WTCC Valencia, Rounds 5 & 6

[VkmSpouge]

5 new cars entering this weekend. James Thompson in the N-Tech Honda Accord. Golden Motors entering their brace of Honda Accords with Alexander Lvov and Andrey Smetsky. And of course the much anticipated entry of the Russian Bear Motorsport Lada 110s driven by Jaap van Lagen and Viktor Shapovalov. The Ladas won't be allowed to score this weekend as a couple of inlet and outlet ports don't conform to homologation forms but are working on ones that do for the next meeting.

Qualifying

1. Yvan Muller SEAT
2. Gabriele Tarquini SEAT
3. Robert Huff Chevrolet
4. Jordi Gené SEAT
5. Andy Priaulx BMW
6. Jorg Muller BMW
7. Augusto Farfus Jr. BMW
8. Alessandro Zanardi BMW
9. Nicola Larini Chevrolet
10. Rickard Rydell SEAT
11. James Thompson Honda
12. Felix Porteiro BMW
13. Stefano d'Aste BMW
14. Sergio Hernandez BMW
15. Pierre-Yves Corthals SEAT
16. Tiago Monteiro SEAT
17. Jose Perez-Aicart SEAT
18. Tom Coronel SEAT
19. Franz Engstler BMW
20. Andrei Romanov BMW
21. Jaap van Lagen Lada
22. Olivier Teilemans BMW
23. Alexander Lvov Honda
24. Ibrahim Okyay BMW
25. Andrey Smetsky Honda
26. Viktor Shapovalov Lada
DQ. Alain Menu Chevrolet

Best to ignore the times as it was a wet session. Menu was disqualified after failing a ride height check.
Lvov, Okyay, Smetsky and Shapovalov failed to meet the 107% qualifying rule but since they had set times well within 107% of the fastest times in practice early in the day I'm hoping they'll be allowed to race. Jaap van Lagen was only 1.9s off the pace in practice, looks like the Lada is competitive.

[SEATFreak]

5 new cars entering this weekend.James Thompson in the N-Tech Honda Accord. Golden Motors entering their brace of Honda Accords with Alexander Lvov and Andrey Smetsky. And of course the much anticipated entry of the Russian Bear Motorsport Lada 110s driven by Jaap van Lagen and Viktor Shapovalov.

Two queeries regarding your post there Vkm, which is the real racing name of the team that are running Alexander and Andrey? Golden Motors or Artman Racing? It is just on the 23 April touringcartimes wrote a headline with the title "Golden Motors to take part in Valencia" and on 14 May "Artman Racing ready for Valencia". What exactly is the relationship between the two teams? And just finally, can we include an extra new car to include the winner of the 2007 SEAT Leon Supercopa; Jose-Perez Aicart, who is racing at SunRed alongside Tom Coronel?

Just to add my input it is good to see RML doing well with Brit Rob Huff alongside Yvan Muller (the class of BTCC 2004 at the front) and Menu and Larini sandwiched between Zanardi and Tarquini. Sometimes, at times, I feel like I have to cheer on rivals because if the better the rivals do the less weight the argument the critics of diesel have. Like John Meissiner who wrote a scathing article asking for a ban on diesel recently.

[LiamM]

Two queeries regarding your post there Vkm, which is the real racing name of the team that are running Alexander and Andrey? Golden Motors or Artman Racing? It is just on the 23 April touringcartimes wrote a headline with the title "Golden Motors to take part in Valencia" and on 14 May "Artman Racing ready for Valencia". What exactly is the relationship between the two teams?

http://www.fiawtcc.com/fiawtcc/teamnews_tea10282.shtml

[tin-top fan]

From the beginning of a sports season of 2007 the team acts on cars Honda Accord Euro R S2000 prepared by J.A.S. Motorsport (Italy) under requirements of class Touring S 2000

So these a deep down the same cars as those which James Thompson is driving......really makes me think golden motors are out of their depth tbh....

[Dave B]

Excellent race 1 win for Rob, but what an amazing performance from Menu to work his way through the field (and take pole for race 2 to boot!) :up:

[SEATFreak]

2nd (Tarquini), 3rd (Gene) and 4th (Muller) for SEAT. Another fantastic result.

Shame about Rydell down in 10th. For me he has been the performer for the team. You don't get to be the highest scoring driver in your team and put in poor performances.

But another SEAT driver who ought to be given credit is Tom Coronel. A 9th place. A very strong and consistent Indendent driver who seems to be cutting it with the big boys. That man deserves, for me, to be given a works drive.

[Dave B]

Good grief that's some downpour now! I almost feel sorry for the drivers who have to stand on the podium!

I'm delighted for Rob Huff - 1st and 2nd place :champion: :up:

[VkmSpouge]

Great results for Rob Huff and Alain Menu, certainly a Chevrolet weekend in the WTCC.
Shame neither Lada finished race two but Viktor Shapovalov managed to finish race 1.

[SEATFreak]

SEAT 2nd (Tarquini) and 3rd (Gene) in race 1, two Brits on the podium in race 2 with Huff second and Priaulx 3rd and SEAT and in particular ORECA still dominating the top 4 in the Championship with Tarquini top of the pile with 36pts and Yvan Muller sharing second spot with Rydell; both with 28.

All in all not to bad.

Just to mak sure, Tarquini and Muller ARE the drivers for ORECA aren't they?

[Robinho]

i'm becoming a right little fan of the Lada's. i was getting really irate watching the green flag lap when the cameras kept cutting before we got to see the full field. a surprisingly good race for WTCC too, rather than the usual procession, although some of the driver in the bottom half of the top 10 did not have a lot to be desired, and the diesel Seats are getting to be rolling roadblocks, qquick out of the corners and down the straights, but in the way in the corners - they seem to be able to get the qually time out of them and then they are virtually impossible to pass and then everyone starts driving into each other

[playmo]

Those were 2 very good to watch races.
I was starting to look with "good eyes" at monterio before this weekend but now that he messed with Thommo has fallen from grace! should get at least 1 race ban.
Great weekend for Huffie and more-less for Menu, hope now they could get to Macau with a chance for the title.
That podium for Priaulx was good but lets see how it goes at pau.
Dissapointing weekend for Rydell and Yvan M. was expecting to see them higher (speccially Rikard); also Farfus had a "clean" weekend.

SeatFreak: Gené and Rydell for Seat Team, right?

[SEATFreak]

SeatFreak: Gené and Rydell for Seat Team, right?

It says on the ORECA website under "Touring Cars"



Category : World Touring Car Championship WTCC
Ranking(s) : SEAT SPORT : 2nd in manufacturers’ championship (249 pts) Yvan Muller : 4th in general ranking (81 pts / 7 podiums)
Driver(s) : Yvan Muller

So I know it was just Muller racing for ORECA in SEAT for 2007 but I don't know about this season; whether or not Tarquini is involved.

As a matter of fact, come to think of it, I don't really know the origin of the other SEAT Leons. I am sure they are all directly under SEATSport, all running under the team of Jamie Puig and Antonio Rondriguez but I am sure they all come from the official dealership of the drivers respective nation.