[WTCC] Race 3 & 4 - Puebla (MEX), 22th March 2009

[FIRE]

Entrylist
N° TEAM DRIVER CAR
1 SEAT Sport Yvan Muller (FRA) SEAT León 2.0 TDI
2 SEAT Sport Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) SEAT León 2.0 TDI
3 SEAT Sport Rickard Rydell (SWE) SEAT León 2.0 TDI
4 SEAT Sport Jordi Gené (ESP) SEAT León 2.0 TDI
5 SEAT Sport Tiago Monteiro (POR) SEAT León 2.0 TDI
6 BMW Team UK Andy Priaulx (GBR) BMW 320si
7 BMW Team Germany Jörg Müller (GER) BMW 320si
8 BMW Team Germany Augusto Farfus (BRA) BMW 320si
9 BMW Team Italy-Spain Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) BMW 320si
10 BMW Team Italy-Spain Sergio Hernández (ESP) BMW 320si
11 Chevrolet Robert Huff (GBR) Chevrolet Cruze **
12 Chevrolet Alain Menu (SUI) Chevrolet Cruze **
14 Chevrolet Nicola Larini (ITA) Chevrolet Cruze **
18 LADA Sport Jaap van Lagen (NED) Lada 110 2.0
19 LADA Sport Kirill Ladygin (RUS) Lada 110 2.0
20 LADA Sport Viktor Shapovalov (RUS) Lada 110 2.0
21 SUNRED Engineering Tom Coronel (NED) SEAT León 2.0 TFSI *
22 SUNRED Engineering Tom Boardman (GBR) SEAT León 2.0 TFSI *
23 Scuderia Proteam Motorsport Félix Porteiro (ESP) BMW 320si *
24 Scuderia Proteam Motorsport George Tanev (BUL) BMW 320si *
25 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Franz Engstler (GER) BMW 320si *
26 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Kristian Poulsen (DEN) BMW 320si *
27 Wiechers-Sport Stefano D'Aste (ITA) BMW 320si *
28 Colak Racing Team Ingra Marin Colak (CRO) SEAT León 2.0 TFSI *
* Yokohama Independents' Trophy
** FIA homologation under way

Schedule (times in CET)
Testing: Friday 22:00-22:30
Free Practice 1: Saturday 16:00-16:30
Free Practice 2: Saturday 19:30-20:00
Qualifying Q1: Saturday 23:00-23:20
Qualifying Q2: Saturday 23:25-23:35
Warm Up: Sunday 16:00-16:15
Race 1: Sunday 19:20-19:45
Race 2: Sunday 22:50-23:15

[FIRE]

25-year old Mehdi Bennani will join the FIA WTCC for his home event in Marrakech, becoming the first North African driver to race in an FIA world championship.
The young Moroccan driver will be at the wheel of a petrol-powered SEAT León run by Luc Marchetti’s Exagon Engineering that was a regular WTCC competitor in 2007 and 2008.
Bennani, who has progressed in his racing career from the karting to the Formula Renault, the Formula BMW, the World Series by Renault and finally the Euro F3000 Series, will be backed in his WTCC debut by OMNT, Morocco’s Tourism Office.
The Exagon Engineering team will give Bennani the opportunity to test the car in Magny-Cours before the race meeting in Marrakech.

Source: WTCC pr

Never heard of him.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

I have, but I can't say he fills me with excitement.

[Matt]

They should just run the cars on the oval.

[werner]

It would be more interesting for the average American fan to see one or more races on ovals in the WTCC. But then again, how many Americans are interested in the WTCC anyway, with their small cars and almost only European drivers. And the track is just fine for touringcarracing as it is. The races over there are always spectacular.

[Matt]

Cause watching Touring Cars on an oval would be quite fun to watch. Oval racing takes a whole nother set of skills, be fun I think.

[stedevil]

Originally Posted by Matt

Cause watching Touring Cars on an oval would be quite fun to watch.

It already exists, just turn on your Telly. Should be plenty of that type on in the US. Meanwhile I hope WTCC organizers never go that crazy that they would even suggest that format for WTCC.

[Matt]

Way to have an open mind about things.

[awrb]

I think it could be interesting to just have one race on an oval, but not a super speedway, a smallish one. it would be interesting to see cause I imagine some drivers would really love it, and others just not have a clue. Could mix things up for a race. It won't happen though.

[Matt]

The Puebla oval would be perfect too. 1.3 miles, but not banked a lot, so it wouldn't destroy the tires as fast as a high banked one. That, and the straights are long enough, and the turns flat enough, that you'd have to do a considerable amount of braking for the corners.

[awrb]

It would defiantly be interesting, but it would be all about the SEATs. Their torque would just destroy the rest. How about having race one on the oval, race two on the road course? I know the teams would moan cause they've got lots of set up changes, but it would certainly spice the meeting up.

[Matt]

Or, have them practice and qualify on the road course, then tell them race morning, "Oh, we're gonna race on the oval."

[THIM]

Maybe, let's wait until Sunday

[FIRE]

Apparently there are problems with the tarmac (what a surprise! ) and the new curbstones are a bit high.

[Hazard]

Indeed -looks like we're going to see the usual track troubles at Mexico

[Matt]

Run em on the oval, no pavement troubles then!

[Hazard]

Pavement didn't seem to bad.

SEAT fell back at the last stride. Farfus and Priaulx take the front row.

[Jon411]

Totally surprised by that outcome.

I was watching it through the Eurosport Player - about 10 seconds before they left the circuit there was a message asking for the team manager of car number 8 (Farfus) to report to the stewards.

Yvan Muller doesn't look happy, I wonder if they cut it too fine, as they looked to be putting new tyres on - so I take it they wanted to do a second run but didn't get him out in time.

We ll done to BMW and also Porteiro. The way Proteam are looking - I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the podium overall by the end of the year - again he is a number of places ahead of the other independents.

[stedevil]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Apparently there are problems with the tarmac (what a surprise! ) and the new curbstones are a bit high.

Looks like the high curbstones was exactly what was needed.

Going to be an exiting race from the looks of it.

Originally Posted by Jon411

We ll done to BMW and also Porteiro. The way Proteam are looking - I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the podium overall by the end of the year - again he is a number of places ahead of the other independents.

Indeed, looks like nobody in the BWM-indy camp will match him this year. But Coronel in the Petrol SEAT is probably going to have -60kg for much of the season starting from Marocco. So will probably be a very interesting fight between them thoughout the season.

[FIRE]

Porteiro is very impressive.

[MikeH]

Not trying to cause trouble when I say this, but are these races likely to be worth switching over from the NASCAR at Bristol for? If they're as dull as Curitiba then I'll settle for the bullring.

Regardless, go Lada!

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by MikeH

Not trying to cause trouble when I say this, but are these races likely to be worth switching over from the NASCAR at Bristol for? If they're as dull as Curitiba then I'll settle for the bullring.

Regardless, go Lada!

I think they'll intersperse the monotony of those many laps of Bristol methinks.

Actually - The 2nd race is on at the end of the NASCAR - which is a little unfortunate. Maybe we can get NASCAR to shorten this one a bit - the first 80% of the race is pointless anyway right?

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Hazard

I think they'll intersperse the monotony of those many laps of Bristol methinks.

Actually - The 2nd race is on at the end of the NASCAR - which is a little unfortunate. Maybe we can get NASCAR to shorten this one a bit - the first 80% of the race is pointless anyway right?

No.

[MikeH]

Originally Posted by Hazard

Actually - The 2nd race is on at the end of the NASCAR - which is a little unfortunate. Maybe we can get NASCAR to shorten this one a bit - the first 80% of the race is pointless anyway right?

Some might suggest the first 80% of the season is pointless given the silly playoff at the end. I'm hoping the timing works out that the races end/start just in time. Oh wait, it's Bristol...

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Hazard

Pavement didn't seem to bad.

Indeed

According the Eurosport commentator there's more grip compared to previous seasons.