NEWS ARCHIVE

The 9th and 10th rounds of the 2010 FIA WTCC will take place at Portimão this week. This event marks the championship’s first visit to the modern Autódromo Internacional de Algarve located in Southern Portugal, which was inaugurated in 2008. Among the many possible layouts offered by this impressive, state-of-the art venue, the FIA WTCC cars will run on the 4.6km racetrack for two 11-lap races.

Colin Turkington’s BMW 320si car that will make its first appearance in this year’s WTCC next week in Portugal, will be backed by eBay Motors, UK’s largest automotive marketplace. The WSR team, who are currently supported by eBay Motors in the domestic BTCC, will be sporting an eye-catching Anglo-German livery for the WTCC rounds; eBay.co.uk has more than 18 million visitors a month and the company sees the WTCC as an ideal platform from which to reach motoring enthusiasts.

The handicap weights for the WTCC Race of Portugal remain the same as for the previous event in Zolder. The Chevrolet Cruze and the SEAT León TDI remain the heaviest cars of the field and for the third consecutive race meeting they will carry the maximum compensation weight of 40 kg. The compensation weight was determined by the lap times set in Morocco, Italy and Belgium.

Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2010 FIA World Touring Car Championship will take place at Brands Hatch, UK, 17th and 18th July. The deadline to apply for media credentials is Tuesday, 6th July. Please be reminded that media passes issued by National Sporting Authorities and/or any other series (except the FIA Formula 2 permanent media passes) will NOT be valid. Accreditation forms can be downloaded from www.fiawtcc.com/Accreditation.asp.

Michel Vaillant, the hero of motorsport comic books created by Belgian artist Jean Graton, was a “presence” in the air throughout the whole WTCC event at Zolder. Graton’s son, Philippe, who is stepping into his father shoes to carry on with the Vaillante saga, visited the circuit and together with the drivers sat at the VIP Club signing copies of comic books, 10,000 of which were distribuited for free to the fans who attended the event.

The FIA World Touring Car Championship will move from Okayama to Suzuka for the 2011 Race of Japan. The change was announced today by the championship promoter KSO and Mobilityland Corporation that operates the Suzuka Circuit. The WTCC Race of Japan has been held twice at Okayama International Circuit, in 2008 and 2009, and will take place there again this year on October 31st.

SEAT and BMW shared victories in Zolder, on the first ever visit of the FIA WTCC to Belgium that was blessed by a crowd of 23,000 despite a cold wind from the North. Jordi Gené came home first in Race 1, but it was his team-mate Gabriele Tarquini who inherited victory after the Spaniard’s car failed to pass the technical checks because the air restrictor did not conform. The second race saw one of Andy Priaulx’s famous solo escapes from the pole position on the reverse grid.

Gabriele Tarquini inherited victory in Zolder’s Race 1 when his teammate Jordi Gené – who had crossed the finish line first – was excluded after his SEAT León TDI car failed to pass the technical check because the air restrictor did not conform. Chevrolet’s Yvan Muller and Alan Menu were promoted to second and third. These changes means that Tarquini moves up to second in the Drivers’ Championship, closing the gap from Muller to 19 points. Andy Priaulx and Rob Huff are now third and fourth.

Andy PRIAULX: “It was really nice to see so many spectators supporting the Belgian team so it felt like a home race for me too. It was a similar atmosphere to being at Brands Hatch. Race 1 was much more exciting as after qualifying it was going to be a hard race. I kept attacking Coronel and getting through really was crucial to winning Race 2. I’d love to be able to win Race 1 as well but we just don’t have the pace in qualifying so Race 2 is our only chance of victory at the moment.”