04.03.2004 GABRIELE TARQUINI AND ALFA ROMEO HEAD THE TIMESHEETS ON THE OPENING DAY OF ETCC TESTING AT MONZA

Reigning FIA ETCC champion Gabriele Tarquini set the fastest lap, in the first day of the official testing in Monza. The Italian driver, at the wheel of his Autodelta Alfa Romeo 156, was clocked at 2:00.249 in the fourth and final session of the day. Tarquini’s time was only 45 hundredths of a second faster than Dirk Müller’s 2:00.294.

Three other BMW men were closely placed third, fourth and fifth: Jörg Müller, Andy Priaulx and Alessandro Zanardi; the five fastest drivers were all covered by three tenths of a second. Luca Rangoni was the best of the independents, setting the sixth fastest lap of the day in the Oregon Team Alfa 156 GTA.

A number of drivers were having their first drive in their cars, like Rickard Rydell in the third SEAT Toledo, Paulien Zwart in the Carly Motors BMW, Alessandro Balzan in the JAS Motorsport Honda Civic, Roland Asch in the RS-Line Ford Focus and Simon Harrison in the GR Asia Honda Civic.

Testing will continue at Monza for a second day tomorrow.

Fastest times, Day 1: 1. Tarquini (Alfa Romeo 156TS) 2:00.249; 2. D. Müller (BMW 320i) 2:00.294; 3. J. Müller (BMW 320i) 2:00.396; 4. Priaulx (BMW 320i) 2:00.524; 5. Zanardi (BMW 320i) 2:00.537; 6. Rangoni (Alfa Romeo 156 GTA) 2:00.916; 7. Diefenbacher (SEAT Toledo Cupra) 2:00.971; 8. Giovanardi (Alfa Romeo 156 TS) 2:01.131; 9. Tavano (Alfa Romeo 156 GTA) 2:01.688; 10. D’Aste (BMW 320i) 2:01.970; 11. Bartyan (Alfa Romeo 156 GTA) 2:02.105; 12. Gené (SEAT Toledo Cupra) 2:02.365; 13. Rydell (SEAT Toledo Cupra) 2:03.776; 14. Zwart (BMW 320i) 2:03.546; 15. Balzan (Honda Civic Type-R) 2:03.932; 16. Asch (Ford Focus ST170) 2:05.821; 17. Harrison (Honda Civic Type-R) 2:06.957.