ATARI SPONSOR THE FIA WTCC RACE OF GERMANY
WTCC is proud to announce Atari
as the Title Sponsor of the World Touring Car Championship meeting to
be held this weekend at the Oschersleben Motorsport Arena which will be
named "FIA WTCC Atari Race of Germany".
Atari
is the worldwide publisher of "Race Pro", the new WTCC video game,
scheduled for pre-Christmas release and designed exclusively for
Microsoft's Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system.
Developed by renowned game developer SimBin, a leading creator of PC racing simulators, RACE Pro
recreates a breathtaking reality giving gamers the ultimate racing
simulation experience and provides unrivalled realism and deep
immersion into the racing world through ultra realistic car models and
tracks of the World Touring Car Championship.
RACE Pro
was successfully presented by Atari and SimBin to the press and fans
last week at the Leipzig Game Convention. BMW Motorsport displayed
their WTCC car in front of the RACE Pro game park that welcomed 300,000 visitors.
"Having
personally taken the leap from twenty years of championship racing to
racing simulation development, I am really excited for SimBin to be
taking WTCC from PC to Xbox 360," said Henrik Roos, CEO of SimBin Studios AB.
HUISMAN JOINS WIECHERS-SPORT
Dutch
touring car ace Duncan Huisman joins Wiechers-Sport for the German
team's home race meeting in Oschersleben, at the wheel of a BMW 320si
car.
Over
the last twelve seasons the 36-year old Dutchman has built a reputation
as one of the fastest and effective touring car drivers around, always
in BMW cars. After clinching the Dutch championship title twice,
Huisman finished runner up in the 2001 FIA European Super Production
Championship, was crowned Independents' champion in the 2003 FIA
European Touring Car Championship and claimed four victories in the
infamous Macau Guia Race.
He
made occasional appearances in the FIA World Touring Car Championship,
managing to collect one win (Macau 2005) and two second places
(Valencia and Macau 2006).
Due
to his impressive racing career, Huisman will not be eligible to
compete for the WTCC Independents' Trophy and as a race-by-race entrant
he will receive a 30kg ballast.
BMW DRIVERS ARE OPTIMISTIC
Oschersleben
is the home event for BMW, therefore is no surprise that the drivers of
the German Manufacturer are looking forward to this Sunday's races with
great expectations.
Reigning world champion Andy Priaulx claimed four victories at Oschersleben between 2003 and 2007: "My
personal memories are of wins, and also the emotions of 2005. That year
I stood on the podium alongside Zanardi when he won his first WTCC race
- there was not a dry eye at the track."
Local hero Jörg Müller won here twice, in 2003 and 2006: "I
just can't wait for my home race. The 15 points I scored at Brands
Hatch came at the perfect moment. I'm far from giving up the fight for
the title. Now I have to score as many points as possible in
Oschersleben, though I'm aware this will be no easy task with 70 kilos
of success ballast."
Here, in 2005, Alessandro Zanardi claimed his first victory after the crash that cost him both legs: "Quite
obviously, my relationship with Oschersleben is a very special one.
Being back on the highest step of the podium there, for the first time
following my accident, will always remain unforgettable. However
there's no reason for me to only look back. Following my good recent
results I now want to score again in Germany."
A CHEVROLET HHR TO THE V-WTCC WINNER
Chevrolet
has offered a very unique prize for the V-WTCC, the Virtual World
Touring Car Championship based on SimBin's videogame Race.
The
competition's main prize is a Chevrolet HHR, in a special customised
version that is also equipped with an environmental friendly LPG
installation from the German company Fahrmitgas. Besides the car
itself, the winner will also receive a voucher for Euro 500 worth of
LPG.
"The
Chevrolet HHR and the V-WTCC form a perfect combination of the message
that Chevrolet is conveying: distinctive cars for a reasonable price
for youthful drivers who also pay serious attention to dealing
responsibly with natural energy resources. This initiative is also very
much in line with the FIA's campaign 'Make Cars Green' the WTCC is
adhering to. The V-WTCC contest, therefore, enables us to target
environmentally aware, energetic and sporting car enthusiasts," said Eric Nève, Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Manager.
The Chevrolet HHR will be used as the WTCC leading car in Oschersleben, this weekend.
CORONEL BROTHERS GO TO SOUTH AMERICA
Twin
brothers Tim and Tom Coronel will team in the 2009 Dakar Rally,
swapping roles as driver and co-driver. They will drive a Bowler
Nemesis car, built and run by the Dakarsport.com team. The 2009 Dakar
Rally will be held in Argentina and Chile; Chile's Atacama desert will
be the toughest challenge for the competitors while the three final
stages will be held around Córdoba, Argentina. The rally will come to an end in Buenos Aires on January 18th.
"It
will be like learning how to race all over again. Everything in this
car is different from what I drove in the past. We are bouncing and
jumping all the time. Even in a WTCC race I am not shaken as much as I
am here. It is a big challenge, and both Tim and I are very much
looking forward to it," Tom Coronel commented.
OSCHERSLEBEN QUALIFYING LIVE ON EUROSPORT
Contrary
to what was announced last week, Eurosport will air the Oschersleben
qualifying session live, on Saturday from 15.00 to 15.45. The original
plan was to air it on a delayed basis at 19.00.
The revised schedule for WTCC coverage from Germany is the following:
Saturday, 30th: Qualifying - LIVE Eurosport 2, 15.00/15.45
Sunday, 31st; Warm up - LIVE Eurosport International, 08.45/09.15
Race 1 - LIVE Eurosport 2, 11.45/12.45
Race 1 - highlights Eurosport International, 15.00/15.30
Race 2 - LIVE Eurosport International, 15.30/16.30
Times are CET (Central European Time)
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