After a one-year break, the FIA World Touring Car Championship returns to Monza, Italy for the third meeting of the season.
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy's temple of speed and one of the best known road circuits in the world, used to be a traditional venue for the World Touring Car series. It hosted the championship's inaugural event back in 2005 and then continued to be home to the WTCC Race of Italy until 2008, only being replaced by Imola last year. Now the 5.8-km circuit is set to open the European season and to once again be filled by a large crowd of enthusiastic Italian fans.
BMW and Alfa Romeo shared victories in 2005 and 2006 but the SEAT León TDI cars made the most out of Monza's superfast layout and won all the four races held in 2007 and 2008. On the last WTCC visit, Yvan Muller was the winner of the first race on his way to clinching the World Championship crown, while his SEAT Sport team-mate and reigning world champion Gabriele Tarquini won Race 2. In other news, Argentine Touring Car star Leonel Pernía will drive a fourth Chevrolet Cruze LT in the Monza race. He will be the first Argentine to race in the series. The 34-year old driver from Tandil (Buenos Aires) has emerged as a top runner in the competitive TC2000 Championship in Argentina since 2006. At the wheel of a Honda Civic car run by Equipo Petrobras he claimed two race victories and in 2009 was vice-champion behind his team-mate José María López. Finally, the Compensation Weight system will come into force for the first time this season at Monza. The system determines the running weight of the WTCC cars on the basis of lap time calculation. Compensation weight for Monza: + 40 kg SEAT León TDI, Chevrolet Cruze LT ± 0 kg BMW 320si - 20 kg Chevrolet Lacetti Recent Articles
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