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Free Practice Speed Does Not Translate To Qualifying For N.Technology |
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Tuesday, 19 June 2007 |
Brno’s sweeping curves proved a challenge for the N.Technology Alfa Romeo team in today’s FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) qualifying session, with drivers James Thompson and Olivier Tielemans finishing 14th and 21st respectively.
Following a first-class performance from Thompson in this morning’s practice session, in which the Briton topped the timesheets, the team struggled to find the best set-up on a slippery track.
Thompson’s fastest time in his Alfa Romeo 156 was 2:13.101, ahead of
team-mate Tielemans’ time of 2:14.960. The Italian squad is confident
the car will fare better under race conditions however, having
collected important data from today’s session.
James Thompson, car number 15 “We haven’t tested here this year, which
doesn’t help. We struggled to find the right balance but the car has
pace here; you could see that in free practice this morning. We are
good on used tyres and we learned a lot from today’s qualifying so
let’s hope for the best!”
Olivier Tielemans, car number 16 “Today was about learning for me, it’s
very hard to find the right braking points here but tomorrow is another
day though and I will definitely push hard!”
Marco Calovolo, Technical Director “The level of grip is very low here
this weekend. Other teams have the advantage as they have tested here
before, but we couldn’t. Bad luck today; finger’s crossed for tomorrow
and we are hoping for some point finishes.”
FIA WTCC Brno qualifying – provisional results
1. Félix Porteiro (ESP), BMW 320si, 2:11.585
2. Andy Priaulx (GBR), BMW 320si, 2:11.949
3. Joerg Muller (GER), BMW 320si, 2:12.042
4. Alessandro Zanardi (ITA), BMW 320si, 2:12.145
5. Jordi Gene (ESP), SEAT Leon, 2:12.376
6. Augusto Farfus (BRA), BMW 320si, 2:12.406
7. Pierre-Yves Corthals (BEL), SEAT Leon, 2:12.607
8. Alain Menu (SUI), Chevrolet Lacetti, 2:12.669
14. James Thompson (GBR), Alfa Romeo 156, 2:13.101
21. Olivier Tielemans (NED), Alfa Romeo 156, 2:14.960
Live streaming will also be available for both races on www.eurosport.com and www.fiawtcc.com.
For more information please visit www.ntechnology.com.
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