17.12.2003 GABRIELE TARQUINI EMERGED FASTEST AS 2003 ETCC SEASON CLOSED WITH A TEST AT VALENCIA
The 2003 FIA ETCC
season has been ended with two days of testing in Valencia. The Alfa Romeo, BMW and
SEAT teams all tested on Monday and Tuesday, with their 2003 cars.
At the wheel of his Autodelta Alfa Romeo 156 GTA, Gabriele Tarquini emerged as
the fastest driver with a best lap in 1:41.8, only one tenth of a second faster
than Antonio García who was clocked at 1:41.9 in a Ravaglia Motorsport BMW 320i.
The other drivers were unable to break the 1:42 mark. The BMW Schnitzer duo Jörg and
Dirk Müller (1:42.2 and 1:42.6 respectively), Alessandro Zanardi in the second
Ravaglia car (1:42.7), SEAT drivers Jordi Gené and Frank Diefenbacher (1:42.9
both), and Andy Priaulx in the RBM BMW (1:43.1).
In parallel with the testing, Autodelta and Alfa Romeo’s new team Oregon,
carried out evaluative tests with a number of drivers. Former BTCC champion
Rickard Rydell, Macanese driver André Couto and the freshly crowned Italian
Super Production champion Salvatore Tavano all took turns at the wheel of
Autodelta’s second car, as well as South American youngsters Joăo Paul Lima de
Oliveira, Juan Manuel López and Augusto Farfus.
Six more drivers were also given the opportunity to test the Oregon Alfa 156 GTA
during the two days.
Alessandro Balzan, Paolo Ruberti, Luca Rangoni and Michele Bartyan were
joined at the last minute by Tim Coronel and Pierre-Yves Corthals.