01.09.2003  GABRIELE TARQUINI HEADS FOR ANDERSTORP WORRIED THAT HE HAS TO LEARN A NEW TRACK

In the FIA European Touring Car Championship, Anderstorp 2002 saw the Alfa Romeo early season dominance come to an end, when Jörg Müller claimed BMW's first win in Race Two, overtaking Volvo's Rickard Rydell on the last lap, Nicola Larini having won the first race for Alfa Romeo. This year will see the next scene in what is proving to be an incredibly close fight for the title, with the top five drivers separated by only seven points. Although Autodelta driver Tarquini maintains the lead, BMW's Jörg Müller is now just two points behind him. 

Since last year, a lot of changes have taken place at the Scandinavian Raceway. Although the layout itself remains unchanged, all the run-off areas have been cleared and refilled with 2000 cubic metres of the Leeca material for which Anderstorp is famous. Around 1500 metres of tyre barriers have been set up, and the pit area has been redesigned, with 22 nine by eight metre tents as substitutes for the permanent pit buildings which it was not possible to finish in time. 

ANDERSTORP - ACCORDING TO RICKARD RYDELL 

Rickard Rydell is undoubtedly one of Sweden's leading Touring Car drivers, a former British Touring Car Champion, and a star in the FIA European Touring Car Championship since last season. Having driven for the Volvo factory team in 2002, Rydell returned to the Championship this year with ART Engineering, the Italian team which has continued to race the Volvo S60 cars. After a difficult start to the season, new engine developments from the factory have helped to see an improvement over the past two meetings, and the Swedish driver took his first podium of the season on familiar territory in Donington Park. 

"Anderstorp is quite a tricky track. It has a very long straight and three or four medium-high speed 80° corners to be negotiated in third gear. You need a very good balanced car to be competitive there. The engine is important on the straight, but not as much as one could expect. A good balance in cornering and under braking can make up for the lack of top speed. 

"Setting your car up, you must give priority to stability; you definitely have to avoid oversteer while entering in the corners. Brakes are not a problem, Donington was much worse from that point of view. Normally the races in Anderstorp are quite fun to watch at. A lot of overtaking used to take place at the end of the long straight; the spectators sitting in the infield also have quite a good view of the action." 

ETCC

The summer break is over and the FIA European Touring Car Championship drivers are ready for the grand finale. With five drivers covered by only seven points, the remaining four meetings of the series look set for some breathtaking, action-packed races. Gabriele Tarquini and his Autodelta Alfa Romeo 156 Gta are still leading the championship classification, with four race wins and 64 points collected so far. But the two BMW Team Deutschland men, Jörg and Dirk Müller, are closely chasing Tarquini, being only two and six points behind respectively. Fourth and fifth in the classification are Andy Priaulx of the BMW Team Great Britain and Tarquini's team-mate Nicola Larini; they both are seven points from the lead. 

When the ETCC visited Anderstorp last year, Larini dominated the first race on a wet track, while Jörg Müller scored his and BMW's first success of the season in a drying Race 2, overtaking Rickard Rydell's Volvo during the last lap. The only title contender who has not yet scored a race win, Larini is eager to repeat that result. The Italian driver will carry the minimum 10-kg ballast, while his rivals will have more: 20 kg Priaulx and Jörg Müller, 30 kg Tarquini, 40 kg Dirk Müller. 

Four Swedish drivers will take part in their home round. Regular ETCC competitor Rickard Rydell will be joined by his fellow countrymen Tomas Engström, Niklas Karlsson and Johan Stureson. 

ZANARDI TESTED A RAVAGLIA BMW AGAIN

Once more, Alessandro Zanardi sat behind the wheel of a Ravaglia Motorsport BMW 320i, for a test in Adria. The former Formula Cart double champion tested along with the team's regular driver Antonio García. In his 2003 car, the young Spaniard set the fastest time with a lap of 1:22.2, while Zanardi was clocked at 1:24.2 in a 2002-spec car. This was the third time Zanardi has tested a Ravaglia BMW, aiming for a possible participation in the final FIA ETCC meeting of the season in Monza. "We had a positive impression," Roberto Ravaglia said. "It's not easy to compare the times, because the cars were so much different and Zanardi's was 50 kg heavier due to the assisting driving system. I think that he's only half-a-second slower." Over the coming weeks, the team will organise another test, in which Zanardi will finally drive a 2003 car. 

WORRIED TARQUINI HOPES FOR RAIN 

Current Championship leader Gabriele Tarquini has never raced in Anderstorp before. "It is one of the few tracks I don't know. I have to wait until Thursday, when I'll walk around for a couple of recognition laps. However our engineers say that this is not a good track for us, because there are a few long and rounded corners that do not suit our cars. There is a long straight, which should enhance our top speed, but it is accessed through a slow corner. I hope we won't struggle there as we did in Brno," a worried Tarquini declared, adding : "Last year Nicola (Larini) won the first race in the rain. If it will rain again, it will be good for us. But it has to be real rain, because when is drizzly and the track is slippery, the BMWs have the advantage." 

THE MÜLLERS ARE READY TO ATTACK 

Last year Jörg and Dirk Müller had very different destinies in Anderstorp. While Jörg managed to score BMW's first win in the Championship, Dirk saw his weekend jeopardised when he went off during the first race. "The drying track conditions helped me to win," Jörg admits. "However I believe that BMW can win again this year. The Alfa Romeo cars will be faster in qualifying, and we have to see how it will be possible to beat them in the races. We must wait until their tyres begin to wear off." Dirk is also confident: "I'm looking forward to it; last year I was quick, I just had bad luck. I love the track and I feel very confident for the final part of the season. The fight for the title is great and from now on, anyone who makes mistakes is out of contention. I'm optimistic because the 40-kg ballast should not be such a great handicap there." 

INTENSIVE TESTING FOR SEAT SPORT 

The SEAT Sport Team undertook two different tests this week: Frank Diefenbacher was in Valencia while his team-mate Jordi Gené tested in Barcelona two days later. The Spanish team focused on the car's set up: "It was a good test, because we did not suffer from any technical problems. We have new ideas for the qualifying set up, although the development of the engine has been delayed a bit," Diefenbacher commented. It is likely that the new rear axle developed by SEAT Sport will not be ready in time for Anderstorp. "We should have it from Oschersleben onwards," said Diefenbacher. "I really don't know what to expect from the Swedish race, because I don't have the slightest idea of how the track looks, or if it will suit our car." 

RYDELL: WE HAVE A GOOD CHANCE 

Rickard Rydell and Volvo never came so close to claiming their first ETCC win as in Anderstorp last year. The Swedish driver led the second race from the start, but could not prevent Jörg Müller from passing him a few corners before the end. "This is definitely the best track for Volvo," Rydell said. "And not because it's Swedish, but because it has a few medium-high speed corners, in which the S60 is very good. I believe this will be the most positive meeting for us, even better than Donington, where I was classified third. We also have a few updates in the car, such as modified chassis and new engines." Rydell will fly back to Sweden on Monday from Australia, where he is currently testing in view of the Bathurst 1000 race, in which he will share his car with New Zealander Paul Radisich, double winner of the FIA Touring Car World Cup in 1993 and 1994. 

TWO SWEDISH SEATS FOR STURESON AND KARLSSON 

The Podium SEAT Sport Sweden team, a regular competitor in the Swedish Touring Car Championship, will run its two SEAT Toledo Cupra cars in the FIA ETCC Swedish meeting. The drivers selected for this international debut are Johan Stureson and Niklas Karlsson. Stureson, 30 years old, is one of the team's drivers in the STCC; he is curently lying 12th in the drivers classification, his best result so far was a sixth place. The 29-year old Karlsson, a former Swedish F3 champion, is a main STCC competitor since 2000; last year he was classified third in the drivers championship, with two race wins in a Super Touring Vauxhall Vectra. In the current season he drives a former ETCC Alfa Romeo 156 Gta; he is currently placed ninth in the championship, his best result was a second place. 

ENGSTRÖM TO DRIVE A PRO MOTORSPORT HONDA 

Swedish driver Tomas Engström will make his first appearance in the FIA European Touring Car Championship at the wheel of the second PRO Motorsport Honda Civic Type-R, alongside regular driver André Couto. 38-year old Engström won two rounds in the 2002 Swedish Championship to finish fifth in the final classification. Having switched to a Honda Civic Type-R, identical to those run by PRO Motorsport in the ETCC, he is currently sixth in the STCC, with one race win. "I'm looking forward to racing in the FIA ETCC," Engström said. "I feel I will have a lot of fun, because Anderstorp is my favourite racetrack and I think it should suit the Honda. I'm in my second season with Honda now, and I wish to show everybody how good the Civic is." 
 

FIA EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP: DRIVERS 1 Gabriele Tarquini 64pts, 2 Jorg Muller 62pts, 3 Dirk Muller 58pts, 4 Andy Prilaux, Nicola Larini 57pts, 6 Roberto Colciago 37pts, 7 Fabrizio Giovanardi 32pts, 8 Duncan Huisman 28pts, 9 Antonio Garcia 21pts, 10 Tom Coronel 11pts, 11 Rickard Rydell 10pts, 12 Alessandro Balzan, Paolo Ruberti 9pts, 14 Fabio Francia, Jordi Gene 4pts, 16th Andre Couto 3pts, 17th Salvatore Tavano 2pts FIA EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP: MANUFACTURERS 1 BMW 179pts, 2 Alfa Romeo 144pts, 3 Seat 4pts