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FIA WTCC Newsletter 30
MENU IS FASTER THAN HIS TEAM-MATES
Chevrolet drivers set the fastest laps in today’s 30-minute test session at Curitiba. Eventually it was Alain Menu who posted the best time, beating his team-mates Rob Huff and Yvan Muller by one and two tenths respectively.
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Gabriele Tarquini emerged as the best of the rest, setting the fourth fastest lap ahead the two bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Cruze cars.
Huff set the early pace with a lap of 1:23.631 that he improved to 1:22.916. However Menu managed to jump on top with only one minute left on the clock, with the time of 1:22.743. As for Muller, his 1:22.943 placed the reigning world champion in third place.
Towards the end of the session Tarquini posted his best lap of 1:23.572, followed by Alex MacDowall’s 1:23.769 (on top of the Yokohama Trophy) and Michel Nykjær’s 1:24.261.
Tom Coronel ranked in seventh (and best of the BMW drivers) with a lap of 1:24.521, ahead of Stefano D’Aste (1:24.561), Tiago Monteiro (1:24.934) and Tom Chilton (1:25.105) who rounded off the top-ten.
Only minor incidents were reported, with Tom Boardman’s SEAT being stranded onto the gravel bed at the Esse de Alta. This corner proved to be especially difficult for the ROAL Motorsport duo of Coronel and Cerqui. There the Dutchman went wide during one of his first lap and later he made a 360° spin; his younger Italian team-mate also spun in the dying minutes and his car stalled facing the traffic for a few seconds, but luckily everybody managed to avoid hitting it.
WTCC DRIVERS MINGLE WITH FANS IN CURITIBA
Just before today’s test session, the WTCC drivers took part in a promotional event downtown Curitiba that included one driving demonstration and autograph session.
Tuenti Racing Team’s new comer Fernando Monje had the honour to drive a SEAT León racing car on the streets of the city centre, along a two-kilometre course from the Museum dedicated to the celebrated Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated in 2002, to the central Praça General Osório, inside the pedestrian zone called Boca Maldita.
There all the drivers attended a crowded autograph session before being shuttled back to the track in time for the afternoon test session.
NYKJÆR REPLACES DI SABATINO IN BRAZIL
The bamboo-engineering team have been forced to replace driver Pasquale Di Sabatino on the eve of this weekend’s WTCC event at Curitiba after doctors warned him he is still too sick to travel. Danish driver Michel Nykjær will instead take the wheel of the team’s Chevrolet Cruze alongside Alex MacDowall for the Brazil round.
The news comes after Di Sabatino was advised yesterday that he was still not 100% fit from a serious dose of bronchitis and pneumonia last month. Although the Italian had been expecting to travel to Brazil today, he has been ordered not to fly.
The team have drafted in the services of ex-WTCC driver Nykjær, who is driving a Cruze for the Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden team in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.
Team Principal Richard Coleman explained: “We’re all very disappointed that Pasquale is unable to drive this weekend. The whole team wish him the very best and look forward to having him back with us soon. We are delighted to have been able to secure the services of Michel at such short notice. He’s a very highly respected driver and has experience with the Cruze so he’s the perfect replacement and we are confident we can have a good weekend.”
MULLER ATTENDED MEDIA LAUNCH AT SACRAMENTO
American race fans and media members got a glimpse at the upcoming WTCC event at Sonoma on the steps of the California State Capitol building in Sacramento last Monday.
There Chevrolet driver Yvan Muller, Chevrolet Motorsport manager Eric Nève and Sonoma raceway President & General Manager, Steve Page, took part in a press conference to preview the event.
“I am delighted to come to race to the US. I love the States and I am a regular visitor. In general, I like a lot to go to new tracks, it’s nice to discover new places and new cultures and to meet new people,” said Muller, the reigning WTCC Champion. “Sonoma has a tremendous reputation on the international scene, because of the track itself, which is very interesting, and also because of the region, and it’s great to have it on the calendar.”
After the press conference Muller was available for one-to-one interviews and posed for pictures alongside his Chevrolet Cruze racing car.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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