DRIVERS AIMING TO KEEP POINT-SCORING MOMENTUM GOING
As WTCC Makes First Ever Visit To Fabulous Istanbul Track
The next stop for the 2005 World Touring Car Championship will be the brand new Istanbul Park Otodrom in Turkey, the second new race track the WTCC visits this year. Located on the Anatolian side of the world’s only city built on two continents, the Hermann Tilke-designed track hosted the very first Turkish Grand Prix three weeks ago and met with unanimous applause from all corners. Described as being a “little Spa”, the track is situated in a green area and features many elevation changes and a whole range of different corners, putting man and machine to the test.
“I’m really looking forward to the race,” said Rob Huff. “It’s yet another new track for me to learn, but in this case nobody has an advantage over us when it comes to track knowledge. I videotaped the F1 Grand Prix and spent many a night watching the tape and going round and round. It will be a difficult track for us as it is a very long and very fast circuit. Knowing that, our main target will be to finish the races and gather as much data as possible and take that forward to next year. And if we’re lucky we might score a point or two.”
Alain Menu will drive a re-shelled car in Istanbul, as Team Manager, Mark Busfield explained. “We noticed some discrepancies in performances between the three cars which we couldn’t quite pinpoint. So we decided to re-shell Alain’s car, as he anyway felt happier with the car he used in the beginning of the season than with the later one. As Rob explained earlier, the track doesn’t particularly suit our cars as some of the previous tracks have, so the mission will be to learn as much as possible for the future.”
After the Istanbul race is finished, another race awaits the team, the one to get the cars prepped for the Valencia round. “The cars will come back to the workshops on the Friday following the Istanbul raced, to go again the next Monday,” Busfield explained. “That leaves us with only about three days to re-prep and rebuilt the three cars, which logistically makes these races a double-header.”
In Turkey, the WTCC teams will take part in their second of three “fly-away” races after Mexico, the final one being the season-ending Macau street race in November. “This truly shows that the WTCC is indeed a world championship,” Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Manager, Eric Nève said. “This year we race on three continents on some of the most famous tracks there are, and the project calendar for 2006 looks even more exiting. It is very important for a brand like Chevrolet to race its products in those countries where people are enthusiastic about motorsports, as I am sure everybody agrees the Turkish fans are. With all the positive feedback I have read and heard about the Turkish Grand Prix I’m sure the Istanbul race can’t be but a success at every level.”
2005 WTCC DRIVERS POINTS STANDINGS (After 14 races) (Provisional)
1. D Müller (BMW), 69 points; 2. A Priaulx (BMW), 68; 3. F Giovanardi (Alfa Romeo), 57; 4. J Müller (BMW), 45; 5. G Tarquini (Alfa Romeo) 43;… 16. A Menu (Chevrolet) 4;… 18. R Huff (Chevrolet), 3;… 20. N Larini (Chevrolet) 2.
2005 WTCC MANUFACTURERS POINTS STANDINGS (After 14 races) (Provisional)
1. BMW 193, points; 2. Alfa Romeo, 164; 3. SEAT, 136; 4. Chevrolet, 45; 5. Ford, 8.
ISTANBUL WTCC SCHEDULE (All times local = CET+1)
Saturday 17th September09.00.09.30 Free Practice 112.00-12.30 Free Practice 215.15-15.45 Qualifying
Sunday 18th September10.35-10.50 Warm Up16.15-16.40 WTCC Race 1 (10 laps = 53.400 kms)17.20-17.45 WTCC Race 2 (10 laps = 53.400 kms)
The races will be broadcasted live on Eurosport.
