Um olhar sobre as corridas

How Filippi is learning from the WTCC’s best

 WTCC Trophy contender John Filippi, who having turned 21 last month is the FIA World Touring Car Championship’s youngest driver, has revealed how is learning from one of the best in the business.

Filippi has recruited four-time WTCC champion Yvan Muller as his driver coach for 2016 when he will be aiming to capitalise on fellow Frenchman Muller’s vast experience and success in the championship.

Asked what he had learned from Muller so far, Filippi said: “The main thing is to be focused on me and the team to work well. We have to work together. I have to improve my feeling in the car and to improve my performance throughout the season.”

Filippi will continue in a Campos Racing Chevrolet in 2016 while Muller will start his third season as a factory Citroën driver when the action gets underway at Circuit Paul Ricard in France from 1-3 April. Muller has more WTCC wins, poles and fastest laps than any of his rivals. He has also led more racing laps.

Friends reunited in the WTCC

 16/03/2016 08:00

Rob Huff will be reunited with an old friend when he embarks on his first FIA World Touring Car Championship season driving for the factory Honda squad.

Huff has joined the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team from LADA Sport Rosneft for 2016 when he will link up with former engineer Duncan Laycock.

Laycock was a key member of the RML WTCC team for a number of years and spent 2015 engineering customers using the British company’s Chevrolet Cruze TC1s in the world championship.

He has been appointed Head of Technical Development for JAS Motorsport, the company behind Honda’s WTCC bid, which is also running works Civics for Norbert Michelisz and Tiago Monteiro.

“I’m delighted to be working with Duncan Laycock, my old race engineer from Chevrolet,” said Huff. “We worked together for eight years and he was with me when I won the WTCC title in 2012, so it’s nice to be working with him again.”

Thed Björk Volvo S60 ‪‎Polestar TC1 2916

 The triple champion of ‪#‎Polestar ‪#‎CyanRacing: Thed Björk

* First ever driver to claim 3 consecutive STCC titles

* FIA Sportscar SR2 champion

* Swedish GTR champion

* Formula 3 Nordic and Sweden champion

* Le Mans experience

* DTM experience

* F3000 experience

Read more: http://bit.ly/1LQPnKU

Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 ‪‎Polestar TC1 2016

 The experienced ‪#‎Polestar ‪#‎CyanRacing driver: Fredrik Ekblom

* Four STCC titles

* Nürburgring 24-hour class winner

* F3000 UK vice-champion

* WTCC and ETCC experience

* Le Mans experience

* Indy Car experience

Read more: http://bit.ly/1LQPnKU

Lada Sport Rosneft 

These days LADA SPORT ROSNEFT drivers Gabriele Tarquini, Nick Catsburg and Hugo Valente take part in the tests of LADA Vesta at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal

The Russian WTCC squad spent three days (6-8 March) at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, conducting tests of the updated LADA Vesta TC1 ahead of the FIA WTCC 2016 season. Team drivers Gabriele Tarquini, Nick Catsburg and Hugo Valente extracted the maximum from the dry warm weather lapping consistently over the three days, gaining a better understanding of a renewed version of the Vesta TC1

Positive results for LADA SPORT ROSNEFT after Portugal pre-season testing
 

René Münnich – Münnich Motorsport – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport continues WTCC adventure

German squad ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport has renewed its commitment to the FIA World Touring Car Championship by confirming its participation in all rounds of the 2016 season.

Team founder René Münnich will pilot the outfit’s Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1, while a replacement driver will called up in case of any schedule clashes and any driver announcements will be made a later stage.

Münnich, whose most recent WTCC campaign was in 2014, spent 2015 competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He was on track during both days of the recent official WTCC test in Vallelunga.

WTCC testes em Vallelunga - dia 2

Honda Racing WTCC adicionou 4 fotos novas.

End of day two, which has been affected by rain at Vallelunga. Michelisz Norbert has ended up P6, but has amassed over 400km of useful running over the two days.

"Michelisz: No need for ultimate speed in WTCC testing

 03/03/2016 22:00

New factory Honda driver Norbert Michelisz has said rapid lap times weren’t the priority during official pre-season FIA World Touring Car Championship testing at Vallelunga this week.

Michelisz set the fifth best overall time yesterday and was sixth quickest outright today in his Honda Racing Team JAS Civic.

But by completing 96 laps of the 4.085-kilometre Rome track, Michelisz insists it was a case of mission accomplished. “It’s been a really good test for us,” said the reigning WTCC Trophy champion. “We didn’t come here to set a lap time; we came here to get everything in place to set fast lap times at every round.

“It’s a shame that the weather wasn’t great on the second day, which meant we had to change our plan a little bit, but the results look good and we’ve made some very positive steps forward with the suspension and balance. We have another few days planned over the next few weeks before the start of the season so we should be in a good shape for Paul Ricard at the season opener.”

Although they didn’t take to the track, Michelisz’s fellow factory Honda drivers Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro were also present during the two-day tes."

segundo dia da Citroen

The new Citroën C-Elysée WTCC took the track with Jose Maria "Pechito" Lopez and Yvan Muller! Watch this!

Test report: López tops day two of WTCC testing

03/03/2016 18:30

WTCC title holder José María López has topped day two of official FIA World Touring Car Championship testing in Italy today.

Rain – even a freak hail storm – had dampened the Vallelunga circuit and appeared to have made the early running decisive in terms of the fastest lap times until the factory Citroën driver struck during the day’s fifth and final session with a best lap of 1m37.123s around the the 4.085-kilometre Rome track.

Team-mate Yvan Muller set the bar with a 1m37.730s in the opening dry session and was quickest again in the second session before handing over the C-Eylsée WTCC test car to López. But while López also set the pace in session four, the third session of the day was notable following Fredrik Ekblom’s pacesetting time in his Volvo S60 Polestar TC1.

The Swedish make’s performance brand is embarking on a long-term WTCC campaign from 2016 and the results of testing will give the factory Polestar squad plenty of cause for optimism, particularly after Ekblom’s team-mate, Thed Björk went second quickest in the dry first session to complete the day in third overall.

“We have had two extremely valuable test days,” said Björk. “While we can’t draw any real conclusions until the first race, it is satisfying to see that we straight out of the box are quite close to the top times.”

Mehdi Bennani, who was fastest of all on the dry opening day of testing on Wednesday, underlined his WTCC Trophy title credentials with fourth overall in his Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën. Behind Ekblom in the overall standings, Nobert Michelisz was sixth in a works Honda Civic WTCC followed by Grégoire Demoustier, Tom Chilton and René Münnich.

The two-day official WTCC test was in preparation for the opening weekend of the 2016 season at Circuit Paul Ricard in France from 1-3 April when a number of drivers not in action at Vallelunga, including works LADA trio Nicky Catsburg, Gabriele Tarquini and Hugo Valente, plus Honda pair Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro, will be on track.

WTCC Official Test day two, combined classification:

1 José María López (ARG) Citroën C-Elysée WTCC (1m37.123s);

2 Yvan Muller (FRA) Citroën C-Elysée WTCC (1m37.730s);

3 Thed Björk (SWE) Volvo S60 Polestar TC1 (1m38.527s);

4 Mehdi Bennani (MAR) Citroën C-Elysée WTCC (1m39.016s);

5 Fredrik Ekblom (SWE) Volvo S60 Polestar TC1 (1m39.223s);

6 Norbert Michelisz (HUN) Honda Civic WTCC (1m39.795s);

7 Grégoire Demoustier (FRA) Citroën C-Elysée WTCC (1m39.795s);

8 Tom Chilton (GBR) Citroën C-Elysée WTCC (1m49.291s);

9 René Münnich (DEU) Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 (1m40.371s).

"Polestar pair on track and on the pace in the WTCC

 03/03/2016 20:00

Polestar Cyan Racing put its factory Volvo S60 TC1s up against its FIA World Touring Car Championship rivals for the first time in Italy this week and more than held its own.

Thed Björk and Fredrik Ekblom impressed during two days of official testing at Vallelunga with Ekblom fastest of all in Thursday’s third test session.

“We have waited for a long time to get on track with the competitors of the championship,” said Ekblom. “We worked through a lot of vital issues during the days, providing us with a lot of answers. There is still plenty of work ahead of us all season but the feeling is good ahead of the first race.”

Team-mate Björk added: “We have had two extremely valuable test days. While we can’t draw any real conclusions until the first race, it is satisfying to see that we straight out of the box are quite close to the top times.”

Volvo, through its performance brand Polestar, has made a long-term commitment to the WTCC from 2016

Day 1

Morning session – Top 5
1 José María López Citroën C-Elysée 1:37.348
2 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée +0.414
3 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +0.853
4 John Filippi Chevrolet Cruze +0.876
5 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +0.985

Afternoon session – Top 5
1 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée 1:37.000
2 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +0.352
3 Tom Chilton Citroën C-Elysée +0.427
4 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +0.524
5 Yvan Muller Citroën C-Elysée +0.673
…
6 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +1.088

Day 2

Session 1 – Top 5
1 Yvan Muller Citroën C-Elysée 1:37.730
2 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +0.797
3 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée +1.286
4 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +1.493
5 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +2.065

Session 2 – Top 5
1 Yvan Muller Citroën C-Elysée 1:54.731
2 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée +1.153
3 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +4.734
4 Tom Chilton Citroën C-Elysée +5.272
5 Grégoire Demoustier Citroën C-Elysée +5.644
…
7 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +8.463

Session 3 – Top 5
1 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 1:40.606
2 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée +1.398
3 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +2.789
4 Grégorie Demoustier Citroën C-Elysée +4.179
5 Norbert Michelisz Citroën C-Elysée +9.998

Session 4 – Top 5
1 José María López Citroën C-Elysée 1:45.420
2 Mehdi Bennani Citroën C-Elysée +4.638
3 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +4.842
4 René Münnich Chevrolet Cruze +5.508
5 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +5.991

Session 5 – Top 5
1 José María López Citroën C-Elysée 1:37.123
2 Thed Björk Volvo S60 +2.698
3 Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60 +3.054
4 Norbert Michelisz Honda Civic +4.542

Tom Coronel Chevrolet

HAPPY to be in the FIA WTCC again!  Yeaaah here we are, check my new livery! Do you like it???

Proud to announce I'll be racing for ROAL Motorsport and part of the WTCC family again. Many thanks and a very warm welcome to my (new) sponsors

Tom Coronel took to video to confirm his return to the FIA World Touring Car Championship at the WTCC Media Launch at Autodromo Vallelunga tonight.

Coronel, a WTCC racer since its revival in 2005, was unable to attend the media gathering in Italy due to a long-standing family holiday in Austria.

However, he delivered a message to confirm he will continue to race his DHL-branded ROAL Motorsport Chevrolet Cruze. Afterwards he issued this statement: “Never before did it take me so long before I was able to announce my plans in motorsport. It was uncertain until the very end and now, I feel privileged that I am able to announce a further season in the FIA WTCC. I have been racing in this series since it started and many people feel that the FIA WTCC without Tom Coronel is unthinkable.”

Coronel will be a contender for honours in the WTCC Trophy, the category for independent racers.

WTCC 2016 inscritos

Hoje ficou conhecida a lista dos participantes no Campeonato do Mundo de Carros de Turismo, onde ainda há lugar para um dos Chevrolet da Campos e para os dois Civic da Zengo

FIA WTCC: JOIN US IN 2016

2 – Gabriele Tarquini – Lada Sport Rosneft – Lada Vesta WTCC

3 – Tom Chilton – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

5 – Norbert Michelisz – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC

7 – Hugo Valente – Lada Sport Rosneft – Lada Vesta WTCC

9 – Tom Coronel – ROAL Motorsport – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

10 – Nicky Catsburg – Lada Sport Rosneft – Lada Vesta WTCC

11 – Grégoire Demoustier – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

12 – Rob Huff – Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team – Honda Civic WTCC

18 – Tiago Monteiro – Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team – Honda Civic WTCC

25 – Mehdi Bennani – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

27 – John Filippi – Campos Racing – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

37 – José María López – Citroën Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

61 – Fredrik Ekblom – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 TC1

62 – Thed Björk – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 TC1

68 – Yvan Muller – Citroën Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC

77 – René Münnich – Münnich Motorsport – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

89 – John Bryant-Meisner – Nika Racing – Honda Civic WTCC

TBA – TBA – Campos Racing – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1

TBA – TBA – Zengo Motorsport – Honda Civic WTCC

TBA – TBA – Zengo Motorsport – Honda Civic WTCC

WTCC testes em Vallelunga

Imagens dos testes oficiais do campeonato do Mundo de WTCC em Vallelunga

2 de Março 2016