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 Saturday July 19, 2008 |
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WTCC - ROUNDS 13 & 14 - BRUNN - PREVIEW |
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Written by Jeff Seabrook
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Tuesday August 29, 2006 |
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2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)
Rounds 13 and 14 - 02nd/03rd September 2006 - Preview
World Touring Car Championship makes its Czech comeback.
Munich, 28th August 2006. For the time being at least, the BMW national teams in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) don't have to cope with further overseas races. Following the rounds in Brazil and Mexico, the series returns to European soil this weekend, to contest rounds 13 and 14 at Brno in the Czech Republic.
The World Touring Car Championship made a stop at the Czech circuit back in 1987. And as in those days, the BMW drivers are once again regarded as joint favourites. However, they will have to battle it out with competitive opponents. A glance at the standings proves that the championship is extremely close this year, with the top six drivers split by just six points in the rankings.
Prior to the Brno weekend, BMW Team UK driver Andy Priaulx (GBR) holds the runner-up position with 46 points after James Thompson (GBR/SEAT/49 points). BMW Team Germany driver Dirk Müller (GER) follows in sixth place with 40 points under his belt. At the 5.403-kilometre circuit, both drivers will have the chance of regaining the championship lead. However, the duo will have to make perfect use of its skills to do so, by winning on the twisty track. Priaulx is to contest the Brno rounds with 60 kilograms of handicap weight aboard his BMW 320si WTCC, while Dirk Müller's handicap weight adds up to 65 kilograms. Jörg Müller (GER), also racing for BMW Team Germany, will have to cope with a handicap of 25 kilograms. The BMW Team Italy-Spain drivers, Duncan Huisman (NLD) and Alessandro Zanardi (ITA), are the only BMW aces to contest the two sprint races without any additional weight.
For Dirk Müller and Jörg Müller, the Brno weekend represents a kind of a home race. International top-class races at the Czech circuit traditionally attract a lot of German motor racing enthusiasts. While Dirk Müller is keen on improving his championship chances by closing the gap to the leaders, or even overtaking them, Jörg wants to compensate for his two rather poor races at Puebla.
Dirk Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"I'm happy that the 2006 season continues in Europe after our summer break, and the races here take place in quicker succession. The Automotodrom is not an easy circuit. It is very technical and requires a good car set-up. Due to the weight situation I don't really believe my winning chances will be good. Nevertheless, I'm optimistic I will be able to achieve a good result."
Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"Brno is one of my favourite race tracks. The circuit features a unique layout unlike any other on our race calendar. The track is full of 90 degrees corners, which can, however, be driven very fluently. There are several right-left combinations which constantly require us to remain fully concentrated. The race outcome always depends on how much weight you're forced to carry. Since I will enter the races with only little additional weight, my goal is a podium finish."
History and background:
For the second time, the "Automotodrom Brno" or - as it is called in the Czech Republic - the "Masaryk-Ring" is the venue of a World Turing Car Championship event. Back in 1987, today's BMW Team Italy Spain Team Principal, Roberto Ravaglia, battled for points at the wheel of the legendary BMW M3 there - with Charly Lamm already being his Schnitzer Team Manager. At the end of the season, Ravaglia succeeded in securing the title.
But for today's BMW drivers, the circuit doesn't represent virgin soil. From 2002 to 2004, it was the venue of six European Touring Car Championship rounds, with four of these six races being won by BMW national team drivers: Priaulx and Dirk Müller won one round each, in both the 2003 and 2004 events. Furthermore, Priaulx (2:11.903 minutes) holds the race lap record.
After Macau and Monza, the Brno circuit is among the longest tracks on the 2006 WTCC calendar. The "Automotodrom" features elevation changes of up to eight percent at its lowest point, shortly before the start-finish straight, lying 73 metres below the pit lane.
The Omega turn is one of the special features of the track. The layout of this section reminds one of the final letter of the Greek alphabet. The longest straight of the 14-turn circuit measures 636 metres.
The circuit's history began more than 70 years ago. Originally, the "Automotodrom" represented a 29.1-kilometre natural circuit from Brno to Prague. The current facility was opened in 1986. Today, the circuit is regarded as one of the safest and most interesting in the world.
With its 370,000 citizen's, Brno is the second biggest city in the Czech Republic and the capital of the region "Südmähren". The history of Brno began as early as 1021 with the edification of the homonymous castle, while the city of Brno was founded in 1243 by Wenzel I.
Further important incidents in the city's long history were the siege by the Swedes in the Thirty-Year's War as well as the battle of Austerlitz, which took place in front of Brno's city gates in 1805. In today's Czech Republic, Brno is mainly known as an industrial and University City.
The two WTCC rounds will both be 10-lap races, representing a total mileage of 54.03 kilometres per race. Round one will start on Sunday at 15:15hrs local time, round two at 16:25hrs. As the "Automotodrom Brno" is a new venue on the WTCC calendar, a 30-minute test session will be held on Thursday from 16:00hrs.
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