After a difficult start to the 2008 season,
BMW has returned to form in the World Touring Car Championship with three wins in the last four races.
Here Mario Theissen discusses the current state of play in the WTCC and reflects on the tight battle developing for the championship title...
Q:
Ten rounds of the World Touring Car Championship have been contested. What is your conclusion so far?
Mario Theissen:
At Curitiba we made a promising start to the new season by securing three podium finishes. However, these races gave us a hint our competitors would make our life difficult this year. In Mexico, we encountered a weekend to forget. In the kick-off to the European season we experienced a slight upward trend which was confirmed by the wins we celebrated in France and the Czech Republic.
At the same time, I have to admit we are far from being where we want to be. In the drivers' championship, Andy Priaulx lies 24 points behind the championship leader. In the manufacturers' classification, we hold second position. No doubt, this will be our most difficult season.
Q:
What are the reasons for the current balance of power?
Mario Theissen:
The balance of power is down to several factors: quite obviously to the quality of teams and drivers, but also to the performance level of the base car and the
FIA regulations. Basically, the level of competitiveness in the WTCC has increased massively and all the competitors involved have moved closer together. We witness extremely hard-fought races.
At the same time, SEAT added to the challenge by introducing a turbo-diesel engine. In 2007 BMW and Andy Priaulx claimed both titles in an extremely close season finale – just as in the previous years. This season, however, the regulation advantage of the turbo-diesel engine has made an impact on the results: currently, SEAT holds the lead in the championship. Nevertheless, recently we succeeded in turning the tables. Therefore, I hope we will experience a thrilling championship right to the finale.
Q:
The revs of the diesel engines have been limited. Since Pau, the base weight of all the BMW vehicles has been reduced by 15kg. Did these measures have a major impact on the competitiveness?
Mario Theissen:
It definitely represented a difficult task creating the World Touring Car Championship regulations for both front and rear-wheel drive cars without giving an advantage to the one or the other. Now the different engine concepts – turbo-diesel engine and naturally aspirated petrol engine – have made this task even more challenging. The classification of the different concepts has resulted in permanent discussions in recent months. The results seen in the opening stages of the season demonstrated the turbo-diesel engines currently have an advantage.
