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British Drivers Aim To Keep Championship Hopes In Czech |
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Thursday, 31 August 2006 |
All eyes will be on British drivers James Thompson and Andy Priaulx this weekend as they battle it out for the coveted World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Brno, Czech Republic.
With only eight rounds to go, British drivers, Thompson (SEAT Sport), and Priaulx (BMW), find themselves separated by just three points at the top of the championship going into rounds 13 and 14.
Thompson said: “I’m very much looking forward to Brno, even though I’ve never competed
there before… I’m proud to be leading, of course, as that’s what I’ve
been working towards, but it’s still a learning year for me and I’m
just trying to keep up the points tally.”
Thompson’s inexperience at Brno could be Priaulx’s gain, as the current
champion has a good record at the Czech circuit, having won there in
2003 and 2004, as well as holding the racing lap record, with a
stunning 2m11.903s.
Yet the biggest challenge to both Thompson and Priaulx could come from
Brazilian-ace, Augusto Farfus Jr., who now sits joint-second in the
championship with Priaulx, after a victory and a second place at
Puebla, Mexico in July.
Farfus, like Thompson and Priaulx, will be carrying a considerable
amount of success ballast*, which could hinder all three championship
contenders this weekend.
Thompson continued: “From what the others have told me, the circuit
should be good for SEAT. As for the Championship, I take each weekend
as it comes so my game plan doesn’t really change, but there is only so
much you can do with all that weight.”
Qualifying for the WTCC at Brno can be seen live on Eurosport at 2pm
(GMT) on Saturday, 2nd September, 2006, with live race coverage
starting at 2pm (GMT) on Sunday, 3rd September, 2006.
Success ballast at Brno (top 5)
| Pos. |
Driver |
Car |
Weight Penalty |
| 1 |
Augusto Farfus Jr. |
Alfa Romeo |
80 kg |
| 2 |
James Thompson |
SEAT |
70 kg |
| 3 |
Dirk Müller |
BMW |
65 kg |
| 4 |
Andy Priaulx |
BMW |
60 kg |
| 5 |
Gianni Morbidelli |
Alfa Romeo |
60 kg |
FIA WTCC Drivers’ Championship (top 10)
| Pos. |
Driver |
Nat. |
Car |
Points |
| 1 |
James Thompson |
GBR |
SEAT Léon |
49 |
| 2 |
Andy Priaulx |
GBR |
BMW 320si |
46 |
| 3 |
Augusto Farfus Jr |
BRA |
Alfa Romeo 156 |
46 |
| 4 |
Rickard Rydell |
SWE |
SEAT Léon |
41 |
| 5 |
Gabriele Tarquini |
ITA |
SEAT Léon |
41 |
| 6 |
Dirk Müller |
GER |
BMW 320si |
40 |
| 7 |
Yvan Muller |
FRA |
SEAT Léon |
33 |
| 8 |
Peter Terting |
GER |
SEAT Léon |
32 |
| 9 |
Jörg Müller |
ESP |
BMW 320si |
30 |
| 10 |
Jordi Gené |
ESP |
SEAT Léon |
24 |
FIA WTCC Manufacturers’ Championship
| Pos. |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
SEAT |
148 |
| 2 |
BMW |
139 |
| 3 |
Alfa Romeo |
111 |
| 4 |
Chevrolet |
67 |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 January 2007 )
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