Then it was Augusto Farfus who set the quickest time, but this weekend it could well be Italian Gabriele Tarquini who finds himself near the front. There is little doubt that Tarquini was disappointed to lose his title to Priaulx last season and the addition of Thompson to what was already a strong driver line-up should drive the team forward, and Thompson himself will be keen to prove his talents on the world stage having collected his second BTCC title by the smallest of margins last season.
The SEAT Sport team has spent the winter busy working on the Toledo Cupra to build on a 2004 season that saw the team secure its first victory. The pace of the car when running in the British Touring Car Championship has shown it to be a strong race package, although the team admits that Monza isn’t a circuit that will suit the Toldeo and they aren’t expecting Rickard Rydell, Jordi Gene and new boy Peter Terting to fight for victories. Indeed Gene was the only one of the drivers to finish inside the top ten ‘during the recent test session, but over the course of the season the SEAT should prove to be a strong competitor at the front of the field.
Chevrolet makes its entry into the championship this weekend, and while the team isn’t just there to make up the numbers, they accept that they aren’t going to win races straight away. Pre-season testing has been focused on bringing the Lacetti up to speed, but the Monza test suggests there is still work to be done.
This weekend, the aim for the team is simply to get to the finish of the race and bring the car home in one piece – but with drivers of the quality of Alain Menu, Nicola Larini and Rob Huff, Chevrolet will be keen to take advantage of the misfortune of others and battle for points.
