WTCC test at Valencia is go

First of day of testing for six WTCC teams at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit. The weather was mostly sunny, with temperatures up to 15°C. “The ideal conditions for a pre-season test!” commented SEAT Sport team manager Antonio Rodrigues.

The two works León cars were driven by Gabriele Tarquini and Michel Jourdain. “Gabriele focused on testing different set-up solutions with the success ballast onboard, while Michel continued his apprenticeship for getting used to the car,” said Rodriguez. A third León joined the test, Roberto Colciago’s car run by the SEAT Sport Italia team.

At Chevrolet, Nicola Larini and Alain Menu completed a great deal of laps: “They are putting in as many miles as possible in their 2007 cars,” explained team manager Mark Busfield. At BMW Team Italy-Spain it was Alessandro Zanardi’s turn to drive.

“We also worked on the set up and did not look for quick lap times,” team manager Roberto Ravaglia said. The team’s new driver, Félix Porteiro, will step in for Zanardi on the second day. Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus (both BMW Team Germany) and Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK) are also taking part in the test.

No official times were released, however sources from different teams reported that Tarquini and Menu were fastest, lapping both in 1:43.7, with Priaulx only two tenths behind