The WTCC has not delivered its verdict

With four events remaining in the season, nothing has yet been decided in the WTCC. If Yvan Muller (Seat) leads the championship, the pursuers have not said their last word like Augusto Farfus (BMW), back to six points thanks to his victory at Brands Hatch in mid-July.

Published on 07/08/2009 à 11:40

⁰ View comments)

The drivers of the World Touring Car Championship are currently taking advantage of the summer break to attend to various activities. If Tiago Monteiro (Seat) participated in the round of Le Mans Series in Portimao last weekend, Nicola Larini (Chevrolet) was hard at work near Zolder on Thursday to carry out a test session to continue the development of the Cruze.

The others are enjoying a few days of well-deserved vacation before heading into the home stretch of the season. With four meetings still to go, the protagonists will have a field day during an end to the season which promises to be very exciting. Grouped into six points, the first three in the general classification will be able to battle it out from the first weekend of September on the Oschersleben track, in Germany. Thanks to his two victories during the last two meetings, Augusto Farfus (BMW) has thus returned to the championship leader while climbing to the top of the ranking of the most victorious drivers in the WTCC with 12 victories since 2005.

Second in the championship, Gabriele Tarquini (Seat) would also like to beat his teammate to the wire. At Brands Hatch in mid-July, he took another nine points from Yvan Muller thanks to a fourth and a third place, while the French driver was struggling to score two small points in two races. The fight therefore promises to be close until the end in the Drivers' championship but also in the Manufacturers' classification. Indeed, with 27 points scored in England, BMW has come back to within ten points of Seat in the championship and does not intend to stop there.

Already the fastest at Brands Hatch, the BMWs should still be formidable on home soil at Oschersleben. Winner of the two races in 2008 with Augusto Farfus and Félix Porteiro, the propeller firm will try to close the gap in the two championships but will have to be wary of the Chevrolet Cruze which is 10 kg lighter. Then the drivers will go to Imola at the end of September before heading further east to compete in the last two events of the season. The WTCC caravan will then stop at Okayama to compete in the Japanese round of the championship before the season finale in the streets of Macau at the end of November.