Photo: WTCC Media

Oschersleben set to shake up championship battle

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Round 8 of the 2010 FIA World Touring Car Championship takes place this weekend at the Oschersleben circuit in Germany.

The circuit is the last on the calendar which can generally be considered a ‘BMW circuit’, having been a permanent fixture on the WTCC and previously the ETCC calendar since 2002, and of those 16 races, 14 of them have been won by a driver in a BMW.

The two exceptions have been for SEAT. First, Rickard Rydell in SEAT’s sophomore season took a win in the Toledo in 2004, then Yvan Muller took the first win for a diesel powered touring car in the WTCC in only the SEAT Leon TDI’s second race meeting back in 2007.

Now Yvan has the petrol powered Chevrolet Cruze under him, and a slim championship lead, but Chevrolet are yet to break their duck at the German circuit.

“I am confident that the Cruze will do well in Oschersleben” said Chevrolet driver Rob Huff

“Especially after the good test session in Magny-Cours, where we have extended the car’s potential. Oschersleben is a circuit I like, that’s where I obtained my first WTCC pole position in 2008. I just hope that the weather conditions, which are often mixed there, will not have a negative impact like last year”.

Last year saw one of the most bizarre grids in WTCC history, after a rain effected qualifying session saw the independent SEAT of Marin Colak qualify in second behind Tarquini, and the Lada Priora of Jaap van Lagen fourth on the grid in their first (and only year) as a manufacturer entry in the WTCC. Though in the dry races, the BMW’s fought their way through, and Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus shared the two victories.

“Last year proved to be superb for BMW,” said Priaulx.

“I would have no problems if Augusto Farfus and I were again on the top step of the podium. I like the circuit, and it suits my style. The BMW 320si WTCC is particularly competitive here.”


Andy Priaulx’s BMW 320si taking victory in race two at Brno

Heading in to 2010’s race, Chevrolet lead the drivers and teams championships; but after a strong few rounds for BMW, Yvan Muller’s championship lead is under threat. SR-Sport SEAT’s Gabriel Tarquini has also been consistently scoring in the last few meetings, and was set to take the lead of the championship at Brno until his engine let go in the second race.

Tarquini is now just five points behind Yvan heading to Oschersleben, with Andy Priaulx’s BMW on a charge, just 16 points behind with 25 points available for a win.

There are 21 cars entered for the race, with Proteam Motorsport again running three cars, two for season regulars Stefano D’Aste and Sergio Hernandez, and another for Fabio Fabiani.

The event will be two British drivers shorter than last time out at Brno, with eBay Motors/West Surrey Racing not entering a car with Colin Turkington, as the team’s deal was for three races only – and bamboo-engineering losing Harry Vaulkhard, but keeping up the numbers with Yukinori Tanaguchi joining the team instead.