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Proteam driver line-up

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Proteam Motorsort is the first independent team to announce their complete line-up for the 2005 FIA World Touring Car Championship. The Italian squad will race two BMW 320i cars for Stefano D’Aste and Giuseppe Cirò.

After having bought a new bodyshell at BMW Motorsport, Proteam bought a second one at Schnitzer Motorsport, the car that Jörg Müller drove in the final rounds of the 2004 FIA European Touring Car Championship.

“I think that we have put together a strong team: two competitive cars, two young and fast drivers, an experienced technical director, Renaud Dufour. In a few words we have got everything to aim for the top. The FIA WTCC is going to be a tough championship and the Independents’ Trophy is an ambitious goal. But not impossible!” team owner Valmiro Presenzini commented.

D’Aste, 34-years old, drove for Proteam in the 2004 FIA European Touring Car Championship. After an astonishing debut in Monza, where he was classified eighth overall, he was one of the pretenders to the Michelin Independents’ Trophy for most of the season. However, he was forced to skip the two final meetings in Oschersleben and Dubai, after his car was destroyed in a massive shunt in Imola with Zanardi and Tavano.

Cirò, 29-years old, is facing his first commitment to an FIA championship; however he has built a successfull racing career in the Renault Sport trophies, from the Mégane to the Clio. A race winner in the 2002 Clio Sport European Cup, he claimed the Clio Sport Italian title in 2003 and 2004. “Now that we have both our drivers, we will start testing in two weeks,” team manager Samuel Francalanci revealed.