The eighth season of the 2011 FIA World Touring Car Championship will come to an end next week at Macau, where twenty-nine drivers from thirteen different countries will clash on the 6.1-km Guia street circuit.
On Sunday 18^th November, two nine-lap races will consecrate the 2012 World Champion.
There is no doubt that Rob Huff is the great favourite in the title fight, and not only because he is currently leading the standings. The 32-year old Englishman is also the WTCC driver with the best record in Macau, having claimed five race wins in the last four years, including back-to-back victories in 2011.
During the previous event at Shanghai, Huff has built a comfortable margin ahead of his Chevrolet team-mates Alain Menu and the reigning champion Yvan Muller.
The Macau event will award 55 points (25 per each race, plus 5 for the pole position) and Menu and Muller must recover 35 and 41 points respectively. Not an easy task, although anything may happen on the treacherous street circuit.
Menu has proved in the past that he is fast in Macau, where he won two races in 2007 and 2008; Muller – whose hopes to clinch a fourth WTCC title have been seriously jeopardized in China – has never managed to win a race in the former Portuguese protectorate.

SEAT LIGHTER, BMW HEAVIER IN MACAU

The weights of the SEAT León WTCC and BMW 320 TC cars will change for the final event in Macau. The Spanish machines will benefit from a 20-kilo reduction, while the Germans will receive 20 kilos more compared to Shanghai.
The Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T remains the heaviest car according to the calculation based on the lap times set in the three previous events (USA, Japan and China) and will be laden with the maximum 40kg ballast.
While SEAT and BMW will run with 10 and 0 kilos of compensation weight respectively.
Three other model cars will race with no extra weight: Chevrolet Cruze LT, Chevrolet Lacetti and Honda Accord Euro R, as they make their second appearance in the current season.
The BMW 320si, Ford Focus, Honda Civic and SUNRED León 1.6T will all be benefiting from a 20kg reduction of their minimum weight.

Compensation weight Macau
+ 40 kg : Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
+ 10 kg : SEAT León WTCC
± 0 kg : BMW 320 TC, Chevrolet Cruze LT, Chevrolet Lacetti, Honda Accord Euro R
– 20 kg : BMW 320si, Ford Focus S2000, Honda Civic, SUNRED León 1.6T (+20 kg, decision #40 TCC)

THREE-WAY TITLE FIGHT FOR YOKOHAMA TROPHY

The Yokohama Trophy awards double points in Macau, meaning that a maximum score of 43 will be possible: 20 per each victory plus one for pole position and fastest laps.
This results in the title fight being still wide open, as the current leader Norbert Michelisz has a 12-point margin ahead of Pepe Oriola, while Stefano D’Aste is only four further points adrift.
Of the three contenders, Michelisz is the one who has collected the best results at Macau in the past, where he claimed an overall race win in 2010.
All other drivers are no longer in contention, but may become a factor as some of them wish to end the season on a high, like Alex MacDowall, Franz Engstler and Mehdi Bennani who are currently fourth, fifth and sixth in the points. Or Darryl O’Young, who is looking for his first home victory after he claimed two consecutive Yokohama Trophy pole positions in 2010 and 2011.
In the Team’s Trophy, ROAL Motorsport defend an 18-point lead from Lukoil Racing Team, while Tuenti Racing Team lie a further 12 points adrift. The points still at stake are 72.

FOCUS WTCC ROAD CAR TO LEAD THE PACK IN MACAU

Team Arena will launch a Ford Focus WTCC
Limited Edition road car in Macau on Sunday 18^th November. The car will be the official Leading Car for the World Championship finale.
The Focus WTCC Limited Edition, fitted with a Mountune Performance specially-developed 1.6 turbocharged engine and Team Dynamics alloy wheels to match those on the WTCC racing car version, has been developed by Arena and will be built at their UK base. Further information will be announced in Macau including full specification and price details.
Marcello Lotti, General Manager FIA WTCC: “I like this project, because it is a new marketing tool that may be used to promote the brand, the product on sale to the general public and also the championship. The WTCC is happy to invite the Arena team to take it to Macau where it will be the official Leading Car. We are very pleased with the fact that Arena has committed to build a limited edition of the Ford Focus WTCC road cars. Especially because previous similar initiatives have been successful with the fans, although limited to the European market, while this one will benefit from a global distribution.”
Mike Earle, Arena Team Principal: “I am thrilled that the FIA WTCC has not only endorsed the new Focus WTCC Limited Edition road car, but has also invited us ahead of its formal launch to take it to Macau where it will be the official Leading Car. I would like to personally thank the series’ General Manager Marcello Lotti for his help in bestowing this great honour.”

COUTO BACK WITH WTCC IN MACAU ONCE AGAIN

Macau star driver André Couto will take part once again in the WTCC event in his home town. Couto has joined the World Touring Car Championship races in Macau every year from 2005, except in 2007.
The winner of the Macau Grand Prix in 2000, Couto has raced different WTCC cars – Alfa Romeo, Honda and SEAT – claiming his best result with a SEAT León in 2006, when he finished seventh in Race 2.
This year – like in 2011 – he will be at the wheel of the SUNRED León 1.6T car previously driven by Tiago Monteiro and Hiroki Yoshimoto.

COZZOLINO JOINS ROAL MOTORSPORT IN MACAU

Change of driver at ROAL Motorsport for the season’s final race meeting at Macau. Kei Cozzolino will replace Alberto Cerqui at the wheel of the Italian team’s second BMW 320 TC car.
Cozzolino, was born and resides in Japan but his nationality is Italian. He faces his maiden appearance in touring car competitions after his precious experiences in the Japanese Formula 3 and Formula Nippon championships.
The 25-year old driver was classified fourth in the 2009 F3 series, scoring one race victory, and took part twice in the Macau Grand Prix in 2008 and 2009.

A STRONG CONTINGENT OF MACAU DRIVERS

Eurico De Jesus, Mak Ka Lok, Jo Rosa-Merszei, Henry Ho Wai Kun and Célio Alves Dias are the latest additions to the strong contingent of eight local drivers in the WTCC Guia Race of Macau.
De Jesus will be at the wheel of a Honda Accord car run by the Five Auto Racing Team; crowned Macau Touring Car champion in 2010, he won the Macau Fortuna Trophy race in 2003 and the Macau CTM Cup race in 2006.
Mak, Ho and Rosa-Merszei have made occasional appearances in the WTCC in the past; they will all race in BMW 320si cars entered by RPM Racing, Ho Chun Kei and Liqui Moly Team Engstler respectively.
Alves Dias will be at the wheel of a Chevrolet Lacetti run by the China Dragon Racing; he will join the team’s other two drivers Filipe De Souza (also in a Lacetti) and Ng Kin Veng (Chevrolet Cruze LT) who have competed last week in Shanghai.

EUROSPORT TV PROGRAMMES FROM MACAU *

Friday, 16 November – 08.25/09.15 : Qualifying – LIVE (Eurosport 1)
Sunday, 18 November – 01.15/01.45 : Warm Up – LIVE (Eurosport 1)
Sunday, 18 November – 03.55/06.00 : Races 1 & 2 – LIVE (Eurosport 1)
Sunday, 18 November – 22.45/23.45 : Races 1 & 2 (Eurosport 1)
Tuesday, 20 November – 23.15/23.45 : Inside WTCC (Eurosport 1)

* all times CET

ORIOLA VISITS HIS ADOPTED SISTER IN NEPAL

Pepe Oriola took the opportunity during his stay in Asia, between the races in Shanghai and Macau, to visit his “adopted sisters” at the Vistare Foundation in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The Foundation runs a house-school that hosts 48 girls; Pepe himself is the sponsor of Kala Rai, while twelve other girls benefit from the Oriola family’s sponsorship.
This was the Spaniard’s first visit to Nepal, Oriola met the principals and teachers of the centre that helps girls with few resources to continue in their academic education.
“The work the Vistare Foundation is doing is especially praiseworthy, because they give these girls the opportunity to be educated and build themselves a future,” said Pepe who also visited rural and underprivileged areas of the region and the Puntshok monastery.

www.fiawtcc.com

Alain Menu and Stefano D’Aste have shared race victories at Suzuka, while Yvan Muller and Rob Huff collected the same number of points, meaning that they are still equal in leading the standings.
The top positions remained nearly frozen in both races. Those who started at the front managed to defend their positions.
However, the races were not boring at all, with the drivers changing lines at all the braking points and with countless close fights for the positions that resulted in a few contacts, like the one between Mehdi Bennani and Aleksei Dudukalo in Race 1.
In the first race, the Chevrolet trio pulled away, leaving Gabriele Tarquini to defend his fourth position from the attacks of a brilliant Alex MacDowall.
The second race was even closer, with D’Aste chased by Pepe Oriola, Tarquini, Bennani and the Chevrolets that, for once, were not in the position to benefit from their superior power.
With Muller and Huff still on equal points, the fight for the Drivers’ Championship is getting hotter and hotter, while Chevrolet grabbed the Manufacturers’ title after Saturday’s qualifying.
The battle for the Yokohama Trophy is even closer. Oriola has reduced the gap from Norbert Michelisz to ten points, while D’Aste and MacDowell are only a few further points adrift.
The championship will resume in two weeks at Shanghai, on November 4, for Rounds 21 and 22.

Suzuka East Circuit – 19 / 21 October 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – http://www.suzukacircuit.jp

Alain Menu won his third pole position of the season, the second in a row, and gave Chevrolet the points needed to clinch a third consecutive WTCC Manufacturers’ title.
With most of the attention focusing on Tiago Monteiro and the Honda Civic on their first appearance in the World Championship, the Chevrolet team managed to steal the limelight putting in another amazing performance.
Menu and his team-mates Yvan Muller and Rob Huff monopolized the first three positions, and Alex MacDowall and his bamboo-engineering Cruze car provided the icing on the cake by qualifying in fourth. Which also meant pole position in the Yokohama Trophy for the young Englishman.
An impressive Mehdi Bennani emerged as the best of the rest in fifth, with his Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC, while Gabriele Tarquini – the fastest of the SEAT drivers – and Tom Coronel qualified sixth and seventh.
As for Monteiro, he qualified 11^th after using all the new sets of tyres to win a place in Q2. However, on his last attempt in Q1, Monteiro had showed that the Civic has a potential, as he was able to set the seventh fastest lap and advance to Q2. A brilliant result considering that the Japanese car moved its first steps less than three months ago.
Stefano D’Aste and Pepe Oriola qualified tenth and ninth, meaning that they will start from the front row on the reversed grid for Race 2.

Suzuka East Circuit – 19 / 21 October 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – http://www.suzukacircuit.jp

The Chevrolet trio of Yvan Muller, Rob Huff and Alain Menu posted the fastest laps in today’s test at Suzuka. During this very first session, all three drivers in the works Cruze cars were able to beat last year’s WTCC track record on the East Circuit (53.443).
As soon as the testing resumed after the second red flag, Muller (53.129), Huff (53.225) and Menu (53.442) proved the fastest of the field once again, while their competitors’ efforts to improve were frustrated by a third red flag.
Pepe Oriola’s SEAT León (53.810) was classified fourth with a gap of nearly seven tenths from the lead. Lukoil Racing team mates Gabriele Tarquini (53.826) and Aleksei Dudukalo (54.042) ranked fifth and sixth, followed by Tom Coronel (54.136) in the fastest of the BMW cars and Alex MacDowall’s bamboo Chevrolet (54.138).
Tiago Monteiro drove the new Honda Civic to set the ninth fastest lap (54.147), ahead of Norbert Michelisz’s BMW (54.179).
The fastest of the Team Aon Ford Focus cars was Tom Chilton’s, in 12^th position.
The session was red flagged three times. A first time, with twelve minutes left on the clock, when Gabriele Tarquini spun and beached his SEAT car at Turn 4, then again, with five minutes to go, when Alberto Cerqui’s BMW got stranded off Turn 6, and finally for good when Charles Ng’s BMW went off at Turn 1, thirty seconds before the end.
A few other drivers had moments. Stefano D’Aste spun on his first lap; Norbert Michelisz and Fernando Monje performed 360-degree pirouettes at Turn 9; René Münnich and Tom Coronel went wide at Turn 7 and Turn 1 respectively. But they all managed to rejoin without damage.

MONTEIRO: WE ARE RIGHT ON SCHEDULE

Tiago Monteiro set the ninth fastest lap in today’s test session at at Suzuka, on the very first outing of his Honda Civic in the World Touring Car Championship.
Monteiro’s fastest lap of 54.147 was one second off Yvan Muller’s the leading pace.
“It was not bad. To be one second behind the Chevrolet cars after only a couple of months of work is a good starting point. Especially when we see that they have improved last year’s track record,” commented the Portuguese racer.
“It feels good to be here, comparing ourselves with the rest of the field. We stay stick to our plan of developing the car, but it was nice to be in the middle of the field. We have some additional information now, and we will analyze them to see where we may improve. This first test was interesting and we are quite happy for what we are doing so far. We are right on schedule.”
Your goal was to make the top ten and you achieved it. “Yes, the red flags came at the wrong times for me, as for a few other people, but we are where we wanted to be. And now we have to try and be closer. I pushed hard, without going for a qualifying set up. The car was rather set up for the races. So, there is a margin of improvement, no doubt about it. Both for the car and myself.”

CHINA DRAGON RACING IN SHANGHAI AND MACAU

The China Dragon Racing team will join WTCC in force for the two final race meetings of the season. The Chinese outfit have entered two Chevrolet cars in Shanghai (4 November) and three in Macau (18 November).
Filipe Clemente De Souza and Ng Kin Veng will race in both events at the wheel of a Lacetti and a Cruze 2.0L respectively. They will be joined by Célio Alves Dias in a second Lacetti for the Macau Guia Race
The three Chevys are former RML WTCC machines, while the three Macanese drivers are regular competitors of the local Touring Car series. De Souza has already taken part in last year’s WTCC event at Macau, claiming a 15^th position in Race 1.

www.fiawtcc.com

The 19^th and 20^th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place at Suzuka, Japan next week. This is the fifth consecutive visit of the World Championship to the Country of the Rising Sun. And the second to the Suzuka International Circuit that celebrates its 50^th anniversary since it was built according to Soichiro Honda’s will.
Unlike Formula One, that raced last week on the 5.8-km Grand Prix track, WTCC will run on the East Circuit that is 2.2-km long, but very fast. In terms of elapsed time, last year’s races were among the shortest ever in WTCC history.
With lap times barely exceeding the 54 seconds, the second race lasted only 21 minutes, while the first one had been four minutes longer because of a safety car intervention. For this reason it was decided to increase the race distance by four laps, from 23 to 27.
In 2011 Alain Menu (Chevrolet) and Tom Coronel (BMW) claimed one victory apiece in front of good crowd.

CHEVROLET CLOSE TO MANUFACTURES’ TITLE

Only a pocketful of points separates Chevrolet from winning a third consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship.
The American brand is currently leading the standings with a huge margin of 275 points ahead of BMW Customer Teams.
With a maximum of 95 points awarded per event and 285 still at stake, Chevrolet needs to score only 10 points at Suzuka to secure the title.

HONDA READY FOR DEBUT ON HOME SOIL

The Honda Racing Team JAS is ready to join the WTCC at Suzuka. Tiago Monteiro, who is given the honour and the responsibility to drive the Civic in its first appearances in the championship has completed the testing programme with two days at Sugo.
In this early stage of development and before finalizing the FIA homologation formalities, Honda decided to enter the car on the basis of the homologation document issued by the Swedish National Sporting Authority.
Therefore, the Civic has been accepted by the Touring Car Committee as per art. 10 C) of the WTCC Sporting Regulations that allows cars complying with the technical regulations of national championships to compete and score points for the Drivers’ Championship.
The Committee allocated the Honda a minimum weight of 1150 kg.

SEAT AND BMW CARS PUT ON WEIGHT

The Chevrolet Cruze remains the heaviest car according to the calculation based on the lap times set in the three previous events (Portugal, Brazil and USA) and will be laden once again with the maximum 40kg ballast.
SEAT León and BMW 320 TC will carry more weight compared to the previous event at Sonoma. The SEAT cars had their weight increased by 30 kilos, meaning that they will be only 10 kilos lighter than the Chevrolet. The BMW’s weight was put up by 10 kilos, therefore the German cars will benefit from a 10kg reduction of their minimum weight against the 20 kilos of the Ford Focus and SUNRED León 1.6T.
The new Honda Civic will carry no ballast on its first outing in the championship.

Compensation weight Suzuka
+ 40 kg : Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
+ 30 kg : SEAT León WTCC
± 0 kg : Honda Civic S2000
– 10 kg : BMW 320 TC
– 20 kg ; Ford Focus S2000, SUNRED León 1.6T (+20 kg, decision #40 TCC)

O’YOUNG RETURNS TO BAMBOO-ENGINEERING

Darryl O’Young rejoins bamboo-engineering for the three remaining events of the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship season: Suzuka, Shanghai and Macau.
The Hong Kong racer will partner Alex MacDowall at the wheel of a Chevrolet Cruze car, returning to the team with which he made his WTCC debut in 2010 and where he spent two seasons before moving to Special Tuning Racing for 2012.
“I am very close to the team and I am confident we can carry where we left off last year,” he said. “I know the car well and the engineers know my driving style, I also have a strong teammate in Alex MacDowall so these are the right ingredients to try and turn my season around in front of my home crowds in Asia. I have to thank bamboo for the opportunity to work together again and I’ll do everything in my ability to succeed in the coming rounds.”

YOSHIMOTO TO RACE WITH SUNRED IN JAPAN

Just like last year, Hiroki Yoshimoto will take part in the FIA World Touring Car Championship at Suzuka. And once again he will be at the wheel of a SUNRED León 1.6T, the car that was driven by Tiago Monteiro until the previous event at Sonoma.
In 2011, the Japanese driver was involved in a pile up at the start of the first WTCC race, he pitted for repairs and rejoined but was not classified. He then managed to finish the second race in 17^th position.
In the current season, Yoshimoto is fighting for the Super GT title in the GT300 class. At the wheel of an Aston Martin Vantage shared with Kazuki Hoshino, he won the races of Suzuka and Autopolis and is lying second in the standings, only our points behind the leaders with one round to go.

RENÉ MÜNNICH JOINS STR FOR JAPAN

German Rallycross champion René Münnich will make his WTCC debut next week at Suzuka, driving for Special Tuning Racing
in the SEAT León WTCC car formerly entrusted to Darryl O’Young.
Besides being a very successful rallycross driver, with a tally of four German titles between 2007 and 2010 all at the wheel of Škoda Fabia cars, Münnich is also team principal of the Münnich Motorsport ALL-INKL racing team that have recently won the FIA GT1 World Championship.
“It is a great pleasure to work with Special Tuning Racing. It is a good opportunity for me to get a hands on evaluation of the WTCC. As a driver this is a new challenge for me. I have never raced at Suzuka before. Luckily we are using the short circuit so that will give me the chance to learn the track quickly and get used to the car. Competition in the WTCC is of the highest level, so it will take some time to get used to it. And I also want to use this time to investigate the possibility for our team to join the championship next year,” Münnich said.

EUROSPORT TV PROGRAMMES FROM SUZUKA *

Saturday, 20 October – 08.30/09.15 ; Qualifying – LIVE (Eurosport 1)
Sunday, 21 October – 06.45/07.15 : Warm Up (Eurosport 1)
Sunday, 21 October – 07.15/09.30 : Races 1 & 2 – LIVE (Eurosport 1)
Tuesday, 23 September – 23.15/23.45 : Inside WTCC (Eurosport 1)

* all times CET

BARTH REJOINS WTCC IN CHINA AND MACAU

Swiss racer Fredy Barth will return to the FIA World Touring Car Championship for the last two events of the season at Shanghai (November 4) and Macau (November 18).
Barth rejoins the WTCC one year after his 2011 campaign came to an abrupt end at Macau, when he escaped a dramatic crash at the Paiol bend during Friday’s second free practice. His SUNRED León car caught fire and Barth, intoxicated for breathing the smoke, was taken to the hospital for medical checks.
“Macau is a unique racetrack. I have mixed feelings of hate and love. I love it because is challenging, but on the other hand I never managed to finish a race there. It will be difficult trying to go fast despite last year’s accident. But this is part of being a professional driver and for sure I have to settle the score with the Guia circuit…” he said.
Barth returns at the wheel of a SEAT León WTCC, run by SUNRED Engineering under the banner of SEAT Swiss Racing.
“Coming back to WTCC was my goal. And I am delighted we managed to achieve it. I will do my best and I know that my car, powered by the new SEAT turbo engine, is very competitive. Let’s wait and see…”

A 30-CAR RECORD FIELD FOR WTCC IN MACAU

The 59^th Macau Grand Prix that includes the final two rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship was launched Wednesday during a crowded press conference at Macau’s Fisherman’s Wharf.
A number of local drivers have entered the season’s finale, meaning that the WTCC will feature a season record field of 30 cars.
Engineer João Manuel Costa Antunes, Coordinator of the Macau GP Committee stated: “We are delighted that the FIA WTCC season will come to its end at Macau for the eighth consecutive year. Four races remain before drivers and teams arrive here and there is a good chance the outcome of the title chase will be decided on the Guia Circuit. And we are also very pleased to see that ten drivers from the region – two from Hong Kong and eight from Macau – will compete against the international aces, which is testament to how motorsports is coming of age across Asia. With Chevrolet going all out to ensure they exit the FIA WTCC on winning form, an exciting mix of young talent and seasoned professional racers, the FIA WTCC Guia Race of Macau Presented by SJM promises to be truly electrifying.”

www.fiawtcc.com

The FIA and Eurosport Events Ltd. have renewed their commercial rights agreement for the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

This is the second renewal of the agreement among the parties, since the FIA appointed Eurosport Events as WTCC championship promoter back in 2005.

The new contract will have a duration of five years, until December 31, 2017.

Jean Todt, FIA President said: “The FIA is delighted to carry on this cooperation with Eurosport Events that has proved so fruitful so far. During these eight years it has been promoting the World Touring Car Championship, Eurosport Events put in a huge effort to make the championship growing in competition on the track and popularity worldwide. The renewal of the agreement will further enhance the cooperation among the parties to make the championship even stronger.”

Laurent Eric Le Lay, Eurosport CEO commented: “We greatly appreciate the value of the fact that the FIA wished to continue placing its trust in Eurosport Events. This new agreement is a powerful motivation for us to redouble our efforts and work in partnership with them for another five years. We are confident that the WTCC has a huge potential to grow further, up to the highest level in motorsport, attracting new car manufacturers and expanding its presence in the key automotive markets worldwide.”

Picture: Laurent Eric Lelay, Eurosport CEO and Jean Todt, FIA President

www.fiawtcc.com

Team Aon’s high hopes for the first ever US round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship were dashed after a red flag in qualifying, first lap crashes and blocked filters during the racing action in Sonoma. Several incidents hampered what progress the team had made in testing, despite both cars running in the top seven in both of Saturday’s practice sessions. Tom Chilton finished 12th in race one and crossed the line in 15th for race two. Blocked filters caused Nash to retire from race one, and hampered his performance in race two when the British racer crossed the line in 17th place.

Following 39 individual updates to the Global Ford Focus ahead of the Sonoma race weekend, it had been a busy few weeks of testing, development and building of new parts for Team Aon. The team’s improvements seemed to have delivered a significant step forward in pace after Chilton went second quickest in first free practice, while Nash was seventh quickest. Again in second free practice both Team Aon cars were in the top ten with Nash ninth and Chilton tenth.

As qualifying got underway, the track temperatures continued to climb and debris and dust from the dry Californian landscape continued to be an issue on track. In the first half of the session both Team Aon men were on the pace and were amongst the front runners with Nash P5 and Chilton P7. Just a few minutes later Chilton was in the pits for change to new tyres. As Chilton returned to the track, Nash pitted, as Chilton set out to better his current 11th place on the timing screens. Nash meanwhile followed him out soon after, and was still 8th quickest with only a few minutes remaining.

As the times tumbled in the final stages of qualifying, both Team Aon drivers picked up the pace, but a red flag brought the session to an early conclusion just as Chilton was on a quick lap that would easily have seen him through to Q2. With no further chance to improve, Nash and Chilton had to be content with 13th and 17th respectively.

As race one got underway on Saturday, Chilton saw his hopes of a strong finish seriously dashed when he was involved in an accident to avoid the spinning Stefan D’Aste on the opening lap spin. Nash meanwhile was making strong progress and was well in the points in eighth place. Nash soon began to lose positions however, as a sudden lack of power pushed him down the order.

As Nash’s problems continued, Chilton was able to pass his team mate and went on to finish 12th, shortly before Nash pitted; unable to finish the final four laps of the race. In order to stand any chance of returning his car onto track in time for race two, the Team Aon mechanics had no choice but to break Park Ferme conditions as they investigated Nash’s sudden lack of power.

Blocked filters were soon identified for Nash’s woes, another consequence of the debris on track. With his car now running again, Nash was able to join the grid for race two just 20 minutes later, albeit in 20th place after breaking Park Ferme restrictions.

Both Team Aon men made a good start to race two and at the end of lap one Nash had made up three places while Chilton had moved up one place to 15th. Some close racing between Chilton, Nash, Alexei Dudukalo, Darryl O’Young resulted in several changes for position, but at the chequered flag Chilton was 15th, Nash was 17th.

Reflecting on the team’s weekend, Team Aon Racing Director Mike Earle said, “Based on the amount of work the team have put in since the last round in Brazil, there’s no doubt that this weekend’s results were very disappointing. However, no matter what pace you have, there is always a certain amount of luck involved in motorsport, and we certainly didn’t have any in Sonoma this weekend. If Tom had been able to complete his best lap in qualifying, and James had been able to continue in the points in race one, we could have been looking at a very different weekend. We will take the positives away with us from Sonoma and focus on building on those and improving further for the next round in Suzuka.”

WTCC drivers treated American fans to a breathtaking show on the occasion of the championship’s first visit to Sonoma and the United States.
Both races were eventful. Yvan Muller and Rob Huff shared the victory honours and their results also made the fight for the world championship as hot as ever. The two Chevrolet drivers are now on equal points with only six races to go.
It is easy to predict that the battle will go to the wire at Macau once again.
If Huff was the happiest man in the paddock for having matched Muller’s point tally on top of the Drivers’ Championship, Norbert Michelisz too had reasons to rejoice. The young Hungarian was a pain in the neck for the Chevrolet cars in both races and eventually claimed two podium results and stretched his leadership in the Yokohama Trophy.
Gabriele Tarquini and Alain Menu tried their best and never gave up. However, their hopes of achieving great results vanished when they collided at the start of the first race. The Italian had the consolation of a podium in Race 2, while the Swiss saw his hopes of staying in contention for the title fight seriously jeopardized.
Among those who contributed to entertain the Californian fans a few deserve to be mentioned: Tom Coronel completed two great recoveries from 20^th on the grids to eight and fifth; Alex MacDowall chased the top drivers in both races; Tiago Monteiro finished twice in the points on his last appearance with Sunred before switching to Honda; Tom Boardman scored points in both races; Franz Engstler lulled into the dream of winning Race 2 before Muller brusquely woke him up…
The championship takes a one month break, while cars and parts are being shipped to Japan. Rounds 19 and 20 will take place at Suzuka on October 21.

Sonoma – 21 / 23 September 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – http://www.racesonoma.com

Photo: Nate Jacobson

With a last gasp lap, Alain Menu claimed his fourth pole position of the season beating Gabriele Tarquini by two tenths of a second.
The Italian driver had set the benchmark with a very fast first lap and felt like he had wrapped pole position for good. However, the Chevrolet team managed to prepare their cars in time for a second attempt that eventually Menu exploited stealing the pole at the very last moment.
Tarquini and the Lukoil Racing Team tried to react, but when the SEAT was ready to leave the pit lane, it was too late for a last flying lap.
Although they also managed to improve, Yvan Muller and Rob Huff were not able to beat Tarquini’s time and qualified in second and third, ahead of the two best Yokohama Trophy competitors: Norbert Michelisz and Alex MacDowall.
A few drivers were disappointed by the results, as they did not manage to advance to Q2. Tom Coronel spoiled his Q1 by spinning on new tyres, Pepe Oriola could not make any better that 18^th, and Team Aon team-mates James Nash and Tom Chilton were not able to repeat the good results they have had in Practice.
Stefano D’Aste and Mehdi Bennani qualified tenth and ninth, meaning a full BMW front row on the reversed grid for Race 2.

Sonoma – 21 / 23 September 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – http://www.racesonoma.com

Alex MacDowall set the fastest lap in the first outing for the WTCC drivers at Sonoma. The 30-minute test lasted only 26 minutes before being red flagged when Felice Tedeschi crashed at Turn 4.
Yvan Muller was the first one to time a significant lap of 1:49.891, ten minutes into the session. A few moment later Alain Menu improved to 1:49.373 and then Pepe Oriola moved the mark further ahead to 1:48.609.
With twelve minutes left on the clock MacDowall clocked a lap of 1:48.281 that eventually remained the fastest as the red flag shortened the session by four minutes.
Tedeschi went wide at Turn 4 and his Proteam BMW 320 TC hit the wall and rolled; the Italian newcomer had struggled from the beginning, spinning three times at Turn 2 before the crash. Despite the hard crash, Tedeschi was unscathed.
Fernando Monje set an impressive third fastest lap of 1:48.979, demoting Muller to fourth in the fastest of the Chevrolet cars. While Stefano D’Aste was the best of the BMW drivers, ranking eighth with a lap of 1:49.449. James Nash’s Ford was timed at 1:50.270 and classified 14^th.

MACDOWALL: THE RED FLAG HELPED ME

Commenting on his fastest lap, Alex MacDowall said: “It was good. The track was a bit dusty and slippery. It was difficult to make one lap on the proper racing line. A lot of drivers were running wide to check the limits of the tracks. I managed to complete one good lap and set a kind of a bench mark. However I don’t think it would stay the fastest until the end, because the red flag prevented the Chevrolet drivers to improve.”

Tuenti Racing Team fellow Spaniards Pepe Oriola and Fernando Monje set the second and third fastest lap.
“I did not use the news tyres. So I’m quite happy with my second time. It has been a very good beginning to the weekend” Oriola said.
And Monje echoed: “I cannot complain. I did put the new tyres, but I think that my lap time was very encouraging.”

US DRIVER TO RACE WITH BAMBOO AT SONOMA

Robb Holland is the first US driver to compete in the FIA World Touring Car Championship as he will drive for bamboo-engineering this weekend at Sonoma.
Holland replaces Pasquale Di Sabatino for this weekend’s round at Sonoma in California, and partners Alex MacDowall in the team’s Chevrolet Cruze.
After being a professional cyclist for the US national team, Holland switched to car racing in 2006. Since then he established himself as a podium finisher in the SSCA World Challenge for Touring Cars, winning his first race last year at the wheel of a Volvo C30.
During the current season he is racing in the British Touring Car Championship driving a Honda Civic.
“This is a very exciting weekend for me, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to join WTCC for the US event. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Chevrolet Cruze. This has been a last minute call-up, but I’m thrilled to be given the chance to show what I can do in a competitive car with a team as strong as bamboo-engineering,” Holland said.
Team Principal Richard Coleman added: “This has all come together very late and has been very short notice for Rob, but we’re all very excited. Robb brings a lot of experience to the team and we’re all very much looking forward to working with him here at Sonoma this weekend.”

WTCC DRIVERS MEET THE LOCAL MEDIA

Rob Huff, Alain Menu, Tom Chilton and Pepe Oriola joined WTCC General Manager Marcello Lotti as they all attended two media lunches on Wednesday and Thursday.
The events promoting the WTCC Race of USA at Sonoma took place at two elegant restaurants: the first one in San Francisco at McCormick and Culeto’s in Ghirardelli square, facing the Marina, the second one at the Zócalo in Sacramento.
Lotti delivered a brief welcome speech explaining why and how WTCC set up a race meeting at Sonoma.
“I am especially proud to be here with you today, because the WTCC Race of USA at Sonoma is an historical event that marks the FIA World Touring Car Championship’s visit to the United States. To establish an event in North America has been one of our priorities in recent years. United States are an important market for car manufacturers and feature a very proud and long-standing motor-sport tradition. We are pleased to have reached this goal and bring the WTCC to Sonoma,” he said.

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Team Aon have been busy in the weeks between the Brazilian round of this year’s World Touring Car Championship and this weekend’s event in California, with some extensive development on the Global Ford Focus. As the team get to grips with their first season in the world’s premier touring car championship, 2012 has been a steep learning curve for Team Aon drivers Tom Chilton and James Nash. Now with the championship’s first visit to Sonoma Raceway this weekend, the team face a new challenge in Ford’s backyard.

“We’ve had a really busy few weeks at Team Aon, but it’s nice that we’ve had the big breaks in between races after such a busy start to the season”, said Chilton. “The great thing is that now we’ve actually got a test car to work on during the breaks. To have a test car ready in our first year in the championship is so valuable and a testament to the hard work of the team, in what has been a very busy season.”

When the British squad took to the track in Monza for its first ever WTCC track, it was following a very limited WTCC test programme with the new Ford Focus. Embracing the challenges that brought, it did nevertheless create some difficult race weekends for the Team Aon drivers. “I’d be lying if I said we weren’t struggling at the start of the year. But that’s only to be expected when you’re new to a championship that everyone else has been in for years, and you’ve had a very limited test programme. I think we’ve got over the hard part now though, we’re in much better shape with every race weekend,” added Chilton.

The 2010 BTCC Independents’ Champion is keen to make the most of the remaining events in the 2012 season. “We’ve very much using these last races to prepare for the 2013 season. We’re trying as many things as possible. There’s restricted testing in WTCC, so we’re having to do a lot of testing during the race weekends.

“Since Brazil we’ve focused on geometry, suspension, the engine, aerodynamics and brakes. Pretty much every significant part of the car has been looked at again. It’s been a lot of work for the team, but it’s been productive. The testing we’ve done has been about testing the reliability of the new parts as well as speed and improvement to set-up, and so far we’ve made some strong steps forward on all counts. To the credit of the boys at Arena, they’ve designed, made and run new parts with no problems in a very tight time schedule.”

Racing in the US brings with it its own pressures. Taking part in this year’s WTCC with technical support from Ford, Team Aon is far from a factory team, but still the pressure is there to do well in Ford’s backyard. “The essence of the big US manufacturers, Ford and Chevrolet, and racing for the first time in California, it all adds up to being quite a big deal. It’s an important race for all of us in the team and everyone is pushing hard to deliver the best results we can. This season has really been a learning year, and while it’s been hard to do that in front of a global audience, we’re proud that we’ve been putting together this fantastic Ford Focus WTCC car.”

As a new addition to the WTCC calendar the Sonoma Raceway will be a new experience for all the teams, putting Team Aon on a level playing field with the rest of the teams for the first time this season. “I think it will definitely help us”, said Chilton. “It will be new for all the teams and drivers. We saw that even in Marrakech, a circuit that WTCC had been to before, because they changed so many areas of the track, speeds and braking points changed and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that we had our best weekend there. It will be interesting to see how quickly everyone adapts to the new challenges of Sonoma.”

With the 2.5 mile long Sonoma circuit providing overtaking opportunities, and short straights amongst the undulating features, the California circuit could suit the characteristics of the Focus’ Mountune built engine. “We’ve been working a lot on track and we’ve always had a lot of torque, so power wise our engine should suit Sonoma,” said Chilton.

“I’m hoping that the changes we’ve made will help see us though to Q2 this weekend. One thing’s for sure. We’re going to see some exciting racing on the WTCC’s first visit to the US.”

The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) will find itself in new territory later this month as the Championship tackles the challenges of the Sonoma Raceway. The Arena run Team Aon squad, and drivers Tom Chilton and James Nash, will be bringing the Global Ford Focus to the American marque’s backyard with two fast and explosive 13 lap races on 23rd September. For Chilton and Nash it is another new and exciting experience in what has been a year of learning and development.

Looking to capitalise on recent comprehensive testing in the UK, Team Aon’s Global Ford Focus heads to the United States of America with further updates; and a stronger understanding of the WTCC car. With the next round at the Sonoma Raceway the Championship’s first foray into the US, it will be a new challenge for drivers and teams alike who have so far this year competed in Europe, Africa and Brazil.

For Team Aon it marks the latest in the line of new challenges and experiences in their maiden year of competition in the WTCC. The 2012 season has been a learning curve for everyone involved with the Arena-run squad – building the two cars for Chilton and Nash as well as learning the new circuits they compete at. Over the 2012 season the development to the Global Ford Focus has moved at an incredible pace as the year has progressed with both drivers providing great feedback to the team both over the course of every race weekend and during the precious hours of testing completed.

More renowned for IndyCar and NASCAR the Sonoma Raceway features 12 corners during the quick 2.5 mile lap. As a relatively unknown quantity for many of the WTCC drivers the playing field will effectively be levelled out as the paddock looks to quickly learn the unique factors of the Californian circuit. For Chilton and Nash this has meant time in the simulator, familiarising themselves with the intricacies it has to offer.

Looking forward to yet another new challenge in the 2012 season Tom Chilton said, ‘I really can’t wait to drive around Sonoma this year in the Ford – to be able to bring the car to its backyard is a really great feeling and is a big deal for the entire team.

‘We’ve been doing a lot of testing recently on tracks which have similar aspects to Sonoma, such as the various corners and undulations, and the data is looking good for us so I’m feeling really confident heading to America and can’t wait to get on track.’

Team mate James Nash added, ‘I’m really excited to be able to drive a Ford in the US. Because it’s our first year in the WTCC we have a lot to prove and for this round we have further upgrades to introduce to the Global Ford Focus. It’s going to be a big event for me and the whole team so I’m really looking forward to it.’

Honda has launched a limited WTCC edition of the Civic 2.2 i-DTEC road car that will be on sale in Autumn on the Swiss market at the price of 31,900 francs.
The new car is powered by a 4-cylinder, 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine that supplies 150 bhp at 4000 rpm and a torque of 350 Nm. Its look and livery have been directly inspired by the Civic WTCC racing car, including 17” wheels. The gearbox is manual, with 6 speeds and suspension has been set to enhance precision and grip.
The Civic i-DTEC WTCC combines sporty look and performance with respect for the environment: its fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions are limited to 4.4 litres/100 km and 115 g/km respectively.
Tiago Monteiro and Gabriele Tarquini had the opportunity to discover Honda’s new road car during their recent test at the Slovakia Ring, where they also offered a thrilling ride to Hungarian swimmer Daniel Gyurta, gold medalist in the 200 metres breaststroke at the London Olympics.

MORE TESTING FOR HONDA AT VALLELUNGA

The Honda Racing Team JAS returned to Vallelunga this week for two more days of testing with the Gabriele Tarquini and the Civic WTCC car, on Wednesday and Thursday.
Team Principal Alessandro Mariani commented: “The rain spoiled the first day, but on Thursday we completed
many laps and tested different set up solutions. We were not looking for performance, but as soon as Gabriele were given new tyres, he was also able to clock good lap times. We have improved significantly from our previous test here.”
The team will test again at Portimão soon. “We have two priorities before shipping the car to Japan: keeping on with the technical development and giving Tiago Monteiro the opportunity to get used to the car in view of the races at Suzuka, Shanghai and Macau. In the Portuguese test Gabriele will be at the wheel on day one working on the technical choices, while Monteiro will take over on the second day to drive as more kilometres as possible,” Mariani explained.

MULLER RETURNS TO THE WRC RALLYE DE FRANCE

WTCC reigning champion and current point leader Yvan Muller will take part in the WRC Rallye de France Alsace at the wheel of a MINI John Cooper Works car run by Prodrive WRC Team.
This will mark Muller’s third participation to his home event, after he drove a Citroën Xsara WRC in 2010 and a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 in 2011.
“I love this rally that is held in my home region, and I was obviously delighted to be offered this opportunity to drive for a professional team and in a competitive car that will put me in the position of aiming for a good result,” commented Muller who will be teaming with co-driver Guy Leneveu.
The Rallye de France Alsace will take place from 4 to 7 October.

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LADA Sport works team continued the testing programme in preparation of their full season comeback to the FIA World Touring Car Championship in 2013.

Last week the Russian team completed a six-day test at Magny-Cours, France, with James Thompson at the wheel of the Granta Sport car. During the test the team focused on setting up suspension, steering and engine parameters.

Thompson commented: "I was very happy with the way the testing went, and the team can be very proud of what they have achieved in such a short time. We have worked through a very long test plan, which culminated in a big step forward both in drivability and performance."

Team principal Victor Shapovalov added: "Our two outings in Hungary and Portugal earlier this year, enabled us to collect a lot of information about the car. Our engineers have analyzed all the issues we had, and during the summer we prepared a lot of new parts that we have tested in Magny-Cours. This test was very useful for the team and I’m very satisfied with the results. The car’s reliability is very good, as we didn’t meet with any technical issues over the six days. The car has been hugely improved, but will keep on developing it according to the plans."
In September the LADA Sport Team will return to Russia to start working on the 2013 car. The name of the driver who will team up with James Thompson will be announced later.

HONDA TESTED AT THE SLOVAKIA RING

The Honda Racing Team JAS completed their second track test with the Civic WTCC car, at the Slovakia Ring on Monday and Tuesday. Gabriele Tarquini took the wheel for most of the time, then Tiago Monteiro replaced him on Tuesday afternoon.
Team Principal Alessandro Mariani commented: “It was a very good test. We were able to go through the full programme we had planned without meeting with the lesser technical issue. The track is excellent for testing as it offers both fast and slow corners. So we had the opportunity to work on the engine and the chassis set-up, and we also completed some long runs. We are very satisfied with the outcome. The performance is there, especially in terms of race pace. During the previous test at Vallelunga, we sensed the potential of the car; at the Slovakia Ring we have had the confirmation that this potential is really promising.”
And Tarquini echoed: “The Civic is a very good racing car to work on. We have tried some different set up, testing its reaction. The results were encouraging. Our relationship with the Civic has just begun and I think we have only unveiled 25/30 percent of its potential. Performance is already there, so we are optimist. However we still have a long work to do and we must wait until we measure ourselves with the competitors.”

TEAM ENGSTLER TO RUN THIRD CAR IN ASIA

The Liqui Moly Team Engstler will run a third car in the Asian races. A 2-litre normally aspirated BMW 320si was shipped by the German outfit straight to Japan.
In addition to the two BMW 320 TC cars of Franz Engstler and Charles Ng, Japanese racer Masaki Kano will drive the 320si at Suzuka, while Joseph Rosa-Merszei will compete in his home event at Macau.
Both, Kano and Rosa-Merszei have already made occasional WTCC appearances in the previous seasons at the wheel of BMW cars.
The team plan to run the third car in China as well. “We still have to finalize a deal, and in the next weeks we will evaluate the proposals,” team manager Kurt Treml unveiled.

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Earlier this week, the new Honda Civic WTCC hit the track for its first proper test. Following a brief shakedown on 27 July at Vairano, near Milan, the Honda Racing Team JAS moved to the Autodromo di Vallelunga, near Rome, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Gabriele Tarquini was leading the two-day test session, while Tiago Monteiro attended and had the opportunity to complete a few laps. The Portuguese driver will be at the wheel of the car on its WTCC debut in the last three events of the current season at Suzuka, Shanghai and Macau.
The test in Vallelunga was also the occasion for Honda to unveil the racing livery of the Civic. The new race car is the result of extensive wind-tunnel testing and the Civic WTCC sports a dynamic and stylish livery, which aims to accentuate its lines and imbues it with Honda’s motorsport and racing pedigree.
The Honda Racing Team JAS have planned two more test sessions in Europe before shipping the car to Japan.

JAPANESE TECHNICIANS FLOCKED TO ITALY

A small army of engineers and technicians from Honda Motorsport Division, Honda R&D and Mugen Power flocked to Vallellunga for the Civic WTCC’s first test.
Team principal Alessandro Mariani commented: “To see the Civic on the race track is an extremely emotional moment for the whole team. I am so proud of everyone, as they have managed to accomplish so much in such a short period of time. Everyone has been working tirelessly for this day to happen and the new car and engine are no less than our expectations. The initial track testing has already provided us with a lot of feedback and data, but the road to Suzuka in October remains a long one.”
Gabriele Tarquini added: “It’s funny, but although I had not driven the new Civic before, when I sat in it for the first time I immediately felt I was inside a Honda car. The car is precise and the engine feels great, but this is just the first track test, so there is so much more for us to work on.”

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