 with all three of their drivers filling the podium. The good points haul means the USA brand comes away from Curitiba leading the Manufacturers‘ Championship with 70 points.
All eyes were on the newly formed SEAT customer team, SR-Sport, to see what they had to offer. Race 1 provided a best result of fourth with Tarquini, but the defending champion came fighting back in Race 2 to take victory ahead of team mate Jordi Gené and making it a satisfactory end to the weekend for the team.
BMW Team RBM struggled on race day after the weather went against them despite being the pace setters for most of the weekend. Local boy Augusto Farfus had to settle for two sixth places, while Andy Priaulx was forced out of the second race after a clash with his team-mate.
The newcomers were impressive. Norbert Michelisz and Michel Nykjær showed they can chase the most experienced drivers, Fredy Barth opened the roll of honour of the new Rookie Challenge, while Darryl O’Young fought for the Independents‘ victory in Race 1 with Stefano D’Aste and Sergio Hernández.