OUTSTANDING RATINGS FOR WTCC RACE OF FRANCE
ON THE STREET CIRCUIT OF PAU

7 MILLION VIEWERS WATCHED THE EVENT
– PRODUCED IN HIGH DEFINITION – ON EUROSPORT

Eurosport, Official Media Partner and Host Broadcaster of the FIA WTCC, registered record-breaking TV audience figures for the 4^th race meeting of the 2009 WTCC season, held last weekend on the street circuit of Pau (France).

Through the 3 ½ hours of broadcasts, a record 7 million different viewers ^(*) watched Eurosport on Sunday, 17 May to follow the gripping excitement of the WTCC races.

Eurosport’s exceptional live coverage attracted an average audience of 820.000 viewers during Race 1 and over 1.2 million during the last half hour of Race 2. This represents the best average audience ever for a WTCC event on Eurosport.

The audience figures were particularly high in Germany with an average of 251.000 viewers/ 2.5% market share (Race 1) and 344.000 viewers/ 3.2% market share (last ¼ hour of Race 2).

On the infamous streets of the city of Pau in the Pyraneas, Robert Huff and Alain Menu claimed two victories for Chevrolet, extending the new Cruze’s winning streak to four.

The championship will resume in Valencia, Spain, on May 31st, for rounds 9 and 10.

^(*) total reach across the Eurosport pan-European network, representing the number of different individuals who have watched at least 1 minute of the races.

Sources: Eurometrix – AGF/GFK, SKO, BARB, TNS Global, MMS, AGB Nielsen Media Research, TNS Gallup, ARMA/GfK Romania.

Two more victories for Chevrolet in Pau

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Robert Huff and Alain Menu claimed two victories for Chevrolet on the infamous streets of Pau, extending the new Cruze’s winning streak to four.
Huff and Menu were able to be in the right place at the right moment, when Farfus went wide on the oil in Race 1 and when Engstler had an incident with the safety car in Race 2. Then they both used the best of their skills and the narrow track to keep Augusto Farfus behind.
The Brazilian youngster, as well as his fellow BMW driver Andy Priaulx, scored important points for the German manufacturer and they climbed positions in the standing although they still have to claim a win.
SEAT’s weekend was the worst they have had in a long time. However Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini managed to score some points that might prove crucial for the rest of the season.
The championship will resume in Valencia, Spain, on May 31^st, for rounds 9 and 10.

FINAL UPDATE
After the technical checks, the following cars were found not complying with the engine speed limit and /or the supercharged air pressure: n. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 29, 30 and 33.
The Stewards, taking into account the exceptional circumstances and confusion, decided to impose a reprimand to the competitors concerned, who were reminded that their cars must comply with all the technical regulations for the remaining events of the season.

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Andy Priaulx has claimed his first pole since Macau 2006. The BMW Team UK man was among the front runners during both practice sessions and qualifying and put in a stunning 1:22.462 when it mattered in Q2. He demoted BMW team-mate Augusto Farfus by just 11 thousandths of a second. Tom Coronel defied odds in taking part in Q2 after the front of his car was severely damaged in Q1. However, after sterling work from his team and determination behind the wheel he will line up a magnificent third tomorrow.

Q1 – While it was a BMW at the top of the timesheet for the majority of the Q1, on the last lap Robert Huff from Chevrolet stormed through with a 1:22.900 stealing the quickest time away from Priaulx by 0.042 of a second. Jörg Müller (1:22.960) and Augusto Farfus (1:23.201) went into Q2 as third and fourth best. Tom Coronel had great pace and was sitting fifth at the end of Q1. However, at this time his team was repairing his car for Q2 after he incurred damage with seven minutes remaining. Leading man Huff’s team-mates Larini and Menu both made the cut after claiming the sixth and seventh best times. Independent drivers Félix Porteiro and Franz Engstler along with Sergio Hernández made up the top ten, narrowly denying Alessandro Zanardi and Stefano D’Aste progression into Q2.
All the five SEAT Sport turbodiesel cars remained out of the Q2 for the first time.

Q2 – Tom Coronel was the man to beat for the opening half of the session after he clocked a 1:22.917. However, Farfus knocked the Dutchman off provisional pole by a sturdy four tenths of a second. The Brazilian’s time of 1:22.473 seemed good enough to set him up at the front for Race 1 until Priaulx bettered it by just 0.011 seconds. Coronel’s time secured third place on the gird alongside Jörg Müller. A trio of Chevrolets followed from fifth to seventh; Huff (1:23.097), Menu (1:23.128) and Larini (1:23.282).

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Eurosport Events, promoter of the WTCC via its subsidiary KSO, is proud to welcome KW as new official Series Partner of the Word Touring Car Championship.
The partnership will cover all 2009 WTCC rounds, starting this weekend with the Race of France in Pau up to the final race meeting of the season on 21-22 November in Macau.

As Series Partner of WTCC, the leading suspension and shock absorber company will be present on the number plates (front and rear) of all WTCC cars, providing a great visibility to the KW brand. In addition, the KW Suspension logo will be associated to all WTCC promotional campaigns, including presence on posters, newsletters, flyers as well as on the official series‘ website.

"We are delighted to announce this partnership with KW, whose presence throughout the season confirms their trust in the WTCC brand. This agreement will also enable KW to benefit from Eurosport’s powerful multimedia platform, on-air, online and through event sponsorship," says Jacques Raynaud, Vice-Chairman of Eurosport Group and Eurosport Events.

"The WTCC is very attractive for our brand, as the cars are very close to standard road cars" says KW chairman Klaus Wohlfahrt concerning the KW involvement. "Here, real cars are driven in real races. There is no other series worldwide which is closer to the racing fans than WTCC."

KW start as WTCC Series Partner this weekend in Pau

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The WTCC Race of France get underway today with an autograph session that took place in the central Place Clemenceau from 17.00.
The traditional drivers‘ parade through the streets of the city’s historical centre that was due to take place on Thursday afternoon was cancelled because of the pouring rain.
Track activities will start tomorrow morning, with the two 30-minute practice sessions at 9.00 and 11.15. The 45-minute extended qualifying session will take place in the afternoon: Q1 from 15.00 to 15.30 and Q2 from 15.35 to 15.50.

WTCC drivers met the fans in Pau’s central Place Clemenceau

PROMOTER’S COMMENTS ON THE EVE OF PAU
On the eve of the fourth event of the season in Pau, WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti answered a few questions.
After Marrakech the exclusion of Tiago Monteiro, due to a technical infringement, seemed to have disturbed the usual friendly atmosphere in the paddock.
"I would not put it this way. Relationships between competitors remain friendly and it is important to understand that what happened was not caused by an intentional act of cheating, but by a wrong gear shifting. This resulted in a peak of the supercharger pressure of only 7 thousandths of a bar, which is too small to give a technical advantage, but enough to force the Stewards to exclude the car taking into consideration the technical report."
Is it difficult to manage the coexistence between normally aspirated and turbo engines?  
"WTCC provides close links between the racing cars and the production models they come from. This also means we have to be prepared to open the door to new technologies, which is why we accept the turbodiesel cars. And when you have to deal with new technologies sometimes you find yourself in situations that are not fully clarified. However, I am confident that with the cooperation of the manufacturers and the FIA technical department, we can sort all the problems out. I am confident that this will be easier to manage with the adoption of a new generation of engines from 2011, as the manufacturers are due to agree on using 1.6 litre turbo petrol-powered units."
Coming back to the sporting matters, how do you see this weekend’s in Pau?
"Wet! I have just been told that Pau means ‚pot‘ in French. So this explains why we find the rain every time we come here. When you add this to the perils of a street circuit, you have good reasons to hope that the weather will improve."

TANEV AND POSTIGLIONE TO SKIP PAU
Proteam Motorsport’s George Tanev and Vito Postiglione will be forced to skip this weekend’s race meeting at Pau, France.
Both the Bulgarian’s and the Italian’s BMW 320si cars suffered from extensive damage during the second race in Marrakech and, due to the short gap between the WTCC third and fourth events, the Italian outfit could not repair them in time to be transported to Pau, where only Félix Porteiro will represent the team.
Tanev and Postiglione are due to rejoin from the next meeting at Valencia, on May 31^st.

WTCC GARAGES WELCOME PAU’S STUDENTS
Auto Mechanics students from three different technical schools in Pau have been invited to visit the WTCC teams.
The initiative, agreed between the municipality of Pau and KSO, was met with enthusiastic support of the WTCC manufacturers who will welcome the students in their own garages offering them a unique experience for their future careers as mechanics and technicians.
Three groups of five students and one teacher each, coming from LEP de Jurançon, Lycée Saint Cricq and Centre de Formation Professionnelle pour les Adultes de Pau, will visit SEAT Sport, Chevrolet and LADA.
In addition to this, Chevrolet invited Bill Stewart – a student in Mechanics and Industrial Automated Equipments – to spend the Saturday working as a member of their team.

KW BECOMES WTCC OFFICIAL PARTNER
Eurosport Events is proud to welcome leading suspension and shock absorber company KW as Official Series Partner for the 2009 FIA WTCC season. This partnership will be promoted on the cars‘ race number plates, at the venues, on posters, souvenir programmes and flyers.

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The 7^th and 8^th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place on the next weekend in France, on the historical street circuit of Pau. This is the championship’s third visit to the old city on the Pyrenées, home of the Grand Prix de Pau since 1930.
In 2008 Alain Menu and his Chevrolet Lacetti dominated the first race with a lights to flag victory after setting pole position, while the second race was won by BMW Team Germany’s Augusto Farfus, who completed an amazing recovery after having rolled his car in qualifying at the infamous Monument bend.
Last year BMW obtained a double victory: Farfus encored in the first race, while Andy Priaulx scored his first and only victory of the season mastering his car under torrential rain that forced the field to start behind the safety car.
Like in Marrakech, the competitors will benefit from the street-circuit extended qualifying session. Saturday’s usual 30-minute qualifying will last 45 minutes: the 30-minute Q1 and the 15-minute Q2, split by a 5-minute pause.

WTCC cars negotiate the Virage de la Gare during last year’s event

CHEVROLET ON MAXIMUM COMPENSATION WEIGHT
Robert Huff’s and Nicola Larini’s victories in Marrakech will result in Chevrolet being given the maximum compensation weight in Pau.
The Cruze cars will receive a 40kg ballast like the turbodiesel SEAT cars and the BMW 320si cars, because it was the fastest in Morocco after having received technical help from the Touring Car Bureau.
The compensation weight for Pau has been determined by the lap times set in the three previous events (Brazil, Mexico and Morocco). The SEAT León TDI emerged as the reference model, one tenths of a second faster than the BMW 320si.
All the other cars – LADA 110, SEAT León TFSI and Alessandro Zanardi’s BMW 320si (the only one equipped with a sequential gearbox) – will have 20kg deducted from their minimum weight.

LAUNCH OF THE WTCC RACE OF FRANCE
The WTCC Race of France was launched during a press conference at the city’s Chamber of Commerce attended by the reigning world champion Yvan Muller who reminded: "This year Pau is the only French city to welcome an automobile world championship."
The event also marks the 69^th edition of the Grand Prix Automobile de Pau and Jacques Raynaud, vice-president of the Eurosport group commented: "Tradition is not something you can buy. You have to build it and keep it alive." While Marc Jubault-Bregler, town counsillor for the Environment confirmed: "Our aim is to develop and renew the Grand Prix in order to make it perennial."

CAZENAVE REJOINS WIECHERS-SPORT
Laurent Cazenave will rejoin the Wiechers-Sport team for his home WTCC meeting at Pau.
The 34-year old Frenchman will take the wheel of the German outfit’s second BMW 320si car, alongside Stefano D’Aste. This will mark his second appearance in the FIA World Touring Car Championship after last year’s debut at Pau.
In 2008 Cazenave used his racing experience on his home town’s streets to the utmost, claiming an outstanding victory in the Independents‘ class at the end of Race 1.
Now he is back, aiming for more: "This is a very difficult challenge. I know the car a bit from last year, however we will make a test on Thursday before the event at the Pau Arnos racetrack, because I wish to do the best I can."

WTCC T-SHIRTS FOR MOROCCAN CHILDREN
After the season’s opening in Curitiba, when 43 tonnes of food were collected through the ticketing campaign and donated to a charity society, the WTCC continued its program of social contribution activities.
On the occasion of last week’s Race of Morocco, Marcello Lotti, Managing Director of KSO, offered 2000 t-shirts to the Moroccan Ministry of Education. These clothes will be distributed to the children of Marrakech as a symbolic donation in order to associate the population in need with this first-ever successful FIA WTCC Race Meeting in Morocco.

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CHEVROLET CLAIM DOUBLE VICTORY IN MARRAKECH
The first visit of the WTCC to the new street circuit in Marrakech provided two exciting races and hailed double success for the new Chevrolet Cruze.
On its third event since the maiden appearance in Curitiba two months ago, the blue and white saloon run by RML made a big leap forward, which resulted in Robert Huff and Nicola Larini winning one race apiece.
After a four race winning streak in Brazil and Mexico, the SEAT TDI cars had to settle for podium positions and points. However, reigning world champion Yvan Muller managed to stretch his leading margin in the Drivers‘ Championship to 12 points ahead of his team-mate Gabriele Tarquini.
In the second race Jörg Müller had the chance to claim BMW’s first win of the season as he led from Chevrolet and SEAT; however the German driver could not rebuff the pressure from his chasers.
The first edition of the WTCC Race of Morocco ran smoothly. The efforts made by the event promoter and the local authorities ensured the event took place without issues and was attended by a crowd of 48,000.
The championship will resume in Pau, France, on May 17^th, for rounds 7 and 8.

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SEAT Sport’s Yvan Muller posted the fastest lap in today’s test session that inaugurated the Marrakech street circuit. The reigning world champion beat Chevrolet driver Alain Menu by just four thousandths of a second. Rickard Rydell posted the third fastest time.
The drivers opened the session with caution as they got to grips with the new circuit.
Tom Coronel was the first driver to clock a provisional fastest lap of 1:56.174 and within the next couple of laps he had shaved three seconds off his time.
With 18 minutes on the clock LADA Sport’s Kirill Ladygin stopped at the first chicane on the back straight due to a technical issue. This resulted in a red flag. On returning to the track Tiago Monteiro took the fastest time but it was quickly topped by Muller. With two minutes remaining Muller set a lap of 1:50.694 that eventually remained the fastest. Menu came close to matching it on his final and fastest lap but fell 0.004 of a second shy. Rydell’s offering was 1:51.372.
Tom Coronel emerged as the fastest of the Independents after spells at the top with a time of 1:51.869 (eighth overall). The best of the BMW squad was Alessandro Zanardi whose time of 1:51.998 equated to ninth overall. Jaap van Lagen achieved the 19^th fastest time with 1:54.130, the best of the LADA cars.
Marin Colak did not join due to a clutch problem. Kristian Poulsen went off at turn one and hit the wall in his BMW 320si because of a brake failure.

WTCC cars line up in the Marrakech pit lane before the start of the test session

SEAT’S APPEAL PARTIALLY UPHELD
Ruling on decision 12 taken by the Stewards of the Meeting at the WTCC event run in Puebla on 22 March, the FIA International Court of Appeal, which met in Paris on 21 April, confirmed the drive-through penalty for Gabriele Tarquini but annulled the drop of ten grid positions.
The Stewards judged Tarquini responsible for causing an avoidable collision with BMW Team Germany driver Jörg Müller during the second race.
The International Court of Appeal declared SEAT’s appeal inadmissible in so far the drive-through penalty is concerned; this penalty remains suspended for the next three events.
At the same time, the International Court of Appeal annulled the part of the decision concerning the drop of then grid positions, because the same infringement cannot be punished with two different penalties.

BUREAU’S DECISIONS ON BMW AND CHEVROLET
The FIA Touring Car Bureau granted technical waivers to Chevrolet and to the BMW 320si cars run by the independent teams.
The Chevrolet Cruze cars have been authorized to use a new front bumper fitted with flat bottom and to replace the front and rear door windows with plastic elements.
As for the independent BMW cars driven by Stefano D’Aste (Wiechers-Sport), Franz Engstler and Kristian Poulsen (Liqui Moly Team Engstler), George Tanev, Félix Porteiro and newcomer Visto Postiglione (Proteam Motorsport) they will benefit from a 15-kilo reduction on the minimum weight that will be dropped from 1170 to 1155 kg, including the driver.

BOARDMAN TO SKIP THE MARRAKECH EVENT
SUNRED Engineering’s Tom Boardman will not take part in this weekend’s event at Marrakech. The Briton will join the championship again from the following meeting in Pau on May 17^th.
"After the first two events in Brazil and Mexico, Tom asked us to have a new car, however we were not able to have it ready in time to be shipped to Marrakech. Also because Tom wishes to test the new car in England before racing it. We will be ready in time to re-start from Pau," team principal Joán Orus explained.

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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)

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FIA WTCC SWITCHES TO HIGH DEFINITION TV COVERAGE
The first ever FIA World Championship to be produced in HD
Eurosport Events, host broadcaster and promoter of the WTCC via its subsidiary KSO, is delighted to announce that it will produce the FIA World Touring Car Championship in High Definition, starting with the third event of the season, from Marrakech’s new street circuit, on May 3^rd.
The WTCC is becoming the first FIA World Championship to be produced in native High Definition.
Plans for the season include the production in HD of nine of the championship’s twelve events:

. Marrakech
. All European events – Pau, Valencia, Brno, Porto, Brands Hatch, Oschersleben and Imola
. Okayama, the last-but-one event of the season on November 1^st

The HD broadcasts of WTCC will be produced using an average of 14 track-side HD cameras, two RF HD cameras and 14 on-board SD 16:9 cameras, as well as a new Digital TV outside broadcast van developed by Belgium-based company Alfacam.
In addition to Eurosport HD channel – the high definition simulcast of Eurosport launched in May 2008 – several broadcasters are expected to air WTCC in HD over the course of the season.
"It is the first time an FIA World Championship will be produced and televised in HD, representing another breakthrough for WTCC," said Géraldine Filiol, Managing Director of Eurosport Events. "We are very proud to further enhance the appeal of WTCC for viewers. We believe that this upgraded production will attract more racing fans who will be able to enjoy the WTCC exciting show in a closer way than ever before!"

Eurosport will produce FIA WTCC in High Definition from Marrakech

MOROCCO BACK ON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STAGE
WTCC’s next event in Marrakech will mark an historical moment in motorsport, bringing back a World Championship race in North Africa and Morocco after long time.
Only once in the past the region and the country hosted an event counting towards a racing world title: the 1958 Grand Prix of Morocco held on October 19^th at the Ain Diab street circuit along Casablanca’s seaside. That was the final round of the season and decided the title fight between Ferrari’s Mike Hawthorn and Vanwall’s Stirling Moss.
Under the eyes of King Mohammed V, Moss obtained a flag-to-flag victory, but Hawthorn managed to claim a second place that was worth a one-point lead in the championship’s final classification.
Morocco appeared in the international calendar again in the Seventies, hosting for three times (1973, 1975 and 1976) a round of the new FIA World Rally Championship. The French car manufacturers dominated the event: Alpine (with Darniche in ’73) and Peugeot (with Mikkola and Nicolas) claimed victories.

Moss leads the 1958 Grand Prix of Morocco at Casablanca

SEAT’S APPEAL TO BE HEARD NEXT WEEK
The hearing of the International Court of Appeal for the appeal lodged by the SEAT Sport team against the decision taken by the Stewards in Mexico, will take place in Paris next Tuesday, April 21^st.
After the second race in Puebla, the Stewards decided to give SEAT Sport driver Gabriele Tarquini a drive-through penalty (that resulted in 30 seconds added to his elapsed time) because of an incident with BMW Team Germany’s Jörg Müller.
The two drivers had clashed on lap 6 at the exit of the North banking, while fighting for the second position behind Jordi Gené; Müller spun and eventually finished the race in 13^th position, while Tarquini was classified 8^th.
Having judged Tarquini responsible for causing an avoidable collision, the Stewards decided to give him also a penalty of ten grid positions that will remain suspended for the next three events.

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LADA PRIORA TO MAKE DEBUT IN PORTUGAL
The LADA Sport team announced that the LADA Priora car will make its first WTCC appearance at Porto, on July 5^th. The Priora will replace the LADA 110 2.0 that is currently used by the team.
The design and development of the new racing car have been ongoing since the end of 2008, and the Priora is currently under construction in the LADA Sport workshop. It is due to hit the track for testing by the end of May.
"The first aerodynamic tests in the wind tunnel showed that the Priora is well balanced, which is extremely important. The drag coefficient is very low and makes the LADA one of the best cars in its class," unveiled Vladislav Nezvankin, director of LADA Sport.

First rendering of the new WTCC racer LADA Priora

THIRD CAR FOR PROTEAM IN MARRAKECH
Proteam Motorsport will expand to three cars for the next event in Marrakech. The 32-year old Italian Vito Postiglione will join Félix Porteiro and George Tanev at the wheel of a third BMW 320si.
"We add a quality driver to an already strong team. I believe that with the addition of Postiglione, our team is getting even stronger. We will provide all three drivers with the best materials in order to offer them the opportunity to shine," team owner Valmiro Presenzini stated.
Postiglione boasts an impressive CV, with a number of races won in the Italian and European Renault Clio trophies. His best achievements were victories in the 2003 Vallelunga 6 hours and the 2007 Ferrari Challenge World Final. "This is an opportunity I was waiting for since long time and I wish to thank Valmiro for supporting me. The programme so far includes some of the European events, then we will evaluate my position in the championship and decide what to do," he said.
COMPENSATION WEIGHT COMES INTO FORCE
WTCC’s new Compensation Weight system will come into force for the first time on the next event at Marrakech.
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, except it is applied after the first two events.
The compensation weight for Morocco has been determined by the lap times set in Brazil and Mexico. As a consequence, the SEAT León TDI and BMW 320si have been indentified as the reference models and will receive a compensation weight of 40kg in addition to the minimum weight of 1170kg fixed by the sporting regulations.
All the other cars – Chevrolet Cruze, LADA 110, SEAT León TFSI and Alessandro Zanardi’s BMW 320si (the only one equipped with a sequential gearbox) – will have 20kg deducted from their minimum weight.

SEAT León TDI and BMW 320si will get the maximum compensation weight

PRIAULX IN THE LONDON MARATHON
Triple FIA WTCC champion Andy Priaulx will attempt his first ever marathon. In a personal mission to raise both money and awareness for the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation, a charity he set up with wife, Jo, Priaulx will take part in the London Marathon on April 26^th.
"Foolishly I said to a few friends what about running the Great Wall of China, but before doing anything stupid like that, I should have a go at a marathon. At the end of the day what we really want to do is save more babies lives and that is why I am doing this," he said.
If you would like to sponsor Andy to run the marathon, donate at www.appeal.gg/ppbf.

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Russian Federation’s Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin visited Togliatti and the LADA Avtovaz factory on Tuesday.
In the city of the Samara region, Mr Putin chaired a remote session of the Russian Government that was dedicated to the situation of the national automotive industry.
During his visit the Prime Minister met the workers, visited the automobile plants and took a close look to the exhibition of LADA Sport cars.
Mr Putin showed a lot of interest for the racing and rally cars, sat behind the wheel of some of them and wished success to all drivers who take part in the competitions under the LADA Sport banner.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his visit at LADA Sport

EUROPEAN CHAMPION LOOKS AT WTCC

Michel Nykjær, the winner of two consecutive FIA European Touring Car cups, plans to make a few appearances in the WTCC.
The 29-year old Dane won a first European title in 2007 at Adria, Italy, at the wheel of a SEAT León and encored last year at the Austrian Salzburgring driving a Chevrolet Lacetti. "After we won the race the team and I started negotiations for the 2009 Danish Touring Car championship," said Nykjær who was crowned Danish Touring Car champion in 2007.
DTC is the priority, but Nykjær and the team are looking ahead: "We won the European cup together and we are certain that we could do well in the WTCC. Chevrolet Motorsport Denmark have a very tight cooperation with Chevrolet’s WTCC team, and I am hoping that we could join a few WTCC events, which are not in clash with the Danish races."

BENNANI’S FIRST TEST AT MAGNY-COURS
Mehdi Bennani had his first test in the Exagon Engineering SEAT Wefnesday on the French track of Magny-Cours. The young Moroccan driver, who will make his first appearance in the FIA World Touring Car Championship at Marrakech, spent the day at the wheel of the petrol-powered SEAT León car sporting the red-white-green livery of OMNT, Morocco’s Tourism Office.
During the test Bennani was watched carefully by the team principal Luc Marchetti, the team manager Cathy Muller and by her brother Yvan, the reigning WTCC champion.
"Yvan was very generous in giving Mehdi advice. I have to say that we were all impressed by the way this young driver was able to quickly adapt himself to the car and also by the interesting feedback he gave. Obviously it will take some times to be competitive in such a tough championship, but I’m sure Mehdi has the potential to do well," Marchetti commented.

Mehdi Bennani tests the Exagon Engineering SEAT at Magny-Cours

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The LADA Sport team are making steady progress on their first season as a WTCC registered manufacturer.
Although the Russian cars are still struggling to be on the pace with the other works cars, the results achieved in Mexico proved that the team’s efforts are giving the first fruits.
"We had a lot of fun in Puebla, and showed our potential. It is clear that we still have some way to go, but we have clearly identified the main areas to be improved. We got three cars to the end of the second race, which was testament to our reliability, and gained a lot of useful information. We are now looking forward to Marrakech; the track is new to everybody and this can help a new team like ours," said team leader Viktor Shapovalov.
And Jaap van Lagen echoed: "Our car is basically good but we are lacking power on the straights, which is making the difference. The Mexican weekend was a very encouraging experience and we should have some improvements for Morocco, such as a new engine head."

The LADA cars of van Lagen and Ladygin on the Mexican banking

ZANARDI HAPPY WITH FIRST POINTS
BMW Team Italy-Spain’s Alessandro Zanardi scored his first points of the season in Mexico, coming home sixth in the Puebla’s second race.
The Italian driver’s car suffered from an alternator problem during the first race that resulted in a power steering failure in the last seven laps.
"To finish that race in ninth position was an outstanding result," team manager Roberto Ravaglia commented. "Alessandro put in an enormous physical effort, as he uses the steering wheel also to accelerate."
"Once more my team did something magic for me. In the 15 minutes of repair time between the races the boys managed to change the alternator, the exhaust, the bumper and more parts. They only forgot to adjust my mirrors. Giving them this result after what they did, is one of the highlights of my racing career, as I was able to compete with the other BMW cars. This gives us an amazing boost for Marrakech," said Zanardi.

Alessandro Zanardi scored first points in Puebla

CHEVROLET OFFER TEST TO IFM DRIVERS
Chevrolet have signed a partnership with International Formula Master to offer IFM drivers the chance to test a WTCC Chevrolet Cruze racing car.
The test session will see at least one of this year’s top IFM drivers awarded the chance to get behind the wheel of the 2009 WTCC Cruze WTCC.
"We are looking forward to seeing a Formula Master driver at the wheel of one of our cars", said Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Manager Eric Nève. "The Series is a strong part of our weekend, and we always keep an eye on how well its young drivers are doing. It will be good to see how one of them fares at the wheel of our world touring car. This partnership, which will give additional visibility to the new Cruze, fits perfectly with Chevrolet’s fresh and dynamic image".

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ROUNDS 03 & 04 – PUEBLA
QUALIFYING REPORT

FARFUS-PRIAULX WIN FRONT ROW FOR BMW
Augusto Farfus, Andy Priaulx and BMW pushed to the limit and interrupted SEAT’s domination that lasted since the test session in Curitiba.
Farfus won pole position, beating Priaulx by only 0.045 seconds, while Gabriele Tarquini saved SEAT’s honour claiming third position with a one-tenth gap.
Q1 – Augusto Farfus posted the fastest time of the session with a lap of 1:37.981, the first driver to break the 1:38. wall so far.
BMW and SEAT cars equally shared the ten positions giving access to Q2.
Although they sat in the pits until halfway through the session, all five SEAT Sport drivers managed to make the top-ten, with Gabriele Tarquini in second with a gap of 0.065 seconds after having clocked a provisional fastest lap at 1:38.047.
Félix Porteiro topped the Independents again and also managed to advance to Q2 setting the 10^th fastest lap at 1:38.972.
Chevrolet and LADA drivers remained all out of Q2; Nicola Larini missed the top-ten by 18 thousandths of a second, while Jaap van Lagen’s session ended prematurely because of an engine leak.
Q2 – Yvan Muller was the first to post a quick lap at 1:37.924, but the reigning world champion was immediately ousted by Farfus with the time of 1:37.682.
Jordi Gené, Porteiro, Sergio Hernández and Andy Priaulx were the last to join the session. In the dying seconds Priaulx managed to jump into second with a lap of 1:38.727, a time which resisted to Tarquini’s last attempt that was worth third place (1:37.793).
Porteiro completed a lap of 1:38.525 that gave him a brilliant eighth position on the grid for Race 1.

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SEAT Sport’s Yvan Muller posted the fastest lap in today’s test session, beating BMW drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus by a narrow margin.
A cloudy sky and a fresh breeze from the East made the track very fast and enabled a number of drivers to break the track record of 1:40.808 set by Jordi Gené in last year’s qualifying.
Farfus was the first driver to clock a provisional fastest lap of 1:41.207, but he was immediately ousted by Priaulx who set a 1:40.307 that remained on top for the next ten minutes.
Halfway through the session Rickard Rydell and Gabriele Tarquini began a personal fight to improve the fastest lap.
The Swede clocked a 1:40.211 and the Italian responded with a 1:40.170; then Rydell improved further to 1:40.015 and Tarquini managed to break the 1:40 wall with a lap of 1:39.670 with only thee minutes to go.
However, in the dying seconds, Muller was timed at 1:39.020, demoting his team-mate to second; then Tarquini was pushed further down to fifth when Priaulx (1:39.233), Farfus (1:39.289) and Rydell (1:39.363) crossed the line setting the second, third and fourth fastest laps respectively.
Félix Porteiro emerged as the fastest of the Independents‘ with a time of 1:39.770 (sixth overall).
The three Chevrolet men were timed 12^th (Larini), 13^th (Huff) and 14^th (Menu) fastest respectively, 1.5 seconds off the pace, while Viktor Shapovalov set the 21^st fastest lap, the best of the LADA cars.

Fastest lap for Yvan Muller in Mexican test session

WTCC DRIVERS GO TO UNIVERSITY
The FIA WTCC drivers took part on Thursday afternoon in a promotional event that officially launched the championship’s second race meeting to be held this weekend in Puebla, Mexico.
Onboard pick-up trucks, the drivers paraded through the city’s main streets – including the elegant Avenida Juárez.
After the parade they got to the campus of the Benemerita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, where BMW, Chevrolet, LADA and SEAT racing cars were exhibited, to meet students and fans for an autograph session that attracted a large crowd.

Alessandro Zanardi signs autograph in the University campus

EXAGON COME BACK WITH MOROCCAN DRIVER
25-year old Mehdi Bennani will join the FIA WTCC for his home event in Marrakech, becoming the first North African driver to race in an FIA world championship.
The young Moroccan driver will be at the wheel of a petrol-powered SEAT León run by Luc Marchetti’s Exagon Engineering that was a regular WTCC competitor in 2007 and 2008.
Bennani, who has progressed in his racing career from the karting to the Formula Renault, the Formula BMW, the World Series by Renault and finally the Euro F3000 Series, will be backed in his WTCC debut by OMNT, Morocco’s Tourism Office.
The Exagon Engineering team will give Bennani the opportunity to test the car in Magny-Cours before the race meeting in Marrakech.

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