Race Preview: Next stop Brno

Rounds 9 and 10 of the FIA World Touring Car Championship kick off this weekend at Brno. Brno, in the Czech Republic is 5.4km with each race completing 10 laps taking on a total of 15 turns. The track is situation 10km West of Brno. Both Félix Porteiro and Jörg Müller did well in 2007 and BMW have been very successfully at this track winning all but one race since the ETCC became WTCC and winning all but 1 race from 2003 onwards.

Previously at Brno
In 2007 BMW were very successful. Race 1 saw BMW take the top 4 positions with Félix Porteiro taking the top spot on the podium. Race 2 was also dominated by BMW who still had three drivers all take the podium. This time Jörg Müller was on top. Andy Priaulx did not finish race 1 but made the best of a bad day with a 7th place finish in the second race.

Season so far
SEAT were looking strong at the start of the season but Chevrolet showed their cards with a great result at Valencia. At Pau it was BMW and SEAT who fared well. Augusto Farfus Jr took the top step in race 1 at Pau with Andy Priaulx securing a win in the second race. Tarquini still leads Muller in the championship however the season is still holding very close, and it’s anyone’s guess who will take the title in 2008.

Quotes prior to the race
Gabriele Tarquini – SEAT Sport
“Brno is a BMW circuit, so the weight, the new asphalt and maybe the weather conditions are going to be decisive factors against us.”

Yvan Muller – SEAT Sport
“the track isn’t suited to front-wheel drive cars. Besides, this time I’m driving one of the heaviest cars in the grid. However, we might have a chance of getting good results with the new asphalt.”

Jordi Gené – SEAT Sport
“the Brno track is one of the nicest of the championship, and I’ve always done well there. Despite all the limitations being placed on SEAT, we’re holding off successfully, and I hope Brno won’t be an exception.”

Rickard Rydell – SEAT Sport
“the track a lot, and although it’s a BMW circuit, I’m sure we’ll finish with good results. I hope to keep scoring points.”

Tiago Monteiro – SEAT Sport
“after two weekends without scoring, I hope to race well this weekend. I’m highly motivated to break this losing streak.”

Rob Huff – Chevrolet
“After two very successful weekends I’m happy to be off to the place of my very first WTCC win. Starting from 24th in the first race and going on to win in the second in 2006 makes this place very special to me. The good thing this year is that we have a full day’s testing on the Thursday before the race, so that will be ideal to get the car dialled in to the extra weight we’re still carrying. But with the car we’ve got now I’m sure it will be a very good weekend again, and if I can walk away with another ten points or so, I’ll be very happy. We’ll just have to keep that momentum going all the way to Macau to be where we want to be.”

Alain Menu – Chevrolet
“With the weekend I have had in Pau I have lost all of my success ballast, except for the 14 kilos for the championship points. That should be a good thing in order to score some serious points, although some others are in a similar position. The lightest of the diesels especially should be good in the uphill sections, but if all goes well for us this weekend we should be able to fight for a podium finish.”

Nicola Larini – Chevrolet
“After the good result in Pau, I hope that I can continue the trend in Brno. It is going to be difficult, though, because I will be quite heavy in success ballast and because such a hilly circuit should be more favourable to our competitors. In any case, one never knows, as there may be other variables like the weather that could play a great role. Last year, I scored good points in both races and I hope I can do at least as well this time.”

Andy Priaulx – BMW Team UK
“Brno is a great circuit and I really love the uphill sections. I won my first race for BMW there in 2003, repeated this in 2004 and last year, despite carrying 60 kilos of ballast, qualified for the front row of the grid. The Pau win was a great confidence boost for all of us in the team.”

Jörg Müller – BMW Team Germany
“Of all the circuits on the calendar, Brno is my favourite. Its layout lends itself to a flowing style, and basically it has no slow sections. The track follows the contours of its undulating surroundings. Brno provides what I expect from a challenging circuit.”

Augusto Farfus – BMW Team Germany
“I like the circuit in Brno. Last year I had a good pace there and finished on the podium in race two. That’s exactly where I want to end up again this year, in order to reduce the gap to the front-runners. My victory in Pau was a good start, but there still lies a lot work in front of us.”

Félix Porteiro – BMW Team Italy-Spain
“Obviously, I have a lot of fond memories of Brno. To score pole position, my maiden race win and another podium finish there was a fantastic result in 2007. Once again I won’t carry a lot of handicap weight this weekend. So I will give my very best to add some chapters to my personal success story on this circuit.”

Alessandro Zanardi – BMW Team Italy-Spain
“I’m really pumped up by the fact we now return to a circuit where overtaking is possible. My speed in Pau was okay, but there it’s just impossible to gain track positions. In 2007 I made it to the podium in Brno. But the competition is even tougher this year. Points would be a good result for me.”

Schedule – Sunday 15 June (Subject to change)
09.00 – Warm Up
12.20 – Race 1
15.30 – Race 2