29.07.2004 Alfa Romeo drivers, Gabriele Tarquini AND Fabrizio Giovanardi, are looking forward to Spa this weekend as seek to claw back the deficit in the ETCC title race: Autodelta Spa preview

The seventh round of the FIA European Touring Car Championship seventh round will take place this weekend.

It will be an exceptional event for two reasons. Firstly it is the first meeting to be held since the FIA World Motor Sport Council promoted the series to a World Championship status for 2005.

However secondly, the series will also see its largest field ever, thanks to the addition of the cars from the German DMSB Produktionswagen Meisterschaft.

The World Touring Car Championship seems certain to be the dawn of an exciting new era for touring car racing and the chance for this branch of motorsport to place itself firmly onto a world stage.

For the last three years the FIA and KSO, promoter of the ETCC, have been working together to establish common technical regulations for international touring car competitions.

Since the launch of the FIA Super 2000 regulations in 2002, they have been steadily adopted by a number of national championships. Thus far the Super 2000 cars are eligible for the championships in Asia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain and Sweden.

This spread of the FIA rules has already led to a practical result: for the first time, competitors of a national championship have been invited to race in rounds also valid for their own series within an FIA ETCC meeting.

So at Spa this weekend, 10 competitors from the German DMSB Produktionswagen Meisterschaft will join the 26 FIA ETCC regulars, to give a record field of 36 cars. The experience will be repeated in Oschersleben, on September 19th.

Following the Hockenheim races, AutoDelta Squadra Corse had the opportunity to put in several days of testing to prepare for this round so they are now looking forward to the Belgian event.

AutoDelta will be present with four works Alfa Romeo 156 Super 2000 racers. After his dominant win in the first race at Donington Park, James Thompson will be back at Spa to reinforce the factory team.

Once again it is hoped that Thompson's addition might prove crucial to boost the hopes of team mates Gabriele Tarquini, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Augusto Farfus Jr.

The team have a strong track record at Spa as last year, currented FIA European Touring Car Champion Gabriele Tarquini won the first race.

The weekend will be a busy one for James Thompson, as he will fly back to England immediately after the races to marry his long-time girlfriend Vicki.

The LG Super Racing Weekends format this weekend will include the FIA GT Championship's annual marathon, Proximus 24 Hours of Spa. As this starts at 4pm on Saturday, ETCC qualifying will take place tomorrow, with the two touring car races being run on Saturday afternoon.

FIA ETCC ballast for Spa: 40 kg Priaulx; 30 kg Thompson; 20 kg Tarquini and D. Müller; 10 kg J. Müller.