Off and racing for another weekend
BMW
Chevrolet
Seat
Honda
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BMW
Farfus and Porteiro score home wins for BMW in Oschersleben.
Oschersleben, 31st August 2008. Augusto Farfus (BR) and Felix Porteiro (ES) gave BMW a successful home event in the FIA World Touring Car Championship by scoring two wins at the "Motorsport Arena Oschersleben". In the 15th round of the season, BMW Team Germany's Farfus claimed victory from Chevrolet's Robert Huff (GB) and Alain Menu (CH). In the second race of the day, Porteiro made the best use of pole position to celebrate his second WTCC win for BMW Team Italy-Spain. The 24-year-old was joined by SEAT's Tom Coronel (NL) and Huff on the podium.
BMW Team UK's Andy Priaulx (GB) was pushed out of race one by SEAT driver Gabriele Tarquini (IT). But the reigning champion proved his fighting spirit and moved up from 26th to fifth in race two. BMW Team Germany's Jorg Muller (DE) didn't make it to the finish in the first round and was forced to leave Oschersleben empty- handed, after coming ninth in race two. Alessandro Zanardi (IT) finished 12th and 19th for BMW Team Italy-Spain. In the Drivers' Championship, third placed Priaulx with 53 points remains the best-placed BMW driver. In the manufacturers' classification, BMW gained some ground on SEAT but still lies second in the standings with 192 points.
Augusto Farfus (BMW Team Germany):
"We really needed this success. In qualifying we were not where we should have been. But the pace of my car was just so good that I was still able to score my second consecutive win in Oschersleben. My great start was the key - everything just went perfectly."
Felix Porteiro (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
"My second WTCC victory, 11 points in BMW's home event and sixth in the championship: This was a perfect weekend for me. Tom Coronel gave me a hard time, but I successfully defended the lead. Many thanks to my team. We have managed to improve a lot over the course of the season."
Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK):
"I never give up and this just shows what determination does for you. I felt it was inexcusable behaviour by a professional driver that led to my crash in race one. However, I then started race two very fired up."
Jorg Muller (BMW Team Germany):
"I had worked out a different script for my home races. In race one I had a good start but got involved in a collision, which meant the left front suspension of my car was damaged. The start for the second race was great as well, but then Yvan Muller turned out to be a nut too hard to crack!"
Alessandro Zanardi (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
"I'm really happy for my team-mate Felix Porteiro. He worked hard and today earned his reward for all his efforts. I might have scored points in the second race, but after the accident at the start my car was very difficult to handle."
Race 1 - Lap by lap.
Start Augusto Farfus gets off to an excellent start from fifth, manages to keep out of trouble and determinedly uses his chance to take the lead from Robert Huff. Jorg Muller starts well, too, improving from 13th to sixth. Andy Priaulx is pushed onto the grass with two wheels, but only loses one position. The 34-year-old is running in ninth. Felix Porteiro defends 12th, Alessandro Zanardi drops back from 17th to 20th following a spin.
Lap 2 Priaulx passes Rickard Rydell, but the Swede successfully launches a counter attack. In a collision with Alain Menu, Muller's BMW 320si WTCC suffers a damaged front left suspension, forcing the local hero to pit in for repairs. Priaulx benefits from this incident and moves up into eighth.
Lap 3 Porteiro takes 11th from James Thompson.
Lap 5 Porteiro passes Yvan Muller.
Lap 6 Muller rejoins last.
Lap 8 Priaulx looks likely to gain more places when Gabriele Tarquini pushes the triple world champion out of the race on the straight. Porteiro improves by two places. His team-mate Zanardi is also moving up the field.
Finish Farfus wins the race and crosses the line 7.639 seconds ahead of Huff. Porteiro secures pole for race two by coming eighth. Zanardi finishes 12th, Muller takes chequered flag in 26th.
Race 2 - Lap by lap.
Start Porteiro starts well and defends his lead. Farfus starts like a rocket, which puts him in second. However, the Brazilian is hit by another car and forced to go through the grass. He drops back into eighth. Zanardi is also part of a collision involving several cars, which makes him lose many positions. Priaulx and Muller plough through the field from the back. Priaulx is 11th after the start, Muller is 13th.
Lap 2 Priaulx and Muller gain one place each. Farfus overtakes Alain Menu and Sergio Hernandez, now running in sixth.
Lap 4 Farfus takes fifth from Yvan Muller.
Lap 5 Priaulx improves to eighth. Muller is 11th.
Lap 9 Priaulx overtakes Muller.
Lap 12 Priaulx passes Hernandez for sixth.
Lap 13 Priaulx overtakes Farfus for fifth.
Finish Porteiro takes victory 0.359 seconds ahead of Tom Coronel. Priaulx scores four points by finishing fifth, Farfus takes sixth. Muller has to make do with ninth, while Zanardi finishes 19th.
Chevrolet
OSCHERSLEBEN, 31st August 2008 – In front of a large partisan crowd, Chevrolet’s Rob Huff put his championship bid back on track with a second and third place finish in the two Oschersleben races in which most of the drivers ahead of him in the standings failed to score. Huff had started from pole but a jumped start by Gabriele Tarquini and then the classis first-corner mayhem marred his chances of victory. In the second race he drove from seventh on the grid to third, moving up to fifth in the world championship standings. Alain Menu steered clear of trouble and finished a competitive third in race 1, but got hit at the start of race 2 and had to retire. Nicola Larini fell victim to other drivers’ first-corner madness in the first race, but made a strong recovery to 11th in race 2.
* QUOTES
Rob Huff (2nd/3rd): “I had a very difficult start in race 1, as it always is here in Oschersleben. It was quite unfair as Tarquini was already ahead of me coming into the last corner, while the lights were still quite red. It is normally the pole sitter who dictates the pace, not the second man on the grid. Then for the first corner I stayed on the line and had a good braking point, but then I got hit by Nicola who had been pushed by someone else. It pushed me sideways and the passenger door flew open, but fortunately it closed itself. The incident allowed Augusto to take the lead. I then went into my race mode and passed Tarquini halfway through the race. I knew I couldn’t catch Augusto so I settled for second, which netted good points for the championship. I’m also happy for the team as we got two cars on the podium for the first time in Oschersleben. In the second race there was the more first-corner carnage, but I steered clear of that this time. I came through fourth on the first lap and knew I had to get Gené in between myself and Farfus to be safe in third, something I managed on lap 7. I immediately could close the gap to the leaders but there was just no way of passing them. Still, to take home 14 points is excellent. Hopefully we can have another weekend like this in Imola. We never give up!”
Alain Menu (3rd/DNF): “I didn’t expect to finish on the podium, but with what happened in Turn 1 and 2 my chances of a good finish had already increased dramatically after just a few hundred yards. Last year I started second and got hit out of the race in the same corner; this year I was lucky. From then on I just gave it all I had, passing first Monteiro and then Tarquini. I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch Rob, so the last two laps I just concentrated on bringing the car home. In the second race I had contact twice at the start, which broke the right rear suspension and ended my race after three laps.”
Nicola Larini (DNF/11th): “At the start of the first race I got sandwiched by the SEATs of Monteiro and Gené. Gené pushed me sideways and I slammed into Rob. Fortunately Rob could continue, but my suspension was damaged and my race was over. In the second race I did what I could to make up places and managed to come back to 11th place.”
The BMW drivers were racing hard
Seat
The eighth meeting of the WTCC at the Oschersleben circuit has been difficult for the SEAT Sport team, having to stand the effects of the additional ballast carried by the SEAT Leon TDI. However, the team managed to score important points, allowing them to keep the leadership in both championships. Tiago Monteiro and Jordi Gene finished on fourth position in the first and second race respectively, while Tom Coronel was second in the second race at the wheel of his SEAT Leon WTCC.
In the first race Gabriele Tarquini, starting from the front row of the grid, had mechanical problems that set him back as the laps went by. Tiago Monteiro and Jordi Gene took over in the pursuit of the leaders, but they were already too far in the back, and decided to go for a defensive race. Yvan Muller went shortly off the track, thus loosing any chance to get into the points.
Tiago Monteiro and Rickard Rydell were the victims of turn one in the second race, whilst Tom Coronel, and his SEAT Leon WTCC, were able to move up to second, behind Felix Porteiro (BMW). They were followed by Gene, who made an excellent race, standing the attacks from Huff (Chevrolet) first and later from Farfus and Priaulx (BMW). Only the Chevrolet driver was able to pass him, while Farfus hit him more than once, though unable to upset Gene, who kept an important fourth position for the team.
Further in the back, Yvan Muller made an excellent race, fighting for the points from the beginning, although he was finally not able to avoid Priaulx. However, he managed to finish eighth, thus scoring one point for the championship, something that might be extremely valuable at the end of the season.
Tom Coronel made one of his best races, moving up in the first race from the back of the grid to seventh, and making good use of his front row start in the second race to get on the second step if the podium, thus achieving his best result in the WTCC with SEAT.
Jaime Puig, SEAT Sport Director: "Considering the circumstances under which we have raced, with our car carrying a lot of ballast, we have defended ourselves as well as we could. And the team has been working very hard to take us to the leading positions. Our options are intact in both championships, since we keep the leaderships in both of them. I'd like to congratulate Tom Coronel for his race and the podium finish he achieved".
Honda
8/31/2008 - EVENTFUL WEEKEND FOR N.TECHNOLOGY
N.Technology driver James Thompson achieved a 15th place finish in round 15 of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Oschersleben, Germany, today despite both races being marred by incidents. The Brit, who finished third in last year´s WTCC Drivers´ standings, was forced into retirement during round 16 after an incident in the first corner.
After claiming a good seventh position during this morning´s warm up, Thompson had a strong start from 15th place on the grid and was running in 11th before being hit by another driver and demoted to 16th place. Thompson improved his position by two places before being hit a second time and falling to 18th position. With a strong car and determined team, the N.Technology driver reclaimed two places and brought the Honda Accord Euro R Super 2000 to a 16th place finish.
A stewards´ enquiry later demoted Oliver Tielemans ten places for a race one collision with Thompson, enabling the Brit to start race two in 15th position. As the field entered turn one on the first lap, the N.Technology driver was caught in a tangle of cars, which forced him into retirement alongside two other drivers.
N.Technology, whose previous successes include 17 touring car championship titles, will travel to Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, for rounds 17 and 18 of the WTCC on 20 and 21 September 2008.
James Thompson, car number 15
"The car was going really well at the beginning of race one and we were able to make up three places in two laps; unfortunately I was hit and pushed back to 16th. With the car running well, I was aiming for a points-finish and we would have achieved that had it not been for the incident.
"It´s a massive shame about race two, as I had a good start. However, we had nowhere to go and had a big impact with Rickard Rydell, who was stationary on the track. I hope that Imola will change our luck, but we will have the same approach as always; and aim for the top-eight."
Andrea Muller, Team manager
"In the first race we had a good start and managed to get through the field but we were hit and went to 16th position through no fault of our own. Race two was disappointing for us, as we could not help the situation and had no chance to show the competitiveness of the car. With the first Italian round next month, we are hoping for a points-scoring result."