WTCC Brno – Automotodrom Brno
Gabriele Tarquini claimed a magnificent victory today in the tenth race of the WTCC, held today at the Brno Circuit, after beating Alex Zanardi in a spectacular final by just three tenths. Thanks to this victory and to the points scored, the SEAT Sport Repsol team and Gabriele Tarquini maintain their lead in the general classification, after a particularly difficult weekend due to the weight of the León TDI’s.
The SEAT Sport Repsol team was capable of adapting to the circumstances, especially during the second race, and the work of the team on the setup was fundamental in giving Tarquini the victory. Yvan Muller scored points in both races, maintaining second position in the general classification.
1st race
The SEAT Sport Repsol team drivers spent the whole race defending their positions against their rivals in BMW, who with lighter cars had little difficulty climbing positions. Tarquini and Muller ran a defensive race finishing within the points range after a tough final, where the tyres of the SEAT León TDI’s wore out faster due to the car’s weight. Tiago Monteiro was penalised due to a brush with another car at the start, while Rydell and Gené stayed in a group without any possibilities of climbing positions. The victory went to Alex Zanardi.
2nd race
Muller and Tarquini got off to an excellent start, climbing to the first two positions and resisting the first attacks from James Thompson. Tarquini passed Muller during the second lap, while Thompson could not keep up with the pace set by the two SEAT cars, slowing the rest of the group down. Zanardi emerged from this group, climbing to second place.
During the last laps Zanardi shortened the distance separating him from Tarquini, starting the last lap right behind the SEAT León TDI. In an exciting last lap, where both cars even ran side by side for a moment, Tarquini managed to keep his first place by only three tenths of a second. Further back, Yvan Muller managed to score points, finishing in sixth position.
Opinions
Gabriele Tarquini, 6th and 1st
“I hadn’t even dreamt of scoring so many points and taking a victory on this circuit, so suited to BMW and so important. It was a great day for me and the key to the race was a good start, the help from Yvan Muller, and Thompson’s struggle with the BMW’s.
Yvan Muller, 8th and 6th
“Gabriele and the team have done a great job winning in these conditions, but with so much weight and on this track, finding the right setup was difficult”.
Rickard Rydell, 10th and 18th
“The car performed well during the race, particularly during the first one, but I didn’t manage a good classification during the qualifiers and had to struggle in a very tough pack. I hope to improve in Estoril”.
Tiago Monteiro, 12th and 11th
“In the first race I hit a car that didn’t brake properly. During the second race, I was recovering positions when it turned into a stock car race, with excessively aggressive drivers”.
Jordi Gené, 13th and 15th
“The weekend went very bad for me. At least Gabriele’s victory fixes things for the SEAT Sport Repsol team, but we still don’t have the right pace”.
