Preview – Silverstone 2005.

Thursday, 12th May 2005

The ETCC may have evolved onto the world stage for 2005 but there was certainly a sense of 'as you were' the moment Jörg Müller crossed the finish line first at Magny-Cours for the second time a fortnight ago.

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BMW will have to be wary of arch rivals Alfa Romeo, who will be determined to fight back against the Munich marque following a decidedly unspectacular start to the season. A lack of a single podium in France has allowed BMW to scamper away, but armed with James Thompson, minus the crippling weight that stymied his progress at the last round, they could have the edge. The Yorkshire man put his local knowledge to good use at Donington last year in the unfamiliar Alfa Romeo, so now with a better feeling for the 156 saloon and unrivalled experience of the track, Thompson is set to be one of the bookies, as well as one of the crowd’s, favourites. Still, none of the Alfa Romeo Racing Team drivers can be discounted, with Gabriele Tarquini, Augusto Farfus Jr and Fabrizio Giovanardi needing to build upon a weekend that yielded a meagre 13 points compared to BMW’s 42. The Italian manufacturer will also be very much aware of the increasing pace of SEAT, who diced well among Alfa Romeo in both races.

Buoyed this week by the unveiling of its new Leon racer at the Barcelona Motor Show, SEAT continue to close the gap to the leading stalwarts and while the Toledo may be well into the twilight of its existence, the relentless development goes on. Rickard Rydell’s front row grid slot in France followed by the teams’ first podium of the year, as well as Jordi Gené’s double points finishes, added to the teams points tally and hopes are high of a good performance at Silverstone, especially following encouraging pre-season test times at the circuit during the winter.

Rydell is just as positive for a good result, while the track harbours fond memories for the Swede, not least because he clinched his 1998 BTCC there.