MT:
Alessandro Zanardi again made some special moments in this year’s World Touring Car Championship and celebrated another win in Istanbul after claiming his first WTCC victory in Oschersleben 2005. This is an outstanding achievement. I’m confident that he will also be a factor in Macau. The same goes for his BMW Team Italy-Spain team-mate, Duncan Huisman. No other driver has scored more wins at this track than the Dutchman. Jan Magnussen will also support us in our quest for the manufacturers’ title. He is an experienced driver who already knows the BMW 320si from the Danish Touring Car Championship.
Q:
What is so fascinating about the World Touring Car Championship?
MT:
In
Formula One and in most of the other racing categories, it’s essential to avoid all contact with an opponent on the track. This is different in the WTCC. Often the contact is even welcomed, when drivers lean on their rivals to gain fractions of a second in corners. This is truly unique. The races are very exciting and offer a lot of action. So far, every World Touring Car Champion has won the title in a
BMW. I hope that this will still be the case after the season finale in Macau.
Q:
What does Alessandro Zanardi’s test with the BMW Sauber F1 Team mean to you?
MT:
I’m delighted that we can give Alessandro the opportunity to make his return at the wheel of an F1 car. A couple of months ago he asked me about this topic rather as a joke. Now, this joke will become reality. Our engineers were able to modify the BMW Sauber
F1.06 for his specific needs. I’m really excited about the test.
