Engine change with no penalty for Pepe Oriola

Pepe Oriola will have a new engine for the next round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship in California, but won’t have to take a 10-place grid penalty with the engine change being granted under force majeure.

Oriola retired three laps from the end of the second race with an overheating engine after damaging his radiator. The Spaniard had gone wide at Turn 8 on lap three which was the likely cause of the damage.

Due to the potential harm to the engine, the FIA stewards have allowed an engine change for Oriola under force majeure, in accordance with Article 73.4 of the Sporting Regulations.

In 2012, the all of the teams’ 1.6 litre turbocharged engines are required to last for the full season, with exceptions only for given for SEAT and Ford during the first four rounds of the season as the team were fielding new and relatively untested engines.