ETCC - Rounds 13 & 14 - Spa-Francorchamps - Preview

FIA European Touring Car Championship Round 7 - Spa Francorchamps,
Belgium, 30/31 July 2004 BMW FIA ETCC Drivers Prepare for a Busy Weekend
at Spa Munich, 26 July, 2004. The Spa-Francorchamps weekend promises to
be exciting and busy for the BMW FIA ETCC drivers as five of them will
be taking part in not only the two races in the championship, but also
the 24 Hours of Spa. This unique double header will see them swapping
the BMW 320i for the more powerful BMW M3 GTR less than two hours after
the finish of the second of their two eight lap races. However, the
drivers do not feel this will be a big problem and are relishing the
chance to drive both cars, which will require totally different driving
techniques, in the same weekend. The drivers who will be doing both are
BMW Team Great Britain's championship leader Andy Priaulx (GBR), BMW
Team Belgium Luxembourg's local driver Kurt Mollekens (BEL), BMW Team
Italy-Spain's Antonio Garcia (ESP) and the BMW Team Deutschland drivers
Jörg Müller (GER) and Dirk Müller (GER) who will share
the M3 GTR with Hans-Joachim Stuck (GER). This means the only BMW
national team driver who can leave the track on Saturday afternoon is
BMW Team Italy-Spain's Alex Zanardi (ITA). BMW Motorsport Director
Theissen, who has resolved to personally attend both races at Spa, says
this: "The dual strain which this event puts on the drivers and
team is huge. A marathon of this kind is an incredible sporting and
technical challenge - it is team sport under extreme conditions. It's a
matter of speed, teamwork, strategy and reliability. I'm convinced we
have an excellent line-up. The drivers are experienced in long-distance
racing and with high-performance GT cars like the BMW M3 GTR.
Counterbalancing the double burden shouldered by the Schnitzer
Motorsport team, who are also fielding two BMW 320i's in the ETCC as
BMW Team Deutschland, is their experience of five victories at
Spa." It goes without saying the Spa 'expert' is Kurt Mollekens.
He reckons in his motorsport career he has raced at the track four or
five times a year, and this will be the eighth successive year he has
raced in the 24 hours. Kurt also feels he will stand his best chance to
date of being on an FIA ETCC podium. "I have tested at Spa in the
ETCC car and that might be an advantage. Most of the other circuits we
have been to have either been new to me or I have not been there for
seven or eight years, and this has proved an handicap," he said.
It is difficult to find a driver who does not think Spa is one of the
best tracks in the world and Kurt is among these: "It is one of
the few circuits where they have retained the quick corners which are
challenging. I particularly like Blanchimont and Raidillon. I think it
is a BMW circuit because our car is good in high speed corners. Andy
was very quick there last year, claiming pole and winning race two, and
I would expect us to be quick there again this year." The teams
also head there with BMW and its drivers still leading all the
championship categories. In the drivers it is Andy Priaulx, fresh from
his win in the last race in Donington, in front with 72 points from
Dirk Müller with 68 and Jörg Müller with 65. The BMW
drivers have won eight of the 12 races and this is reflected in the
Manufacturers' Championship point as the marque leads with 176 points
with Alfa Romeo second with 123 and SEAT third with 46. Dutch BMW 320i
driver Tom Coronel (Carly Motors) has won the Independents' Trophy
class in half the races so he leads this points table with 96 from
Salvatore Tavano with 61 and Alessandro Balzan 59. The on track
action starts on Saturday and the schedule for the FIA ETCC and the 24
Hours of Spa is as follows: Thursday, 29 July 11.00 - 12.30
- 24 Hours Free Practice 1
15.15 - 16.45 - 24 Hours Free Practice 2
20.30 - 21.30 - 24 Hours Qualifying Night Session 1
22.00 - 23.30 - 24 Hours Qualifying Night Session 2 Friday, 30 July
09.00 - 09.30 - FIA ETCC Free Practice 1
11.50 - 12.20 - FIA ETCC Free Practice 2
12.35 - 13.20 - Spa 24 Hours Qualifying 3
15.25 - 15.55 - FIA ETCC Qualifying Saturday, 31 July
08.00 - 08.15 - FIA ETCC Warm Up
08.15 - 08.30 - 24 Hours Warm Up
12.42 - FIA ETCC Race 1 - 8 laps (55.744km)
13.52 - FIA ETCC Race 2 - 8 laps (55.744km)
16.00 - 24 Hours of Spa Press Contacts: Heike Bartsch, BMW Corporate
Affairs, Motorsport, mobile +49 (0)172 8485998, heike.bartsch@bmw.de
Ann Bradshaw, race press officer, mobile +44 (0) 7713 317006, annbradshaw@tiscali.co.uk