It was a day of mixed emotions for Team Aon in Slovakia today after the team showed front running pace in today’s qualifying session at the Slovakiaring. Tom Chilton did well to make it through to Q2 and qualified in 11th place despite limited running in this morning’s practice session. It was team mate James Nash who suffered the real misfortune though despite front running pace in both practice and qualifying. Nash put in a superb performance to qualify in fourth place but a minor technical infringement means that the British racer will now start from 14th following a ten place grid penalty.

With no on track running on Friday, the drivers had to wait until Saturday morning for their first taste of the Slovakiaring. Having never driven around the circuit before, the playing field was levelled for everyone as they began to learn the track and make changes to the cars ahead of the all-important afternoon qualifying session. The two morning sessions saw Nash quickly get on the pace, finishing both free practice one and two with the third fastest time. Various issues limited Chilton’s track time, and the Team Aon man had only completed a handful of laps before this afternoon’s qualifying session got underway.

As both Nash and Chilton took to the track for their first flying laps in this afternoon’s qualifying session, the Team Aon drivers immediately made their positions clear, putting their cars within the top ten in the opening minutes.

After completing their first stint both Nash and Chilton made their way back to the pits for new tyres as well as a couple of quick changes to the car. Nash’s next flying lap was quick from the outset and after setting the fastest middle sector overall, he placed his Ford Focus second on the timing screens – a position he would retain until the chequered flag.

Chilton meanwhile exited the pits a couple of laps later than this team mate and began his next stint, but wasn’t able to improve on his first run and took the decision to return to the pits. A red flag soon after called a halt to proceedings, prematurely ending the session with Chilton lying in twelfth and Nash still second.

With both drivers in the top 12, both Nash and Chilton made it through to Q2 for the second part of qualifying.

The quick 10 minute Q2 session saw both Nash and Chilton get just one flying lap to better their qualifying positions. Finding space on the track with six minutes of the session remaining, Nash and Chilton had placed their Arena run Ford Focus Touring Car’s in fourth and tenth respectively – with Chilton holding the second race pole. However a lap from D’Aste in the final minute of the session frustratingly dropped Chilton down to eleventh. Nash’s time meanwhile was still good enough for an impressive fourth pace on the grid.

Heartbreak was soon to follow for Nash however, as his car was later found to have failed scrutineering due to a minor technical infringement. Despite his impressive performance, Nash will now be faced with a tough fight through the field 14th place.

Speaking about the team’s session, team principal Mike Earle said, “It’s a hugely frustrating day for the team and very regrettable that James has lost out on a fourth place grid slot. He did a fantastic job today and has lost out due to a technical infringement that gave him no performance benefit on track. We believe that the infringement has occurred due to an issue with the new suspension which we ran for the first time today.

“Tom showed great potential, but he started qualifying on the back foot due to lost time in practice. We know we have the pace to be at the front, but obviously it’s going to be a tough weekend now. There’s plenty or racing action to come though, and anything could happen.”

Team Aon

Norbert Michelisz will start the first of tomorrow’s two WTCC races at the Slovakia Ring from pole position. The Hungarian driver’s BMW was the only car to break the 2:13 barrier during the two-part Qualifying session with
a time of 2:12.990.
The two SEAT León WTCC cars of Aleksei Dudukalo (2:13.076) and Gabriele Tarquini (2:13.137) completed the top three. Behind them there will be the Ford Focus of James Nash and the SUNRED León of Tiago Monteiro with Yvan Muller in the first of the factory Chevrolet Cruze cars starting from sixth on the grid.
Thanks to the reversed grid, it will be the BMW 320 TC of Stefano D’Aste that should have started Race 2 from pole position, but because of James Nash’s penalty it will be Tom Chilton on pole.

Q1 – The majority of Qualifying 1 was dominated by the three factory Chevrolet Cruze drivers, with Yvan Muller heading his teammates Robert Huff and Alain Menu. Then, with less than four minutes of the session remaining, the SEAT León of Pepe Oriola took over three-tenths of a second off Muller’s time, with James Nash’s Ford Focus also slipping past the current Drivers’ Championship leader. Tom Coronel narrowly missed out on making the cut for Q2; after being forced to pit with an open rear door early in the session, the BMW
driver was in 13^th place and on a quick lap with less than 30 seconds remaining, but Franz Engstler going off into the gravel brought out the red flags and so Coronel was denied a place in the top 12.
Going through to Q2: Oriola, Nash, Muller, Huff, Menu, Dudukalo, Monteiro, Michelisz, D’Aste, Cerqui, Tarquini and Chilton.

Q2 – Norbert Michelisz in the Zengö Motorsport BMW 320 TC took his first-ever qualified pole position in the WTCC by setting a lap time of 2:12.990 – a little over 0.08 seconds ahead of another of the Yokohama Trophy
competitors, Aleksei Dudukalo in the Lukoil Racing SEAT León. In all, there will be three León cars in the top 5, with Gabriele Tarquini third and Tiago Monteiro fifth in the SUNRED car (2:13.322), just behind the Team AON Ford Focus of James Nash (2:13.317).
The three factory Chevrolet drivers fared less well, with Yvan Muller qualifying in sixth place (2:13.366) ahead of Robert Huff (2:13.575) and Alain Menu in ninth place (2:13.721) just behind Pepe Oriola (2:13.684) but ahead of Stefano D’Aste (2:14.668).

NASH’S PENALTY PUTS CHILTON ON POLE
Following the Q2 for tomorrow’s WTCC first race at the Slovakia Ring, the FIA Scrutineers discovered that the ride height on James Nash’s Team AON Ford Focus did not conform to the WTCC regulations.
As a result, Nash has been given a penalty of ten grid positions for both of tomorrow’s races. He will therefore start from 14th place on the grid in both races.
Thanks to the reverse grid rule, the penalty means that Nash’s teammate Tom Chilton will start Race 2 from
pole position after originally qualifying in 11th place.

EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CUP – ROUNDS 3 & 4

MONJE SETS POLE POSITION IN SLOVAKIA

Spain’s Fernando Monje will start tomorrow’s first race at the Slovakia Ring from pole position, aiming to increase his S2000 lead in the 2012 FIA European Touring Car Cup. Monje, driving a SUNRED SEAT León TDI, set the fastest lap time (2:15.086) early in the thirty-minute Qualifying session and then spent anxious minutes in the pit lane waiting to see if his time would be bettered. It wasn’t, so Monje was able to save his tyres for tomorrow’s two races.
The front row for Race 1 will be an all-SEAT affair, after the second quickest time was set by Michal Matějovský (2:16.215). The Czech driver, is making his ETCC debut in Slovakia this weekend and so was delighted at his performance. Both SEAT men, however, are aware that third-placed Petr Fulín (2:16.822) will be a real threat tomorrow; his BMW needed an engine change this morning and so he hadn’t completed many laps of the circuit, but the fact that he set the fastest time in the first test session confirmed that Fulín should be a real contender for a race win.
Three drivers had their qualifying times disallowed by the Stewards: Fulín, Krammes and Lukas.

Slovakia Ring – 28 / 29 April 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – http://www.slovakiaring.sk

After struggling a bit more than it was expected in Valencia, the Chevrolet team resumed their dominant pace and claimed two impressive 1-2-3 finishes at Marrakech.
If this result was expected in the first race, after Alain Menu, Rob Huff and Yvan Muller had qualified in first, second and fourth respectively, the top-ten reverse grid was due to make like harder for the blue trio.
And instead, they managed to recover in only five laps, swallowing up the other competitors on the straight with awkward ease.
In the first race only Pepe Oriola was able not to lose contact, while in the second James Nash put up a decent a fight.
The young Englishman’s four laps in the lead will remain in WTCC history, as they were the first ever for a Ford car in the championship. All in all it was a very encouraging weekend for Team Aon and their drivers, who were
consistently fighting for top positions and eventually Nash and Tom Chilton scored their first points.
Oriola and Stefano D’Aste shared victories in the Yokohoma Trophy, just like they had done in the two previous events: first race to the young Spaniard and second race to the Italian. No surprise that they are now on
top of the point table covered by only four points.
In the overall championship, Muller (130 pts), Menu (106) and Huff (97) have already created a gap, leaving Tom Coronel a further twenty points behind. An impressive D’Aste has climbed to fifth, one point ahead of his compatriot Gabriele Tarquini who suffered from a nightmare weekend.
The championship will resume at Slovakia Ring, on April 29 for rounds 7 and 8.

Circuit Moulay El Hassan, Marrakech – 13 / 15 April 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – http://www.raceofmorocco.com

Alain Menu pipped his Chevrolet team-mate Rob Huff in today’s exciting qualifying session at Marrakech. With a last lap of 1:43.901, Menu beat Huff’s 1:43.929 by 28 thousandths of a second.
Tom Coronel posted the third fastest lap of 1:43.968, only a further 39 thousandths adrift and regrets for a mistake that prevented him to improve further, while Yvan Muller (1:44.201) and Gabriele Tarquini (1:44:251) had to settle in fourth and fifth positions respectively.
The fight for the pole in the Yokohama Trophy was equally exciting with Pepe Oriola (1:44.498) who managed to beat Alex MacDowall (1:44.544) in the dying moments.
Team Aon also have reasons to rejoice, as for the first time both Tom Chilton and James Nash made the trip to Q2. And things could have been better for the Ford squad without the accident suffered by Nash in Q1.
Tiago Monteiro qualified tenth, and therefore won pole position on the reversed grid for Race 2.

TARQUINI EXCLUDED FROM QUALIFYING
Gabriele Tarquini was excluded from today’s qualifying session in which he had posted the fifth fastest lap.
The Italian driver’s SEAT car was found underweight during the technical checks after the session and the Stewards had no other option than disallowing all his lap times from both Q1 and Q2, which will place him at the back of the grid for both races.

Circuit Moulay El Hassan, Marrakech – 13 / 15 April 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – http://www.raceofmorocco.com

Although SEAT and BMW are quickly closing the gap, Chevrolet is not prepared to abdicate their WTCC throne.
The two races in Valencia said that fans should expect to see very exciting fights as the season will go on, with the trio of blue cars defending themselves from the attacks of the likes of Gabriele Tarquini, Tom Coronel and a platoon of competitive independents such as Pepe Oriola, Norbert Michelisz, Sefano D’Aste and Franz Engstler.
The world champion team leave Spain with two more victories in their bag, but have not been easy ones. In Race 1 Muller cruised home comfortably, but his large gap was mainly due to the fight behind him between Tarquini and Coronel.
The second race was one of the most exciting ever, with Menu capable of keeping at bay a bunch of four BMW cars.
With Oriola and D’Aste sharing victories in Spain, the Yokohama Trophy remains extremely close, with four drivers covered by six points only.
Team Aon’s Ford Focus cars are also making steps forward and for the first time James Nash was running close to the point-scoring positions.
The championship will resume at Marrakech, Morocco, on April 15 for rounds 5 and 6.

WTCC Race of Spain – Circuito Ricardo Tormo, Valencia – 31 March / 1 April 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – www.circuitvalencia.com

Chevrolet, SEAT and BMW filled the top three positions at the end of an exciting qualifying session at Valencia today. Yvan Muller claimed pole for tomorrow’s Race 1 surviving a sporting penalty that had risked to eliminate him at the end of Q1.
Gabriele Tarquini qualified second, despite a driving mistake on his last attempt in Q2, while Tom Coronel emerged as the third fastest.
Spaniard teenager Pepe Oriola beat Rob Huff by 0.033 seconds to achieve a brilliant fourth place overall that was also worth pole position in the Yokohama Trophy.
Stefano D’Aste qualified tenth, and therefore won pole position on the reversed grid for Race 2.
Aleksei Dudukalo’s SEAT provided a hot moment after the end of the session, catching fire inside the parc fermé.

Qualifying 1
Gabriele Tarquini only joined in the second half of the twenty-minute leg, but one lap was enough for him to top the list with the time of 1:42.933, ousting local hero Pepe Oriola’s provisional fastest lap of 1:43.340.
A few seconds later Yvan Muller improved the limit to 1:42.459, but his time was disallowed by the Race Director because the World Champion had cut the apex of Turn 1. This jeopardized Muller’s position as he risked to miss the cut to Q2. However, on his last attempt, the Frenchman managed to climb to eighth.
The final moments were breathtaking as usual. After sitting in the pit for most of the session, while the team was replacing a broken driveshaft, Tom Coronel posted the fourth fastest lap, kicking his team-mate Alberto Cerqui off the top-12. Aleksei Dudukalo set the third fastest lap of 1:43.230 just before the end, while Alex MacDowall missed a last opportunity to make the cut by one tenth.
The following drivers went through to Q2: Tarquini, Menu, Dudukalo, Coronel, Oriola, O’Young, Huff, Muller, Michelisz, and Engstler.

Qualifying 2
The first lap out of the pits saw Muller (1:42.352), Tarquini (1:42.591), Coronel (1:42.643) and Oriola (1:42.829) significantly improving the times set so far.
Of the other drivers admitted to Q2, only Rob Huff and Norbert Michelisz seemed capable of subverting this hierarchy.
But Muller was the only one able to improve on the second run, completing a lap of 1:42.228 that consolidated his position on top of the list, while Tarquini spoiled his last attempt with a mistake that sent his car on the gravel.

WTCC Race of Spain – Circuito Ricardo Tormo, Valencia – 31 March / 1 April 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – www.circuitvalencia.com

The second race weekend of the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship in Valencia, Spain has seen Arena run Team Aon drivers James Nash and Tom Chilton qualify 16th and 21st respectively in their Ford Focus touring cars.

Having already taken to the track earlier in the day for the two practice sessions, both drivers were feeling comfortable with their cars and the set up changes which had been made since the previous round in Monza.

As qualifying got underway during the warm Spanish afternoon, both Chilton and Nash were setting very similar sector times, within the opening minutes of the session Nash had jumped up to seventh while Chilton was in twelfth. However as more cars took to the track the times were becoming more and more competitive which saw both Nash and Chilton slipping a little down the order.

With 13 minutes of the session remaining both drivers took to the pits for new tyres, Nash was still holding onto his top 10 position in eighth while Chilton was in fifteenth. As the midway point approached both drivers once again took to the track to improve on their initial laps.

Shortly after re-joining the on track action it was a couple of quick laps from Lukoil Racing’s Gabriele Tarquini and Chevrolet’s Alain Menu which knocked Nash out of the top 12 position he needed to proceed into the second qualifying session.

As the clock counted down the final five minutes both Chilton and Nash were setting their fastest laps and although completing a last minute tyre change and subsequent flying lap, they were unable to improve as the crossed the finish line. Nash will start tomorrow’s race in P16 while Chilton will start in P20.

Reflecting on his qualifying session, Nash said ‘It was a bit of a difficult qualifying session for us, I felt as though the car and myself were able to get within the top twelve but there were a few little errors which mean I find myself in 16th position instead.

‘It’s a new car and a new challenge for the whole team but if any team can continue to develop this car to the sharp end of things – it’s these guys. Tomorrow we’ll definitely be racing forward.’

The first race of the weekend gets underway in Valencia at 14.35 local time.

The FIA World Touring Car Championship is pushing further in support of FIA’s Action for Road Safety campaign that aims for reducing the number of the victims of road incidents worldwide.
After posing for a picture with the campaign banner, last year in Macau, the WTCC driver took part at Monza in a number of initiatives.
On Friday Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini met a group of teen-agers from a local high school; the two WTCC champions performed behind-the-wheel demonstrations and explained secrets and correct behaviors of driving on the roads, showing that while they are famed for taking cars to their limit on the track, driving on public roads is about more than pace and power.
Later Muller and Tarquini were joined by fellow drivers Tom Chilton and Mehdi Bennani to record multi-lingual TV messages to young drivers about road safety, and in particular in support of FIA Action for Road Safety.
Speaking in their own native languages, the drivers pointed out that 1.3 mllion people are killed each year on the world’s roads – a number equivalent to the population of Milan. They also added that fatalities on the roads are the main cause of death among young people aged 15-29 and that 90 per cent of those youngsters come from developing countries.
On Saturday the FIA President Jean Todt met the boys and girls who had attended Friday’s event and presented them with a certificate of participation.
The President and all WTCC drivers also posed for a picture, showing the FIA Golden Rules for a safe driving.
For the whole season the Action for Road Safety logo will be sported on all WTCC cars and the drivers‘ helmets, in the steps of Formula One and World Rally Championship.

Tarquini, Muller and Chilton with the group of Italian teen-agers at Monza

FORD CARS COMPLETED BOTH RACES AT MONZA
Team Aon drivers Tom Chilton and James Nash completed both races at Monza, on their maiden appearance in the WTCC.
The Britons equally shared 13^th and 16^th places at the wheel of their brand new Ford Focus S2000 TC cars, despite being both involved in incidents (Nash in Race 1, Chilton in Race 2) that affected the drivability of their cars.
Chilton commented: "We didn’t have the greatest of luck during the races but it was great to see that the car has potential in qualifying and race set-up. I think we can be proud of what we’ve achieved in our first race weekend."
And Nash added: "The team did a fantastic job all weekend, after the damage from race one they were outstanding when they worked on the car. I think we can be proud to have been so close to the other cars in terms of pace."
Team Principal Mike Earle said: "This weekend has seen the team go through an almost vertical learning curve – which is what we expected in a new series, on a new track, with a new engine and a highly modified car. We’ve shown though that we’ve been very close to the pace of some of the front runners and all in all it’s been an incredibly promising start to the season which the team can be proud of."

Chilton and Nash are optimist after their Ford cars completed both races at Monza

THREE ABREAST IN THE YOKOHAMA TROPHY
The fight for top positions in the Yokohama Trophy is already incredibly close. At Monza a bunch of drivers provided breathtaking fights for the leadership and also challenged the top drivers for the overall positions.
Eventually Pepe Oriola in a Tuenti Racing Team SEAT León and Stefano D’Aste with the Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC shared victories, but Alex MacDowall, Norbert Michelisz, Alberto Cerqui, Aleksei Dudukalo and Franz Engstler were also in the leading pack.
This resulted in D’Aste, Oriola and MacDowall co-leading the standings on equal points, while Engstler and Michelisz are only two and three points adrift respectively.
"It was a very hard race and and the car worked perfectly. It was a hard fight with Dudukalo, but in the end he ran on oil at Lesmo I could pass him. I didn’t want to take too many risks because I was concentrating on scoring good points," Oriola said after Race 1.
D’Aste declared after winning Race 2: "After the first race the team managed to solve an issue with the gearbox and I had a very good start. When I saw the Chevrolet cars in my mirrors, it felt like being in the sea with three blue sharks approaching, but my goal was to score points in the Trophy and that’s what I had to concentrate on doing."
Newcomer MacDowall stated: "I’m happy to come away from my first ever WTCC event tied at the top. I was pleased with a second and third but I still think I could’ve won that final race had it not been for that small mistake. But this is the perfect start for me."

BARLESI AND WÉBER WATCHED BY THE STEWARDS
WTCC rookies Andrea Barlesi and Gábor Wéber will be thoroughly watched by the Stewards during the next three events as they both were given suspended penalties for causing incidents during the first race at Monza. In both cases the victims were Proteam Racing’s drivers.
SUNRED Engineering’s Barlesi was deemed guilty for the collision that forced Mehdi Bennani out of the race, while Zengö Motorsport’s Wéber had his responsibilities in the retirement of Isaac Tutumlu, Bennani’s team-mate.
Should they commit similar infringements in one of the next three events, Barlesi and Wéber risk to be dropped ten positions on the grid.

VALVOLINE NEW SERIES PARTNER FOR WTCC
Valvoline, the world’s first lubricant brand, signed a multi-year partnership with the WTCC. As an Official Series Partner, Valvoline will be promoted around all six European Events and the WTCC Race of Morocco via the Valvoline Grid Girls and Valvoline Winner’s Enclosure.
"We are delighted to welcome a brand with such prestige and rich history as Valvoline to the world’s premier Touring Car Championship," stated Marcello Lotti, WTCC General Manager.
"As the world’s first lubricant brand, racing is in our heritage," said Rogier van Vlijmen, Marketing Manager Valvoline Europe. "The WTCC enables us to establish a point of difference, whilst growing our brand awareness within our core markets as an Official Partner."

www.fiawtcc.com

The 2012 FIA WTCC kicked off just like the 2011 season had ended, and the opening weekend of was dominated by the Chevrolet team. A 1-2 in the first race was bettered in the second with one of the blue Cruze cars occupying every one of the podium places. It was the reigning Drivers‘ Champion, Yvan Muller, who left Monza with the biggest smile – the Frenchman won both races and so already has a healthy lead in the series.
However the first two races made clear that between Muller and his team-mates Rob Huff and Alain Menu the fight for the championship will be tough, no hold barred.
For a while, it seemed Chevrolet would not have things completely their own way. SEAT’s new turbocharged petrol engine arrived literally a few days beforehand and it immediately proved to be competitive. Gabriele Tarquini, in front of his home fans, qualified on pole position for the first race with Pepe Oriola qualifying as the leading Yokohama Trophy driver with an identical engine in his León. Thoughts of a Spanish giant-killing were short-lived, however; Tarquini’s engine was changed as a precaution after Qualifying and he eventually finished Race 1 in third place before retiring from Race 2 after a collision. Oriola was the highest-placed Yokohama Trophy driver in Race 1 but then finished Race 2 outside the top 10.
Team Aon were among several WTCC debutantes in Monza; the team’s two Ford Focus cars qualified just outside the top 12 that went through to the second stage of qualifying (also new for 2012). Despite that fact that both drivers were involved in incidents during the races, Tom Chilton (13^th in race 1 and 16^th in Race 2) and James Nash (16^th and 13^th) gave the team a promising start to its WTCC campaign.
Among the Yokohama Trophy entrants, Stefano D’Aste was the winner in race 2 while Norbert Michelisz was able to lead Race 2 overall until lap 7 when the Hungarian driver hit something on the the track and allowed the charging Muller to snatch the lead. In both races, Oriola, D’Aste, Michelisz, Franz Engstler, Albert Cerqui and Alex MacDowall (another newcomer) were all impressive, which suggests a terrific battle is in store this year.
Results of the second race remain provisional pending technical checks on the brake calipers of cars 18 and 40.
The championship will resume at Valencia, Spain, on April 1 for rounds 3 and 4.

ETCC – MONJE WINS BOTH OPENING RACES
The first two races of the 2012 FIA ETCC were both won by Spain’s Fernando Monje driving a SEAT León TDI, but with Monje planning to move to the WTCC for the next rounds in Valencia, it seems the fight for the ETCC title will be anything but predictable this year.
After qualifying on pole position, it was obvious that Monje would be the man to beat in Monza, but the only driver able to get anywhere near him – Petr Fulín in a BMW 320 – lost any chance of a useful points haul when he was judged to have made a false start in Race 1, was given a drive-through penalty and then was black-flagged after appearing to ignore the penalty. When he finished Race 1 by crossing the timing beam in the pit lane, the Stewards prevented him from starting Race 2 and so Fulín only took 2 points from Qualifying back to the Czech Republic.
It was Peter Rikli who left Monza in second place in the S2000 category after finishing second in both races, while the 15 year old Hungarian driver Ferenc Ficza must be delighted to be in third place after the biggest race weekend of his life.
In the trophy for single-make cars, it was Stian Paulsen from Norway who took maximum points from both races and qualifying, although both Andreas Pfister and Urs Sonderegger battled with Paulsen in the races and so the category will be one to watch this year.
Only two cars ran in the category for Super Production cars, with Fabio Fabiani’s BMW judged to have a non-compliant fuel tank and so not allowed to start. Nikolay Karamyshev and Aleksandar Tosic took one win apiece, but a non-finish for Tosic in race 2 means that it’s the Russian driver who has an early lead.
In the S1600 battle of the Ford Fiestas, it was Germany’s Kevin Krammes who took a perfect 23 points home from Monza. Gilles Bruckner from Luxembourg is in second place with Paulo Necchi third.
The Nations‘ Cup was awarded to Spain, thanks in no small part to Monje’s domination of the two races.

WTCC Race of Italy – Autodromo di Monza – 10 / 11 March 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – www.monzanet.it

Gabriele Tarquini will start the first WTCC race of the 2012 season from pole position after setting the fastest time (1:57.915) in Qualifying this afternoon. In doing so, Tarquini’s SEAT León has ended the string of thirteen successive pole positions by Chevrolet that began in Macau in 2010. Behind the Italian driver on the grid will be the four Chevrolet Cruze cars of Yvan Muller, Robert Huff, Alain Menu and Rickard Rydell with seventh-placed Pepe Oriola the highest of the Yokohama Trophy contenders.

Qualifying 1
The Chevrolet of Alain Menu was the early pace-setter in the session, but Pepe Oriola sprung a surprise after four laps when his SEAT León went fastest. The Spanish driver’s joy was short-lived, however, when Gabriele Tarquini and Robert Huff both went quicker. Yvan Muller then snatched the second-fastest time, with Alain Menu and the BMW of Norbert Michelisz also going quicker than Oriola before the session was red-flagged when Alberto Cerqui went off at the Parabolica.
The following drivers went through to Q2: Tarquini, Muller, Huff, Michelisz, Menu, Oriola, Dudalko, Coronel, Rydell, D’Aste, MacDowall and Wéber.

Qualifying 2
Tarquini’s pole-winning time occurred on only his second lap, with the three factory Chevrolet drivers unable to better his performance. Muller (1:57.974), Huff (1:58.106) and Menu (1:58.200) will therefore all start behind the SEAT driver in tomorrow’s first race. The Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden Cruze of Rickard Rydell (1:58.319) and Tom Coronel in a BMW 320 TC (1:58.389) qualified fifth and sixth respectively, with Oriola (1:58.412) heading the Yokohama Trophy entrants in seventh. Alex MacDowall (1:58.507), Aleksei Dudukalo (1:58.649) and Norbert Michelisz (1:58.652) rounded off the top ten, with Stefano D’Aste (1:58.931) eleventh fastest and Gábor Wéber (1:59.348) twelfth.
Thanks to the reversed grid, it will be the BMW 320 TC of Norbert Michelisz that will start Race 2 from pole position.
ETCC – MONJE BEATS FULÍN FOR POLE POSITION
The SUNRED Engineering SEAT León TDi of Fernando Monje will start the first race of the 2012 ETCC from pole position after setting the fastest time early in the thirty-minute Qualifying session. The Krenek Motorsport BMW 320si of Petr Fulín was second fastest, while third quickest during the session was Norway’s Stian Paulsen in a SEAT León Cópa, which was also the fastest of the single-make series entrants.
The Spanish teenager has been quick around Monza since the first test session on Thursday and Monje duly delivered pole position in the diesel-powered SEAT with a time of 2:01.188. For a short while, it appeared the top three would be an all-SEAT affair, but Fulín clearly had other ideas and his time of 2:02.283, although over a second off Monje’s pace, suggests the BMW driver has no intention of letting the Spaniard have things his own way tomorrow, particularly with Monza traditionally being hard on the tyres of front-wheel drive cars.
If pole position was decided early on, third place was anything but. It was only in the dying minutes of the session that Paulsen (2:03.434) snatched third place from one of his rivals in the single-make series, Andreas Pfister (2:03.802). Together with Gabriele Tarquini’s pole position in the first of the WTCC races and Pepe Oriola heading the entrants in the Yokohama Trophy, today has been dominated by SEAT León cars.
The reigning Super Production Champion, Aleksander Tosic in a Honda Civic Type-R, was the faster of the two SP entries in eleventh place on the grid (2:11.937), with the Stewards denying the BMW of Fabio Fabiani permission to start due to a non-conforming fuel tank.
In the hotly-contested S1600 category, it was the Ford Fiesta ST of Germany’s Kevin Krammes that set the fastest time (2:19.111) although Gilles Bruckner (2:19.639) and Ulrike Krafft (2:20.300) will be out to deny Krammes victory in the first ETCC races of the season tomorrow.

WTCC Race of Italy – Autodromo di Monza – 10 / 11 March 2012
www.fiawtcc.com – www.monzanet.it

The 2012 WTCC season got under way yesterday, with five one-hour test sessions and the Chevrolet team made very clear from the start that the Cruze is still the car to beat.
Yvan Muller, Rob Huff and Alain Menu topped the time lists in all the sessions they took part in.
The reigning champion set the day’s best lap of 1:58.022 in the last test, Huff second fastest (1:58.035) and Menu third (1:58.406).
Alex MacDowall was an impressive fourth (1:58.415) in the bamboo-engineering car, completing a Chevrolet quartet ahead of the pack and topping the Yokohama Trophy.
Gabriele Tarquini emerged as the best of the rest, with the fifth fastest lap of 1:58.643 in his Lukoil Racing SEAT León; the Italian was just a bit faster that Rickard Rydell’s Swedish Chevrolet (1:58.916).
BMW drivers Tom Coronel (1:59.107) and Franz Engstler (1:59.936) were also able to break the two-minute wall.
Which has not yet been smashed by the Ford Focus cars, although Tom Chilton improved to 2:00.361, one and half second faster than he had been in the morning.
WTCC drivers will hit the track again tomorrow morning.

Reigning champion Yvan Muller and his Chevrolet were fastest in Thursday’s test

PORTUGUESE SWITCH: FROM ESTORIL TO ALGARVE
The WTCC Race of Portugal will take place at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve and not at the Estoril as it was originally planned.
The switch, motivated by logistics reasons, was approved today by the World Motor Sport Council. The date of the event remains the same, June 3.
The circuit close to Portimão had already hosted a WTCC event back in 2010, when local hero Tiago Monteiro and Gabriele Tarquini won one race apiece for SEAT.
"I am very pleased to go back there," said championship promoter Marcello Lotti. "The track layout suits very well touring car competitions and in 2010 we had two exciting races. And a very good crowd as well."
The circuit CEO Paulo Pinheiro echoed: "We are delighted to host the WTCC once again. This is the coronation of a three-year work that we have done to develop the track and its facilities. The WTCC event in 2010 was a major success and we are sure that this year’s race meeting will be even better, thanks to the manufacturers‘ participation and the fact that Tiago Monteiro is one of the top drivers in the championship."

WTCC’s first ever visit to the Algarve circuit dates back to 2010

SEAT GIVE SUPPORT TO WTCC CUSTOMERS
SEAT’s motorsport department confirmed their commitment in support of customer teams, for which the VW Group’s 1.6-litre turbo engine was adapted for use in the León WTCC racing car.
SEAT Sport are currently hard at work preparing the engines for installation by the customer teams. The introduction of the engine will be phased in during the season for those drivers who confirmed participation very late.
Which is why Tom Boardman (STR) will only appear on the second event at Valencia, while Tiago Monteiro (Tuenti Racing Team) and Andrea Barlesi (SUNRED Engineering) have been authorized by the FIA Touring Car Committee to race in Monza with León TDi cars.
"We are very happy with the customer teams in WTCC. We will go all-out to support them and take enormous pleasure in their racing successes," said Dr. Matthias Rabe, SEAT’s Vice President for Research and Development. "Motorsport is deeply embedded in SEAT’s DNA and also ongoing proof of our technical expertise. The fans of our brand are thrilled by every single exciting race."
SEAT Sport is supporting the customer teams with extensive assistance, and specialists from SEAT Sport will be on-site at each event.

FORD FOCUS CARS LADEN WITH 30 KILOS
Minimum weights for the newly homologated cars – Ford Focus S2000 TC and SEAT León WTCC – have been set at 1150 kilos.
However, following a decision from the Touring Car Committee, the Ford cars were imposed a 30 kilos of ballast for the Monza event.
Team Aon were also instructed to make changes to suspension and axles before the third event at Marrakech.

The starting weights for the different models at Monza are:
– 1200 kg: Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T (1160 + 40)
– 1180 kg: Ford Focus S2000 TC (1150 + 30)
– 1160 kg BMW 320 TC
– 1150 kg SEAT León WTCC; SEAT León TDi

USTCC CHAMPION: "I’M ADDICTED TO WTCC!"
Brandon Kraus, the winner of the 2011 United States Touring Car Championship, completed his first runs in a WTCC car yesterday and today at the wheel of a Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC.
The test was part of the agreement between championship promoters Marcello Lotti (WTCC) and Ali Arsham (USTCC) that will also see the American series racing at the WTCC event at Sonoma on September 23rd.
It was at the Sonoma circuit that Kraus secured the 2011 USTCC title and the Californian driver is already looking forward to the WTCC visiting his home track. Kraus was also impressed by his visit to Monza, where he was sixth fastest in today’s second test session together with the ETCC competitors.
"It was really good out there," he said after the test. "The crew worked really hard and, although we had a few problems yesterday, we picked it up today and I had a great time. What a fun track! The WTCC cars are really something, they were pulling five or six car lengths on me after every turn. I’m going to talk to a few sponsors and see if I can get a ride at Sonoma and maybe somewhere else as well. I’m addicted!"

FULÍN CHASES MONJE IN ETCC FINAL TESTS
Under blue skies and on a dry track, a total of twenty drivers took part in the two one-hour test sessions ahead of this weekend’s pair of ETCC races. Fastest in the opening session was the Krenek Motorsport BMW 320si of Petr Fulín, while it was the SUNRED Engineering SEAT Leon TDI of Fernando Monje which was quickest in the second session.
In session 1, Fulín set a time of 2:02.404 with Monje second fastest (2:02.901) and Igor Skuz third quickest in another BMW (2:04.530). The fastest of the Single-make series cars was the SEAT León of Stian Paulsen (2:05.420) while the Super 1600 Cup entrants were headed by Kevin Krammes‘ Ford Fiesta ST (2:20.162)
In session 2, it was the turn of Monje to top the timesheets, with a time of 2:01.849. Fulín had to settle for second-best this time (2:02.035) while it was the SEAT of Paulsen that was third fastest (2:04.425). The second test session saw two of the Super Production Cup entrants take to the Monza circuit, with the quicker of the two being the Honda Civic Type-R of Aleksandar Tosic (2:13.564). In the Super 1600 Cup, this time it was the Fiesta of Ulrike Krafft that set the fastest time (2:21.548).

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The 2012 FIA WTCC kicks off this weekend at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy’s temple of speed and one of the most glorious racetracks in the world.
This superfast circuit that is home to the Italian F1 Grand Prix, hosted the first ever WTCC event back in 2005. The championship paid a stop in Monza nearly every year since, with the exception of 2009, when the WTCC Race of Italy was temporarily moved to Imola.
WTCC is one of the favourite events for the enthusiastic Italian fans who always come to fill the grandstands in overtaking places such as the first chicane and the Ascari.
All the most competitive manufacturers have managed to win at Monza. SEAT’s turbo diesel cars claimed an impressive streak of six consecutive victories between 2007 and 2009, BMW won three times and Alfa Romeo twice, while Chevrolet triumphed in the last three races, with Rob Huff scoring a double last year.
The race weekend will be opened on Thursday, March 8, by a full test day made of five one-hour sessions.

Rob Huff heads the field at the braking of the first chicane last year

A STRONG FIELD OF 25 DRIVERS
The new WTCC season will start in style, with a strong field of 25 drivers coming from 14 different countries and at the wheel of four models: Chevrolet Cruze, BMW 320, SEAT León and Ford Focus.
The latest additions were Tiago Monteiro, who joined Pepe Oriola at Tuenti Racing Team, Isaac Tutumlu, teaming with Mehdi Bennani at Proteam Racing and he duo Andrea Barlesi-Fernando Monje signed by SUNRED Engineering.
Although he entered for the season, Monje will race at Monza not in WCC, but in the FIA European Touring Car Cup.

DOWNLOAD THE WTCC ENTRY LIST

THE CHAMPIONS
For the second consecutive year Yvan Muller and Chevrolet are the defending champions.
In 2011 the Cruze cars dominated the field re-writing all WTCC records and statistics, while Muller and his team-mates Rob Huff and Alain Menu filled the championship podium.
The question is: will they be able to repeat such a triumphant season?
"It is impossible to say now," Muller commented. "You may work a lot during the wintter, but until you face your competitors at the first event you don’t know where you are. I know that we have done a good job and advanced a little bit compared to last year. But starting the season 40 kilos heavier than the rest of the field will complicate our life. As for the others, I cannot say how competitive they will be, although I’m sure that SEAT cars will be faster now that SEAT Sport is looking after them."

THE CHALLENGERS
The challenge for the rest of the field is dethroning double champions Muller and Chevrolet and competition on track is due to be even more exciting this year.
The arrival of Team Aon brings the Ford brand back to the championship for the first time after 2005; the team’s Focus cars in the hands of young and talented British drivers Tom Chilton and James Nash appear to have a great potential.
2009 champion Gabriele Tarquini’s and Tiago Monteiro’s expectations to fight back for the world title have been strongly enhanced since he signed to race for the Lukoil Racing Team at the wheel of a SEAT León car fitted out with SEAT Sport’s new 1.6-litre turbo engine that will also power the cars of Special Tuning Racing and SUNRED Engineering.
The list of is completed by a bunch of competitive drivers in BMW 320 TC cars, led by race winners Tom Coronel and Franz Engstler and the experienced Stefano D’Aste.

THE GREEN TIDE
One of the most interesting aspects of the new season is the significant rejuvenation of the competitors. Although touring car racing has always been considered as a category dominated by drivers in their forties, and even older, the 2012 WTCC is drastically reversing the trend.
For the first time half of the field is made up of drivers under-30, including a few promising teen-agers such as Pepe Oriola (17-years old) the youngest ever in WTCC, Alberto Cerqui (19) reigning champion of the Italian Superstars.
It is the proof that WTCC is now regarded as a serious alternative to formula cars in building a professional career and the championship may now welcome young racers coming from single-seaters such as Mehdi Bennani (World Series), Fernando Monje (F3 Open) and Pasquale di Sabatino (Auto GP).

THE CALENDAR
A truly global championship, the WTCC will visit twelve countries over four continents.
The new venues compared to the previous years are the modern Slovakia Ring, located nearby Bratislava, the superfast Salzburgring with its beautiful setting amid the Austrian mountains, Sonoma’s spectacular Infineon Raceway that will host WTCC first ever visit to the USA, the Shanghai International Circuit, home to the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, and Marrakech’s street circuit that reappears in the WTCC calendar after a one-year break, bringing the championship to North Africa for the third time.

THE KEY FACTORS
A few technical and sporting features might prove crucial in the fight for the titles.
ENGINE RELIABILITY – 2012 is the second season for the 1.6 turbo engines that were introduced last year, increasing performance significantly. The period of adjustment is over and now the new engines must last for the complete season, allowing a huge saving in terms of running budgets.
COMPENSATION WEIGHT – the system that allocates extra weight according to the cars‘ performance on the track will come into force from the third race meeting. However – following an agreement among the represented manufacturers – the Chevrolet Cruze cars (2011 champion model) will be laden in Monza and Valencia by the maximum ballast of 40 kilos.
QUALIFYING SYSTEM – not only the qualifying will award championship points to the top five drivers in Q2, but the whole system has been revised for adding thrill to Saturday’s action. Twelve drivers instead of ten are now allowed to advance from Q1 to Q2 and fight for the top positions on the grid for Race 1. From this year the final results of Q2 are also deciding the grid of Race 2 that is drawn up by reversing the top-ten drivers classified.

EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CUP READY TO GO
The 2012 FIA European Touring Car Cup will kick off next weekend at Monza as well. The series will be also part of the WTCC events at Slovakia Ring (29 April) and Salzburgring (20 May) before being concluded by a stand-alone event at Imola (24 June).
Eligible cars are FIA Super 2000 (as per 2010 regulations, with 2.0L normally aspirated or turbodiesel engines), Super 1600, Super Production and Single Make Trophy.
A field of twenty-six cars will race at Monza in two back-to-back 50 km races on Sunday.
In the S2000 class Aytaç Biter, Petr Fulín and Igor Skuz are among the BMW drivers who will face Honda (Christian Fischer and Peter Rikli), Peugeot (Tim Gabór), SEAT (Ferran Monje) cars. An former WTCC Alfa Romeo 156 will be in the hands of Ferenc Ficza, 15-year old Hungarian, the youngest driver ever in ETCC.
A trio of Chevrolet Aveo cars run by Maurer Motorsport will fight against a platoon of Ford Fiesta in the S1600, while reigning champion Aleksandar Tosic (Honda) and Fabio Fabiani (BMW) will resume their fight in the Super Production. The field is completed by few SEAT León Cup cars in the new Single Make Trophy.
DOWNLOAD THE ETCC ENTRY LIST

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Hungary-based Zengö Motorsport step up from one to two cars. After having confirmed WTCC race winner Norbert Michelisz the team have entered a second BMW 320 TC for the 39-year-old Gábor Wéber who succeeded Michelisz in winning the SEAT León Eurocup in 2010.
Michelisz said: "I can’t wait the 2012 season to start. Monza is going to be quite interesting, but I hope we can be at least as competitive as we were there last year. I know that this season will be a huge challenge and with Gábor Wéber as my team-mate, I think it’s possible to fight more frequently for top positions as he is a very competitive driver, and we know each other very well."
And Wéber added: "We’ve been working on the project for months and finally we are there. I’m very happy to be back with Zengö Motorsport, and to team with Norbert. He was my teammate in the SEAT Cup and we share the same fighting spirit. Together we can be even stronger to challenge for the Yokohama Trophy."

Gábor Wéber joins fellow countryman Norbert Michelisz at Zengö Mosorport

TIAGO MONTEIRO TEAMS WITH PEPE ORIOLA
Tiago Monteiro remains in the WTCC and with SEAT for a sixth consecutive year. The Portuguese racer will team with Pepe Oriola at SUNRED Engineering; they will be at the wheel of SEAT León cars run under the name of Tuenti Racing Team.
Since 2007 Monteiro claimed 15 podium results, including four race victories in the world championship.
"I am very pleased to be renewing my contract with SEAT Tuenti Racing Team. It’s an extension that is pretty obvious from a competitive and commercial standpoint. The brand is increasingly committed to the championship and the best proof of that is that the improvements made to the car this year are significant: a new engine and several major technical developments," declared Monteiro who will take part in a test session at Imola before the season opening at Monza.
"I can’t wait to get back to competition in the strictest sense. Next week, the Imola tests will be very important for preparing for the start of the season. These tests will be brief but no stone will be left unturned."

BAMBOO SIGN MACDOWALL AND DI SABATINO
Alex MacDowall and Pasquale Di Sabatino are the drivers signed by bamboo-engineering for their 2012 campaign.
The 21-year-old MacDowall joins the team after two years with the Chevrolet RML squad in the British Touring Car Championship, while Di Sabatino (24 years old) competed in the Auto GP Series in 2011.
Team Principal Richard Coleman said: "We’re delighted to have Alex and Pasquale with us. Alex has proved himself in the BTCC over the last two seasons and I’m sure he’ll shine at world level as well. Pasquale has no previous Touring Car experience but he’s a very quick racing driver and I’m sure he’ll adapt quickly to the car."

O’YOUNG JOINS BOARDMAN AT STR
Special Tuning Racing announced their driver line-up for the 2012 season. WTCC regular Darryl O’Young will join Tom Boardman who returns to the world championship after two years that he successfully spent in the British Touring Car Championship.
The team will run two SEAT León cars powered by SEAT Sport’s new 1.6 litre turbo engine.
"I’m really looking forward to the new season. I have a lot of confidence in the car, as SEAT worked hard to develop the engine and STR have years of experience with them," O’Young said. Team principal John Boardman commented: "Darryl is an exceptional talent. He has raced all over the world and his experience speaks for itself. He will be a great asset for the team."

ENGSTLER AND NG TO TEAM TOGETHER
Germany-based Liqui Moly Team Engstler announced Franz Engstler and Charles Kaki Ng as their drivers for the 2012 WTCC, at the wheel of two BMW 320 TC cars.
On their attempt to defend the Yokohama Drivers‘ and Teams‘ Trophies won in 2011, the German outfit mix Engstler’s experience with Ng’s youthful enthusiasm.
The 50-year-old Engstler claimed his and the team’s first WTCC victory last year at Oschersleben, while Ng (27 year old) joined the squad for the last three events of the season and managed to score his first championship point at Shanghai.
"It was a very promising start for him," said team manager Kurt Treml, adding: "Charles has moved to live in our town, works together with the mechanics and trains on the simulator. He is quickly integrating himself with the team."

RICKARD RYDELL TO RACE AT MONZA
Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden and reigning Scandinavian Touring Car champion Rickard Rydell will take part in the WTCC opening at Monza, marking the drivers‘ comeback to the world championship in which he claimed five race victories between 2005 and 2009.
Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden’s main target for the season is to retain the Scandinavian title, but the team also assess the opportunity of an extended WTCC programme, with further outings possible later this year.
"It will be great to return to WTCC, and particularly to do it together with an all-Swedish team. Our aim for the year ahead is to retain our STCC title, and the WTCC outing will provide us with a valuable opportunity to get back into the racing groove," said Rydell.
LAUNCH OF THE MARRAKECH EVENT
The WTCC Race of Morocco that will take place at Marrakech on April 15, was launched during a press conference at Casablanca’s Hyatt Regency Hotel.
In front of a large representative of local media, event promoter Aly Horma announced that the Marrakech street circuit has been renamed after His Highness Moulay El Hassan, heir to Morocco’s throne.
"We are deeply grateful to His Majesty the King for this great honour. It is an important recognition and a reward for the huge efforts we have done to establish this event. We are also very happy for the deal we have signed with Eurosport Events that grants the future of the WTCC race meeting for the next three years," Horma commented.
WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti said: "We are very pleased to come back to Marrakech that must be proud to be the only African venue to host an FIA world championship."

The Casablanca press conference launched the WTCC event at Marrakech

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Gabriele Tarquini and Alexey Dudukalo will team once again in the 2012 WTCC.
The 2009 World Champion and the young Russian will race under the banner of the new Lukoil Racing Team at the wheel of two SEAT León cars powered by a new 1.6-litre turbo engine that is going to be homologated by SEAT.
"I’m very happy because Lukoil confirmed me as one of their drivers, and I’m also proud because they appointed me to raise the next generation of Russia’s racers. Now I’m eagerly looking forward to the new season. We will race again with the old León, but I expect a lot from the new SEAT engine. I believe we will be a much stronger package than last year, and in the position to fight with Chevrolet," Tarquini said.
Dudukalo added: "Last year our main problem was the engine, not enough powerful and reliable compared to our competitors. This time we will not have this problem, and furthermore we can rely on better experience and technical support."
Team director Evgeniy Malinovskiy concluded: "I am glad that Tarquini remained in our team. He is a professional and victory-focused driver, whose experience will help us to grow stronger. This year will be very important for Dudukalo; he won many Russian titles, but lacked experience in competition at such a high level. Now we expect more consistent results from him. WTCC is one of the most effective marketing and sporting tools for Lukoil; it is an excellent platform to create guest programmes for partners."
Lukoil Racing Team will hit the track for testing in the first days of February.

Lukoil Racing Team’s Tarquini and Dudukalo will use SEAT’s new 1.6L turbo engine

LIST OF CAR WEIGHTS PUBLISHED BY THE FIA
The FIA has published the list of the starting weights for the cars eligible to compete in the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship.
The domination wielded by the Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T during the previous season resulted in its minimum weight being increased by 30 kilos, from 1150 to 1180.
The BMW 320 TC cars was given a weight of 1160 kg, 10 less compared to last year’s 1170.
Any other model which took part in the 2011 championship will start on 1150 kg; this includes the 2.0L normally aspirated BMW 320si (-5 kg compared to 2011), Chevrolet Cruze LT and Chevrolet Lacetti, the 2.0L turbo diesel SEAT León TDi and the 1.6L turbo SUNRED León 1.6T and Volvo C30 that had been accepted by national homologations.
These weights take into account the balance of performance set by the Touring Car Committee.
New models such as Ford Focus and SEAT León 1.6 TSi will be added later by the Touring Car Committee.
All the cars will start the season on the maximum compensation weight: 40 kilos added to their minimum weights.

The Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T cars will be 30 kilos heavier than in 2011

ENTRIES OPEN FOR 2012 FIA WTCC
Full season entries to the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship opened on January 16^th, and will close on February 29^th.
Competitors must submit their applications using the online entry form, downloadable at www.entryforms.fia.com , accompanied by the entry fee of euro 37,700. Conditions for the entry are described in Art. 36 of the Sporting Regulations.
Race-by-race entries must be submitted to the FIA at least fourteen days prior to the relevant event; the entry fee is euro 5,170.

CHEVY ENGINE’S DESIGNER RECEIVES AWARD
Arnaud Martin, head of engine design at RML and creator of the 1.6-litre turbo that powered the Chevrolet Cruze cars to dominate last year’s WTCC, was the recipient of the Race Engine Designer award in a night of celebration during the RACE TECH World Motorsport Symposium.
Martin was awarded the trophy for having produced an entirely new engine from a clean sheet of paper; what was particularly impressive was that him and his small team of engineers produced the winning power plant in just eight months on a very limited budget.
On receiving the award from Soheila Kimberley, RACE TECH’s Publishing Director, Arnaud Martin said: "I am very grateful that my team’s work had been so recognised and honoured, and it makes me especially proud to join such a prestigious list of previous winners."
Previous recipients of the award were Rob White (Renault F1), Ulrich Baretzky (Head of Engine Technology, Audi Sport) and Francois Coudrain (Peugeot Sport).

COUNTDOWN: – 51 DAYS
WTCC RACE OF ITALY – MONZA, 11 MARCH 2012

 Italy-based ROAL Motorsport will step up to a two-car team for the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship. After making their comeback to the series in 2011, with only one BMW 320 TC car, the outfit directed by former world champion Roberto Ravaglia are ready to double their effort adding Alberto Cerqui to Tom Coronel.
Coronel is facing his second season with the team; the 39-year old Dutchman emerged as the best of the rest in 2011, claiming one victory at Suzuka and being classified fourth in the Drivers‘ Championship behind the Chevrolet trio.
The team’s second car will be entrusted to Italian racer Cerqui; although he is only 19 years old, he has already established himself as a rising star in touring car competitions, clinching the 2011 Italian Superstars title on his first year in a professional championship.
Team principal Ravaglia commented: "I am extremely satisfied for lining up two cars in 2012. It won’t be easy to repeat the good results we achieved in 2011, but I am confident. Tom provides experience and reliability, while Alberto has already shown his talent in adapting to new circuits."
"2011 was a positive year. Race after race I improved the feeling with the team and we ended up fighting for the podium in the last four rounds. Starting from last year’s fourth place, our goal is to improve and win some more races; I feel I can fight for third in the championship," Coronel stated.
Cerqui added: "After winning the Italian Superstars, WTCC was the obvious choice to continue my career in touring car racing. Having the opportunity to continue racing for ROAL Motorsport is a further reason to rejoice, though I am aware that is not going to be a walk in the park as most of the tracks are new to me and the level of competition is very high."

After winning last year in Suzuka, ROAL Motorsport aim for more with two cars

CHEVROLET BEGIN TESTING PROGRAMME IN SPAIN
The Chevrolet team set off for the 2012 season, when they will defend their second consecutive WTCC Drivers‘ and Manufacturers‘ title.
The Cruze racing car hit the track for the first time in a two-day testing session, on Tuesday and Wednesday, at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
Alain Menu was at the wheel of the test-car: "I haven’t been driving a race car since Macau and is definitely very nice to be behind the wheel again! We were lucky to enjoy very good weather in Valencia and this allowed to take the maximum out of these two days. We achieved quite some mileage and performed the entire program foreseen. Basically, we tested a number of small evolutions, related to both the chassis and the engine, and everything went well."
RML Project Manager Ron Hartvelt added: "The data collected in Spain will be very helpful in our work towards signing off the 2012 specs of the Cruze."
The Chevrolet team will be again at Valencia early February, with two cars for Yvan Muller and Rob Huff.

Alan Menu tested the Chevrolet Cruze at Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday

A BUSY START TO THE SEASON FOR ROB HUFF
The 2012 season has already kicked off in a busy way for 2011 WTCC vice-champion Rob Huff.
The Chevrolet racer attended last week the launch of the Cruze turbo road car for Israel’s press, that took place at Donington Park. Huff attended the press conference and then took the car through a gymkhana course to demonstrate and challenge the journalists.
This weekend Huff will also appear at the Autosport International at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, being available for interviews and autograph signings.

COUNTDOWN: – 58 DAYS
WTCC RACE OF ITALY – MONZA, 11 MARCH 2012

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