Photo: WTCC Media

22 cars on the official WTCC 2011 entry list

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The official entry list for the FIA World Touring Car Championship 2011 has been released. A total of 22 drivers are entered for the championship from sixteen different countries in cars from four different manufacturers: BMW, Chevrolet, SEAT and Volvo.

“We are satisfied because we retain a solid twenty-one car grid in spite of the recession that keeps on affecting motorsport activities worldwide. This makes us trustful in the near future, especially when we look at the first full season participation of Polestar Racing with a Volvo car,” said series promotor Marcello Lotti.

Eleven of the 21 cars are going to be equipped with the new 1.6 turbo engine at the start of the season. The majority of the remaining cars are set for a switch later in the season.

“It is also very rewarding to see that all the represented Manufacturers are investing on the new 1.6-litre turbo engine. And this will enable all the teams to switch to the new engines sometimes during this season. I want to say that we have signed two-year agreements with most of the teams, which provides already a solid basis of twenty cars again for 2012; a minimum guaranteed that we are trying to enhance further through the negotiations currently ongoing with other Manufacturers,” said Lotti.

Official entry list WTCC 2011

#1 Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
#2 Rob Huff RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
#3 Gabriele Tarquini Lukoil – SUNRED SEAT León 2.0 TDI
#4 Aleksei Dudukalo Lukoil – SUNRED SEAT León 2.0 TDI
#5 Norbert Michelisz Zengö-Dension Team BMW 320TC
#6 Carlos Bueno* RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
#7 Fredy Barth SEAT Swiss Racing by SUNRED SEAT Léon 2.0 TDI
#8 Alain Menu RML Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
#9 Darryl O’Young Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Lacetti
#10 Yukinori Taniguchi Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Lacetti
#11 Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC
#12 Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320 TC
#14 Marchy Lee Ying Kin Deteam KK Motorsport BMW 320 TC
#15 Tom Coronel ROAL Motorsport BMW 320TC
#17 Michel Nykjær SUNRED SEAT León 2.0 TDI
#18 Tiago Monterio SUNRED SEAT León 2.0 TDI
#20 Javier Villa García Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC
#21 Fabio Fabiani Proteam Racing BMW 320si
#25 Mehdi Bennani Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC
#30 Robert Dahlgren Polestar Racing Volvo C30
#35 Urs Sonderegger Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC
#74 Pepe Oriola SUNRED SEAT León 2.0 TDI

* = Race-by-race