BMW determined to continue winning streak in Magny-Cours.
For rounds 3 and 4 of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), the BMW national teams are returning to a track on which they were able to celebrate many successes. At the "Circuit de Nevers" in Magny-Cours, BMW drivers have been able to win for three years running. Especially Jörg Müller (GER) of BMW Team Germany is a specialist when it comes to the 4.411 kilometre track. In 2003, the 36-year-old achieved a double victory in the European Touring Car Championship, and in 2005, he was able to repeat this triumph, when the WTCC visited the circuit in the heart of France for the first time.
Last year, Jörg Müller benefited from the fact that he was able to battle for world championship points without having to carry additional weight on board in Magny-Cours. The experienced driver will enter this year's races without any ballast once more, as will the two drivers of the BMW Team Italy-Spain, Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) and Marcel Costa (ESP). Following his victory at the first race of the season in Monza, reigning world champion Andy Priaulx (GBR) will be forced to take 45 kilograms of extra weight on board of his BMW 320si WTCC. BMW Team Germany driver Dirk Müller (GER), who came fourth in the first race of the season, is required to load ten additional kilograms.
Dirk Müller (BMW Team Germany):"Obviously I am one of the few drivers who actually really like Magny-Cours. Since the beginning of my career I have always enjoyed coming here. The track layout is interesting and demanding. The track has its little obstacles, which you simply need to know of, if you want to achieve a top result. Of course it is a little difficult to get here but I don't waste my time thinking about things like that. Instead, I rather concentrate on the two races."
Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):"I like Magny-Cours, even if I can't exactly explain why. Last year, I entered the event without any handicap weight, which naturally made the double victory easier. It is extremely fun to race on this track. The most important thing is to get through the chicanes well. For this purpose you need a chassis that enables you to drive over the kerbs with a lot of speed. The interaction between suspension, dampers and stabilisers has to work smoothly."
Charly Lamm (Team Manager, BMW Team Germany):"Unlike in Monza, a track full of variety awaits us in Magny-Cours, where not only sheer engine power, but particularly the perfect set-up is important. The track surface is very even and allows a firm set-up. The grip conditions can, however, change within minutes if clouds block out the sun and temperatures lower. The spectators can look forward to many overtaking manoeuvres, particularly in the Adelaide hairpin at the end of the back straight."
History and background:Last year, Jörg Müller experienced the perfect WTCC weekend in Magny-Cours: He not only won both races, but started from pole position and recorded the fastest laps. No other driver was able to celebrate such a complete triumph during the 2005 season.
The rurally located "Circuit de Nevers" is a modern race track with a comparatively even surface. It offers a demanding combination of fast and slow corners, as well as plenty of overtaking possibilities.
The drivers are required to master some corners in Magny-Cours which are recreations of distinctive sections on other European tracks, such as the Imola chicane, the Adelaide hairpin and the Estoril corner.
Motorsport has a long tradition in Magny-Cours. Following the initiative of then mayor Jean Bernigaud, the first kart track was built in 1959. This facility was the foundation of what was later to become the centre of French motorsport in a year-long, step-by-step process. In 1989 the track officials celebrated the inauguration of the new Grand Prix circuit, which hosted a Formula One race for the first time two years later.
To date, 15 Grands Prix have been held at the "Circuit de Nevers". This year, Formula One racing will take place in Magny-Cours on 16th July.At the same time, the track is an evergreen on the race calendar of the WTCC and its preceding series, the ETCC. For the sixth time, international FIA Touring Car Championship races will be held here this year.
The circuit is named after Nevers, which lies 200 kilometres south of Paris. 68 000 people live in the capital of the Département Nièvre, the former province of Burgundy, on the north shore of the Loire.
Nevers first appeared in the history books as the Roman colony of Noviodunum. In the middle ages, the town rose to become a dukedom and was controlled, among others, by the Italian Gonzaga family and later by Cardinal Jules Mazarin.The drivers are required to complete twelve laps in both races, equalling a total distance of 52.93 kilometres. The first race commences on Sunday, at 15.10 hrs (CET), Race 2 starts at 16.15 hrs. The event will be televised live on EUROSPORT.
Race Calendar: 2nd April - Monza (ITA), 30th April - Magny-Cours (FRA), 21st May - Brands Hatch (GBR), 4th June - Oschersleben (GER), 2nd July - Curitiba (BRA), 30th July - Puebla (MEX), 3rd September - Brno (CZE), 24th September - Istanbul (TUR), 8th October - Valencia (ESP), 19th November - Macau (CHN).
