2009 FIA WTCC Race of Brazil

The 2009 FIA WTCC Race of Brazil (formally the 2009 FIA WTCC HSBC Race of Brazil) was the first round of the 2009 World Touring Car Championship season. It was held on March 8, 2009 at the Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba near Curitiba, Brazil. It was the fourth running of the FIA WTCC Race of Brazil.

Brazil 2009 FIA WTCC Race of Brazil
Race details
Date8 March, 2009
LocationCuritiba, Brazil
CourseAutódromo Internacional de Curitiba
3.695 kilometres (2.296 mi)
Race One
Laps 16
Pole position
Driver France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport
Time 1:24.196
Podium
First France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport
Second Spain Jordi Gené SEAT Sport
Third Sweden Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport
Fastest Lap
Driver France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport
Time 1:25.662
Race Two
Laps 16
Podium
First Italy Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport
Second Sweden Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport
Third Spain Jordi Gené SEAT Sport
Fastest Lap
Driver Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet
Time 1:34.837

The two races were won by SEAT's Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini, with SEAT filling both podiums.

Background

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The race marked the arrival of a fourth manufacturer, with Lada giving full backing to the Russian Bears Motorsport team, forming the Lada Sport team. SEAT, BMW and Chevrolet returned for their fifth seasons in the series, with Chevrolet introducing the new Cruze model.

Reigning Independents Trophy champion Sergio Hernández had joined BMW Team Italy-Spain from Scuderia Proteam Motorsport, swapping seats with fellow Spaniard Félix Porteiro. After a one-off appearance for the team in 2008, Tom Boardman joined SUNRED Engineering full-time, while Marin Čolak joined the series, forming his own team. Stefano D'Aste had returned to Wiechers-Sport, while Kristian Poulsen had joined Liqui Moly Team Engstler.

Report

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Testing and free practice

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SEAT Sport driver Tarquini was fastest in the Friday test session. His fastest time was less than a tenth of a second faster than the BMW pair of Augusto Farfus and Jörg Müller. Behind them were five SEATs led by Yvan Muller, while the new Chevrolet Cruze was ninth in the hands of Nicola Larini. Scuderia Proteam Motorsport driver Porteiro was the fastest driver in the Yokohama Independents' Trophy. Jaap van Lagen was the fastest Lada driver. SUNRED driver Tom Coronel stopped early on in the session when his engine failed while Engstler Motorsport driver Poulsen didn't get any running due to a fuel pump failure.[1]

Defending champion Yvan Muller led a SEAT 1–2–3–4–5 in the Saturday morning practice session with Farfus sixth as the best BMW runner. Porteiro was once again the fastest independent driver while Larini was the fastest Chevrolet. BMW Team UK driver Andy Priaulx finished 17th having suffered from brake problems.[2]

Jörg Müller was fastest in the second free practice session ahead of earlier pace setter Yvan Muller. Priaulx was third after his brake problems in the morning session, while Alain Menu put his Chevrolet in seventh. Coronel missed more practice time due to a clutch problem on his Sunred SEAT.[3]

Qualifying

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For the first time qualifying was split into two sessions. The first determined the top ten, who would go through to the second session. The first session was red-flagged after five minutes when Kristian Poulsen crashed heavily into the wall at the final turn. Yvan Muller was fastest in the session, ahead of Gabriele Tarquini. Amongst those that went out in Q1 were Sergio Hernández, Rob Huff and Alex Zanardi.[4]

Muller also set the fastest time in Q2, winning pole position ahead of his teammates, Jordi Gené, Tarquini, Tiago Monteiro and Rickard Rydell.[4]

Warm-Up

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Jörg Müller was the fastest driver in Sunday mornings warm up session, leading a BMW 1–2–3 ahead of Farfus and Priaulx. Pole sitter Yvan Muller was fourth.[5]

Race One

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The first race was dominated by Muller, as he led from the beginning until the end. SEAT teammates Gené, Rydell and Tarquini finished in second, third and fourth respectively. Alain Menu retired following a collision on the opening lap, involving him and the BMWs of Jörg Müller and Andy Priaulx. Müller spent five laps in the pits before rejoining the race, while Priaulx went on to climb from 21st to ninth. The safety car was introduced on lap six, following a crash for Stefano D'Aste. Nicola Larini finished the race in fifth, scoring the first points for the new Chevrolet Cruze. Augusto Farfus finished sixth ahead of Hernández and Monteiro. Félix Porteiro won the Independents’ class, finishing tenth overall.[6]

After the race, Larini and Monteiro were given 30-second penalties after overtaking during the safety car period, dropping them to 15th and 16th respectively. Jaap van Lagen and George Tanev were also given the same penalties. Andy Priaulx and Porteiro inherited seventh and eighth places respectively.[6]

Race Two

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SEAT encored in race two, once again placing four drivers in the top four positions. The race started behind the safety car on a track flooded by a violent thunderstorm, with Félix Porteiro who had inherited pole position after Tiago Monteiro’s penalty. In the early stages the BMW drivers - Félix Porteiro, Andy Priaulx, Sergio Hernández and Augusto Farfus – set the pace, but soon the SEAT tide became unstoppable. Gabriele Tarquini, Rickard Rydell, Jordi Gené and Yvan Muller jumped on top to stay, while Porteiro repeated his success in the Independents’ class.

Results

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2
1 1   Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.345 1:24.196
2 4   Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.796 1:24.315
3 2   Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.537 1:24.355
4 5   Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.554 1:24.472
5 3   Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:24.845 1:24.486
6 7   Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1:24.706 1:24.637
7 8   Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1:24.772 1:24.749
8 12   Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:24.534 1:24.831
9 14   Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:25.010 1:24.831
10 6   Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 1:24.772 1:24.933
11 10   Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 1:25.046
12 23   Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 1:25.377
13 11   Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:25.456
14 9   Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 1:25.488
15 25   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1:26.018
16 22   Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:26.026
17 27   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 1:26.076
18 21   Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:26.220
19 28   Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:26.281
20 18   Jaap van Lagen Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 1:26.753
21 24   George Tanev Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 1:26.940
22 26   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1:27.578
23 19   Kirill Ladygin Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 1:27.585
24 20   Viktor Shapovalov Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 1:28.035

Race 1

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1   Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 26:45.799 1 10
2 4   Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +2.098 2 8
3 3   Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +2.880 5 6
4 2   Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +3.501 3 5
5 8   Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 16 +7.766 7 4
6 10   Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 16 +8.152 11 3
7 6   Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 16 +12.128 10 2
8 23   Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 16 +13.441 12 1
9 21   Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 16 +15.971 18
10 9   Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 16 +16.105 14
11 22   Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 16 +16.990 16
12 25   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 16 +20.829 15
13 20   Viktor Shapovalov Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 16 +26.339 24
14 19   Kirill Ladygin Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 16 +27.540 23
15 14   Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 16 +37.183 9
16 5   Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +38.767 4
17 18   Jaap van Lagen Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 16 +54.116 20
18 24   George Tanev Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 16 +54.868 21
19 28   Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +3 Laps 19
20 26   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 13 +3 Laps 22
NC 7   Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 11 +5 Laps 6
Ret 11   Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 5 Mechanical 13
Ret 27   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 4 Race incident 17
Ret 12   Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 2 Race incident 8
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 2   Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 27:44.649 5 10
2 3   Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +0.810 6 8
3 4   Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +5.869 7 6
4 1   Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +7.157 8 5
5 7   Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 16 +9.916 20 4
6 8   Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 16 +11.759 4 3
7 23   Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 16 +13.721 1 2
8 21   Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 16 +14.216 9 1
9 6   Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 16 +17.682 2
10 10   Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 16 +18.144 3
11 12   Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 16 +19.046 22
12 5   Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +23.097 16
13 11   Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 16 +23.376 21
14 9   Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 16 +27.315 10
15 14   Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 16 +27.694 15
16 25   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 16 +29.859 12
17 18   Jaap van Lagen Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 16 +34.424 17
18 26   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 16 +35.860 19
19 22   Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 16 +36.601 11
20 27   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 16 +36.992 23
21 24   George Tanev Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 16 +48.908 18
22 19   Kirill Ladygin Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 16 +49.709 14
23 20   Viktor Shapovalov Lada Sport LADA 110 2.0 16 +1:13.069 13
DNS 28   Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 0 Did not start 24
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Standings after the event

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of drivers' standings.

References

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  1. ^ Veltman, Rob (6 March 2009). "Tarquini fastest man in first test". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  2. ^ English, Steven (7 March 2009). "SEAT lead the way in Curitiba practice". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  3. ^ English, Steven (7 March 2009). "Jorg Muller quickest in final practice". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  4. ^ a b http://www.fiawtcc.com/2009/uploadedFiles/PDF/RP.1.20093801218.pdf Archived 2010-11-01 at the Wayback Machine Qualifying Report
  5. ^ Veltman, Rob (8 March 2009). "Jörg Müller tops warm up session". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  6. ^ a b http://www.fiawtcc.com/2009/uploadedFiles/PDF/RP.1.2009310135918.pdf Archived 2010-11-01 at the Wayback Machine Race Report
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World Touring Car Championship
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2008 Guia Race of Macau
2009 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2009 FIA WTCC Race of Mexico
Previous race:
2008 FIA WTCC Race of Brazil
FIA WTCC Race of Brazil Next race:
2010 FIA WTCC Race of Brazil