With Stefano D'Aste having returned to Proteam Motorsport for the 2008 World Touring Car Championship season, Wiechers Sport has confirmed that Olivier Tielemans will replace the Italian for the coming campaign.
The 23-year-old Dutch driver, who raced for N.Technology last season, will drive the teams
BMW 320si during the season ahead with a programme in place to give him time at the wheel of the rear-wheel drive BMW prior to the opening rounds of the season in Brazil.
Tielemans will start the campaign at the wheel of the same car D'Aste raced during 2007, before switching to a new car for the start of the European season and he admitted he was excited about the year ahead.
I'm looking forward to this season, he said. I learned a lot last year from my ex team-mate James Thompson. But this season I will try to put the experience of last year into the BMW E90 320si.
Wiechers Motorsport is one of the most professional privateer teams in the
FIA World Touring Car Championship and won two titles. I'm also very proud to announce ADVANCED LSM - Life Settlements Management - as our new partner.
Team owner Dieter Wiechers was quick to welcome Tielemans into his squad for the year ahead, and said he was confident that the second year driver will be a good acquisition.
We have chosen Olivier because of his personality and his talent, he said. We can see in him, of the younger generation, an potential winner. We are very happy to announce Olivier as our new driver for 2008.
