All eyes will be on British drivers James Thompson and Andy Priaulx this weekend as they battle it out for the coveted World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Brno, Czech Republic.
With only eight rounds to go, British drivers, Thompson (SEAT Sport), and Priaulx (BMW), find themselves separated by just three points at the top of the championship going into rounds 13 and 14.
Thompson said: “I’m very much looking forward to Brno, even though I’ve never competed there before… I’m proud to be leading, of course, as that’s what I’ve been working towards, but it’s still a learning year for me and I’m just trying to keep up the points tally.”
Thompson’s inexperience at Brno could be Priaulx’s gain, as the current champion has a good record at the Czech circuit, having won there in 2003 and 2004, as well as holding the racing lap record, with a stunning 2m11.903s.
Yet the biggest challenge to both Thompson and Priaulx could come from Brazilian-ace, Augusto Farfus Jr., who now sits joint-second in the championship with Priaulx, after a victory and a second place at Puebla, Mexico in July.
Farfus, like Thompson and Priaulx, will be carrying a considerable amount of success ballast*, which could hinder all three championship contenders this weekend.
Thompson continued: “From what the others have told me, the circuit should be good for SEAT. As for the Championship, I take each weekend as it comes so my game plan doesn’t really change, but there is only so much you can do with all that weight.”
Qualifying for the WTCC at Brno can be seen live on Eurosport at 2pm (GMT) on Saturday, 2nd September, 2006, with live race coverage starting at 2pm (GMT) on Sunday, 3rd September, 2006.
*Success ballast is a WTCC feature designed to ensure close racing. After each round, drivers receive weight penalties according to their championship position and points scored. The maximum weight penalty is 80 kg.
Success ballast at Brno (top 5):
1. Augusto Farfus Jr. (Alfa Romeo) 80 kg
2. James Thompson (SEAT) 70 kg
3. Dirk Müller (BMW) 65 kg
4. Andy Priaulx (BMW) 60 kg
5. Gianni Morbidelli (Alfa Romeo 60 kg
FIA WTCC Drivers’ Championship (top 10):
1. James Thompson (GBR) SEAT Léon 49 points
2. Andy Priaulx (GBR) BMW 320si 46 points
3. Augusto Farfus Jr (BRA) Alfa Romeo 156 46 points
4. Rickard Rydell (SWE) SEAT Léon 41 points
5. Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) SEAT Léon 41 points
6. Dirk Müller (GER) BMW 320si 40 points
7. Yvan Muller (FRA) SEAT Léon 33 points
8. Peter Terting (GER) SEAT Léon 32 points
9. Jörg Müller (ESP) BMW 320si 30 points
10. Jordi Gené (ESP) SEAT Léon 24 points
FIA WTCC Manufacturers’ Championship:
1. SEAT 148 points
2. BMW 139 points
3. Alfa Romeo 111 points
4. Chevrolet 67 points
The FIA World Touring Car Championship was born out of the European Touring Car Championship, which it replaced in 2005.
The three championships granted full FIA World Championship status are the Formula 1 World Championship, World Rally Championship and the World Touring Car Championship.
The first WTCC Champion was Andy Priaulx. The title was decided in the final round, Priaulx finishing with 101 points to Dirk Müller’s 86 and Fabrizio Giovanardi’s 81.
The 2005 WTCC saw 12 winners in 20 races.
The full WTCC calendar for 2006 is as follows:
Round Date Country Circuit1 & 2 April 1st / 2nd Italy Monza3 & 4 April 29th / 30th France Magny-Cours5 & 6 May 20th / 21st Great Britain Brands Hatch7 & 8 June 3rd / 4th Germany Oschersleben9 & 10 July 1st / 2nd Brazil Curitiba11 & 12 July 29th / 30th Mexico Puebla13 & 14 September 2nd / 3rd Czech Republic Brno15 & 16 September 23rd / 24th Turkey Istanbul17 & 18 October 7th / 8th Spain Valencia19 & 20 November 18th / 19th China Macau
