2009 FIA WTCC Race of Spain

The FIA WTCC Race of Spain 2009 was the fifth round of the 2009 World Touring Car Championship season and the fifth running of the FIA WTCC Race of Spain. It was held on 31 May 2009 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste, near Valencia in Spain. The first race was won by Gabriele Tarquini for SEAT Sport and the second race was won by Augusto Farfus for BMW Team Germany.

Spain 2009 FIA WTCC Race of Spain
Race details
Date31 May, 2009
LocationValencia, Spain
CourseCircuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo
4.051 kilometres (2.517 mi)
Race One
Laps 13
Pole position
Driver Italy Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport
Time 1:44.414
Podium
First France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport
Second Portugal Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport
Third Italy Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport
Fastest Lap
Driver France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport
Time 1:45.735
Race Two
Laps 13
Podium
First Brazil Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany
Second Germany Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany
Third Italy Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport
Fastest Lap
Driver Brazil Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany
Time 1:45.974

Background

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SEAT Sport driver Yvan Muller was leading the drivers' championship coming into the event, BMW driver Farfus was six points behind in second and Gabriele Tarquini was a further five points behind. Franz Engstler was leading the Yokohama Independents' Trophy with Félix Porteiro second.

Having missed the previous round at Pau due to damage sustained at the Race of Morocco, Vito Postiglione returned to the championship with Scuderia Proteam Motorsport.[1]

After a disappointing performance at Pau, the SEAT León TDIs were given a 0.2 bar increase in boost pressure for the Race of Spain to return the diesels to competitive form.[2]

Report

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Free Practice

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Yvan Muller set the pace in the opening free practice session, the increase in boost pressure for the TDI engine produced a SEAT 1–2–3 result. Tom Coronel was the leading petrol car, Nicola Larini was the leading Chevrolet car and the heavier BMWs were led by Farfus in ninth.[3]

SEAT stayed on top in the second practice session, this time courtesy of Tiago Monteiro. Farfus was second for BMW and Larini was third for Chevrolet. Jaap van Lagen did not participate in the session, as the engine was changed in his LADA Sport Lada 110 2.0. The session was interrupted with a red flag when Jordi Gené went off the circuit and left gravel on the track.[4]

Qualifying

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Tarquini set pole position on his final timed lap, to achieve his first pole since the 2007 Race of Germany. SEAT Sport locked out the first two rows of the grid at their home event with Yvan Muller second, Gené third and Monteiro fourth. SEAT driver Rickard Rydell was fastest in Q1 at the head of a 1–2–3 for the marque, while Farfus was the only BMW to escape Q1. All three Chevrolet drivers progressed to Q2 while both LADAs lined up near the back of the grid. With SEAT claiming the first four positions in Q2, Farfus separated them from the leading Chevrolet of Alain Menu. SUNRED Engineering's Tom Coronel was the only independent driver to make it into Q2, and he lined up tenth for the first race.[5]

Warm-Up

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Rydell was fastest in Sunday morning warm up session with pole sitter Tarquini thirteenth.[6]

Race One

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Yvan Muller made a good start to take the lead from Tarquini straight away, while Monteiro also passed Tarquini to finish second. Having dropped out in Q1, triple champion Andy Priaulx battled through from fourteenth to fifth while the leading BMW of Farfus had a difficult race amongst the SEATs. He recovered after Gené pushed him wide, he then dropped down to seventh when he was involved in a tangle with Rydell, Menu and Gené but he then climbed up the order to claim fourth. This was helped by Jörg Müller dropping two places at the final corner. Coronel was the independent winner having finished seventh while further down the order, BMW Team Italy-Spain driver Sergio Hernández and Wiechers-Sport's Stefano D'Aste battled over the eighth place which would become pole position for race two, with Hernández coming out victorious.[7]

Race Two

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The second race saw a 1–2 finish for BMW Team Germany, with Farfus winning and Jörg Müller second. Jörg Müller had started from third and took the lead of the race which he held until the third lap, when Farfus assumed the race lead. The leading pair distanced themselves from the rest of the field which was being led by Tarquini and Priaulx in the battle for the third and final podium spot. Ultimately, it was Tarquini to finish third, to deny BMW a 1–2–3 finish. Coronel started on the front row but could not match the start of the rear-wheel drive BMW of pole sitter Hernández. Coronel finished tenth and Hernández sixth, while D'Aste took the independent win with ninth place.[7]

Results

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2
1 2   Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:45.888 1:44.414
2 1   Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:45.516 1:44.646
3 4   Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:45.790 1:44.826
4 5   Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:45.542 1:44.896
5 8   Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1:45.638 1:45.080
6 12   Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:45.681 1:45.314
7 11   Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:46.038 1:45.440
8 3   Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:45.424 1:45.538
9 14   Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:45.854 1:45.702
10 21   Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:45.949 no time set
11 7   Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1:46.126
12 9   Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 1:46.221
13 10   Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 1:46.250
14 6   Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 1:46.331
15 23   Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 1:46.426
16 27   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 1:46.525
17 30   Mehdi Bennani Exagon Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:46.615
18 28   Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:46.633
19 22   Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:47.439
20 31   Vito Postiglione Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 1:47.462
21 25   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1:47.547
22 20   Viktor Shapovalov LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 1:47.901
23 26   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1:48.492
24 19   Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 1:48.530
107% time: 1:52.823
18   Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 12:23.222

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 13 23:13.675 2 10
2 5   Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 13 +1.884 4 8
3 2   Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 13 +4.157 1 6
4 8   Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 13 +5.364 5 5
5 6   Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 13 +5.855 14 4
6 7   Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 13 +5.943 11 3
7 21   Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +8.096 10 2
8 10   Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 13 +12.106 13 1
9 27   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 13 +13.301 16
10 23   Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 13 +15.846 15
11 14   Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 13 +16.461 9
12 9   Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 13 +22.528 12
13 3   Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 13 +23.038 8
14 30   Mehdi Bennani Exagon Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +25.385 17
15 12   Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 13 +26.381 6
16 25   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 13 +32.002 21
17 22   Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +33.042 19
18 28   Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +33.730 18
19 31   Vito Postiglione Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 13 +34.781 20
20 20   Viktor Shapovalov LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 13 +38.341 24
21 18   Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 12 +1 Lap 25
22 11   Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 12 +1 Lap 7
Ret 19   Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 7 Engine overheating 23
Ret 26   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1 Race incident 22
Ret 4   Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 0 Race incident 3
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2

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Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 8   Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 13 23:16.075 5 10
2 7   Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 13 +0.540 3 8
3 2   Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 13 +5.426 6 6
4 6   Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 13 +5.884 4 5
5 9   Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 13 +6.676 12 4
6 10   Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 13 +7.178 1 3
7 1   Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 13 +11.169 8 2
8 5   Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 13 +11.569 7 1
9 27   Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 13 +13.052 9
10 21   Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +16.936 2
11 4   Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 13 +17.978 22
12 12   Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 13 +20.965 15
13 14   Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 13 +23.139 11
14 3   Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 13 +23.635 13
15 23   Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 13 +24.470 10
16 25   Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 13 +29.515 16
17 31   Vito Postiglione Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 13 +32.556 19
18 28   Marin Čolak Čolak Racing Team Ingra SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +33.721 18
19 22   Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +34.859 17
20 26   Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 13 +35.793 23
21 20   Viktor Shapovalov LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 13 +36.289 20
22 11   Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 13 +43.503 21
23 30   Mehdi Bennani Exagon Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 13 +43.550 14
24 19   Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 13 +46.540 24
Ret 18   Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport LADA 110 2.0 3 Oil pressure 25
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Championship standings

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

References

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  1. ^ Casillo, Pietro (12 May 2009). "Interview with Vito Postiglione". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  2. ^ English, Steven (22 May 2009). "SEAT granted break for diesels". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  3. ^ English, Steven (30 May 2009). "SEAT leads first Valencia practice". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  4. ^ Veltman, Rob (30 May 2009). "Monteiro fastest, BMW closes in". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  5. ^ "ROUNDS 9 & 10 – VALENCIA, SPAIN QUALIFYING REPORT" (PDF). World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 30 May 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Warm up results – WTCC: Spain 2009". GPUpdate.net. GPUpdate. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  7. ^ a b "ROUNDS 9 & 10 – VALENCIA, SPAIN RACE REPORT" (PDF). World Touring Car Championship. Kigema Sport Organisation. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
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World Touring Car Championship
Previous race:
2009 FIA WTCC Race of France
2009 World Touring Car Championship season Next race:
2009 FIA WTCC Race of the Czech Republic
Previous race:
2008 FIA WTCC Race of Spain
FIA WTCC Race of Spain Next race:
2010 FIA WTCC Race of Spain