27.01.2004 ALFA ROMEO JOIN BMW AND SEAT AT VALLELUNGA TO TEST MICHELIN ETCC CONTROL TYRE

Alfa Romeo, BMW and Seat took part in a two day test over the weekend at Vallelunga, organized by Michelin to choose the new control tyres for the 2004 FIA European Touring Car Championship.

On a sunny, but very cold first day, with asphalt temperatures not exceeding the 12°C, Dirk Muller in his Schnitzer-run BMW 320i clocked the best time of the day at 1:16.86. Another BMW pilot, Antonio García in the Ravaglia Motorsport car, was second fastest with a time of 1:16.91, only a hundredth of a second ahead of the other Schnitzer boy, Jörg Müller (1:16.92), whose car sported and high Pitot tube on the bonnet, for measuring the air speed.

Gabriele Tarquini emerged as the best of the Alfa Romeo drivers, setting a time of 1:16.99 in his Autodelta Alfa 156 GTA, while his new team-mate, Fabrizio Giovanardi, did not manage to break the 1:17. mark, with 1:17.13 being his best lap.

“However we have to point out that these times cannot be properly compared, as the drivers used different tyre solutions in different moments,” Michelin Compétition’s Mathieu Bonardel commented.

The weather remained overcast and cold, and temperatures were lower than the first day, with the asphalt between 5 and 6°C. The teams concentrated on long runs, and lap times remained significantly higher than yesterday. The BMW drivers again set the fastest times, with Antonio García clocking the best time of the day in 1:17.32, and Dirk Müller being second-fastest with a lap in 1:17.35. Jordi Gené consistently completed a number of laps in his SEAT Toledo Cupra, the best of them in 1:18.07.

The Alfa Romeo Autodelta team suffered a bad day. During the morning, Fabrizio Giovanardi crashed his Alfa 156 GTA, hitting the barriers at the Trincea bend. The car was badly damaged, and he was taken to a hospital in Rome for medical checks after feeling dizzy. The doctors did not find any problem, and he came back to the track in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, an engine problem forced his team-mate Gabriele Tarquini into the pits, meaning that he missed most of the afternoon session.