22.10.2003 ALFA ROMEO AUTODELTA TO TEST TWELVE YOUNG DRIVERS THIS WEEK AT ADRIA

This coming Wednesday, November 26, at the Adria Raceway, the Alfa Romeo Autodelta team will test a dozen drivers at the wheel of two Alfa 156 GTA's that took part in the 2003 FIA European Touring Car Championship.

Among these twelve drivers, representing six different nationalities, there are quite famous names like the Brazilians Enrique Bernoldi and Tarso Marques, who have both driven in Formula 1. Bernoldi, 25-years old, spent two seasons with Arrows in 2001 and 2002, while Marques (27) raced for Minardi in 1996, 1997 and again in 2001. A third Brazilian in the group is the 23-years old Ricardo Mauricio who raced in the FIA F3000 Championship, like the Frenchman Nicolas Minassian (30) who took also part in the 2001 Formula Cart Championship.

Other drivers invited by Alfa Romeo in Adria are: Jonathan Cochet (French F3 Champion in 2000), Matteo Grassotto (23, Italian), Luca Rangoni (four times winner of the Renault Sport Clio Trophy), Toni Vilander (23, from Finland), Gabriele Gardel (26, from Switzerland) and Michele Bartyan (23, from Italy).

To complete the field, Alfa Romeo invited two drivers who starred in the Alfa 147 Cup: Simone Iacone (Italian) and Phil Bastiaans (Dutch). The 2003 FIA European Touring Car champion, Gabriele Tarquini, will shake down the cars and brief the drivers before the test. “We have organized all this, in order to evaluate the opportunity of including new drivers in our line-up for the 2004 FIA ETCC season,” explained Autodelta team manager Monica Sipsz.