12.05.2004 After a two day test session at Adria with Fabrizio Giovanardi driving, AutoDelta are looking to bounce back this weekend at Hockenheim: ETCC preview
The FIA European Touring Car Championship is returning to Hockenheim for the first time since it was revived in 2001. Previously, the championship visited the circuit once before, in 1986.
After the first six rounds of the
season, Alfa Romeo and BMW have won three races each. And their drivers are
deeply involved in the title fight. There have been five different race winners
so far, with Alfa Romeo's Gabriele Tarquini the only man to claim more than one
race win so far, currently in the lead of the Drivers' Championship. However he
is closely followed by Jorg and Dirk Muller, both driving for BMW Team
Deutschland, who are five and six points behind him respectively.
Fabrizio Giovanardi, Autodelta, Andy Priaulx, driving for BMW Team Great
Britain, and third Autodelta driver, Augusto Farfus, are a few further points
adrift, meaning six drivers separated by only 16 points. In the Manufacturers'
Championship the fight is even closer, with BMW leading Alfa Romeo by 2 points.
Following the previous meeting in Magny-Cours, where Dirk Muller and Priaulx both scored their first wins of the season, Jorg Muller's car will be carrying the maximum 40-kg handicap weight in Hockenheim, while Dirk and Tarquini will have 30 kg and Farfus 10.
However, race after race, the other
Manufacturers are improving their competitiveness, threatening to interrupt this
Alfa Romeo-BMW duet. The SEAT Sport's cars fought for the top positions in
Valencia and Magny-Cours, and only bad luck prevented them from achieving some
brilliant results. The performances of the new Honda Accord and the Peugeot 307
are also improving quickly, and soon they might cause a surprise.
After their clear domination in Valencia, the Alfa Romeo 156 works cars
struggled to keep the pace in Magny-Cours. Tarquini's second position in the
second race, and two third places for Farfus, enabled the Italian Manufacturer
to maintain the lead in the Drivers' Championship. However, in the
Manufacturers' Championship, Alfa Romeo has been demoted to second position.
This pushed the AutoDelta team to organise two days of testing in Adria, in
order to find better set-up solutions for the next meeting in Hockenheim. With
Tarquini racing in the historical Mille Miglia, it was Fabrizio Giovanardi's
turn to test.
The FIA ETCC
current leader, Gabriele Tarquini, took a break last weekend and entered in the
Mille Miglia re-run at the wheel of a 1953 Alfa Romeo 3000 CM, which was
originally driven by Juan-Manuel Fangio..
Tarquini, was co-driven by AutoDelta team manager Monica Sipsz. However the
pair, who were driving as one of the eight cars entered by the recently formed
'factory' Alfa Romeo Vintage Car Team, retired early on with clutch failure.
Finally at Hockenheim, Tom Coronel, in Carly Motors BMW 320i,
who has won three rounds out of six of the Independents Trophy will be defending
his points lead. This it will not proving to be an easy season for the Dutch
driver, as he has some competitive opponents. Stefano D'Aste proved to be quick
and consistent with the Proteam Motorsport BMW 320i, and he is now second in the
classification, only three points behind. Now at the wheel of the new Honda
Accord, Alessandro Balzan showed great potential last time out.
Oregon Team's three young men, Michele Bartyan, winner of the first race in
France, Luca Rangoni and Salvatore Tavano are now coming into the fray after the
new ETCC team appeared to have stepped up a gear at Magny-Cours.
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|