ALFA ROMEO REIGNS IN SPAIN FOR ROUND TWO OF THE EUROPEAN TOURING CARS

The only way to get onto the winners’ podium in round two of the 2004 European Touring Car Championship in Spain at the weekend (18 April 2004) was behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 156.

Alfa Romeo finished 1-2-3 in both races and the winners of the two races for non-works teams were also behind the wheel of Alfa Romeo 156s, delivering a crushing blow to BMW.

Alfa Romeo now leads the drivers’, manufacturers’ and team championship title races.

After the fierce battle between Alfa Romeo and BMW in Monza, the second meeting of the 2004 FIA European Touring Car Championship turned to an all-Alfa parade. Since the qualifying session, Alfa Romeo drivers Gabriele Tarquini, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Augusto Farfus were in a league of their own.

Tarquini and Giovanardi finished first and second in the first race, and and repeated this result in the second race, though in reverse order, with Farfus claiming two third positions.

In vain the rest of the field desperately tried to counter the Alfa’s triumphal march. The BMW men had to settle for the positions from fourth onwards. As for SEAT, which was expected to claim some good results on its home track, they could not have been more unlucky, with all the three Toledo Cupra cars out of the Race 1.

More promising results were achieved by Honda, Ford and Peugeot. Especially the RS-Line Ford Focus showed a radical progress after Monza, while Jan Magnussen in the newcomer Peugeot was recovering positions before being involved in an collision during the second race.

Alfa Romeo drivers dominated also the Independent Trophy: Oregon Team’s Salvatore Tavano scored two brilliant successes, and his team-mate Luca Rangoni recovered from the back of the field to second in Race 2.

The Championship will now head to Magny-Cours in France with Tarquini leading the Drivers’ Championship, two points ahead of Giovanardi and six ahead of Jörg Müller. In the Manufacturers’ Championship Alfa Romeo leads from BMW by 7 points.

ETCC, Round 2, Race One

DRIVERTEAMCARLapsElapsed TimeAv.Speed\Gap

11Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) AutoDelta Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo 156 S2000 13 22:28.346 139.01 kph

22Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA) AutoDelta Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo 156 S2000 13 22:29.828 1.482

33Augusto Farfus (BRA) AutoDelta Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo 156 S2000 13 22:32.205 3.859

411Andy Priaulx (GBR) BMW Team Great BritainBMW 320i 13 22:34.155 5.809

543Dirk Müller (GER) BMW Team Deutschland BMW 320i 13 22:36.224 7.878

642Jörg Müller (GER) BMW Team Deutschland BMW 320i 13 22:41.817 13.471

75Antonio García (ESP) BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320i 13 22:42.968 14.622

844Salvatore Tavano (ITA) Oregon Team Alfa Romeo 156 Gta 13 22:51.429 23.083

94Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320i 13 22:52.388 24.042

1020Tom Coronel (NED) Carly Motors BMW 320i 13 22:55.125 26.779

1123Jan Magnussen (DEN) Peugeot Sport Engineering Peugeot 307 Gti 13 22:58.880 30.534

1214Alessandro Balzan (ITA) JAS Motorsport Honda Civic Type-R 13 22:59.661 31.315

1328Thomas Klenke (GER) RS-Line Rotpunkt Sport Ford Focus ST170 13 23:04.974 36.628

1425Stefano D´Aste (ITA) Proteam Motorsport BMW 320i 13 23:05.745 37.399

1516Simon Harrison (GBR) GR Asia Honda Civic Type-R 13 23:18.903 50.557

1617Toni R. Ruokonen (FIN) GR Asia Honda Civic Type-R 13 23:19.233 50.887

1727Carl Rosenblad (SWE) Crawford Racing BMW 320i 13 23:22.475 54.129

1821Paulien Zwart (NED) Carly Motors BMW 320i 13 23:23.262 54.916

1946Luca Rangoni (ITA) Oregon Team Alfa Romeo 156 Gta 10 18:05.996 3 laps

Dnf45Michele Bartyan (AUT) Oregon Team Alfa Romeo 156 Gta 5 09:00.855 8 laps

Dnf18Sebastian Grunert (GER) RS-Line Rotpunkt Sport Ford Focus ST170 3 05:35.366 10 laps

Dnf10Frank Diefenbacher (GER) SEAT Sport SEAT Toledo Cupra 3 05:36.681 10 laps

Dnf8Rickard Rydell (SWE) SEAT Sport SEAT Toledo Cupra 0 13 laps

Dnf9Jordi Gené (ESP) SEAT Sport SEAT Toledo Cupra 0 13 laps

ETCC, Round 2, Race Two

#DRIVERTEAMCARLapsElapsed TimeAv.Speed\Gap

12Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA) AutoDelta Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo 156 S2000 13 22:31.263 138.71 kph

21Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) AutoDelta Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo 156 S2000 13 22:31.442 0.179

33Augusto Farfus (BRA) AutoDelta Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo 156 S2000 13 22:36.643 5.380

443Dirk Müller (GER) BMW Team Deutschland BMW 320i 13 22:36.970 5.707

542Jörg Müller (GER) BMW Team Deutschland BMW 320i 13 22:39.282 8.019

611Andy Priaulx (GBR) BMW Team Great BritainBMW 320i 13 22:39.591 8.328

744Salvatore Tavano (ITA) Oregon Team Alfa Romeo 156 Gta 13 22:50.373 19.110

846Luca Rangoni (ITA) Oregon Team Alfa Romeo 156 Gta 13 22:52.551 21.288

920Tom Coronel (NED) Carly Motors BMW 320i 13 22:55.063 23.800

104Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320i 13 22:55.939 24.676

119Jordi Gené (ESP) SEAT Sport SEAT Toledo Cupra 13 22:56.273 25.010

1225Stefano D´Aste (ITA) Proteam Motorsport BMW 320i 13 22:59.707 28.444

1314Alessandro Balzan (ITA) JAS Motorsport Honda Civic Type-R 13 23:00.098 28.835

1428Thomas Klenke (GER) RS-Line Rotpunkt Sport Ford Focus ST170 13 23:00.593 29.330

155Antonio García (ESP) BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320i 13 23:04.318 33.055

1616Simon Harrison (GBR) GR Asia Honda Civic Type-R 13 23:09.506 38.243

1721Paulien Zwart (NED) Carly Motors BMW 320i 13 23:17.884 46.621

1817Toni R. Ruokonen (FIN) GR Asia Honda Civic Type-R 13 23:22.772 51.509

1927Carl Rosenblad (SWE) Crawford Racing BMW 320i 13 23:48.044 01:16.781

Dnf8Rickard Rydell (SWE) SEAT Sport SEAT Toledo Cupra 5 08:58.279 8 laps

Dnf23Jan Magnussen (DEN) Peugeot Sport Engineering Peugeot 307 Gti 2 03:39.022 11 laps

Dns10Frank Diefenbacher (GER) SEAT Sport SEAT Toledo Cupra 0

Dns45Michele Bartyan (AUT) Oregon Team Alfa Romeo 156 Gta 0

Dns18Sebastian Grunert (GER) RS-Line Rotpunkt Sport Ford Focus ST170 0

European Touring Cars, Drivers’ Championship

Pos.#DriverPoints

11Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) 28

22Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA) 26

342Jörg Müller (GER) 22

443Dirk Müller (GER) 21

511Andy Priaulx (GBR) 20

63Augusto Farfus (BRA) 12

720Tom Coronel (NED) 8

810Frank Diefenbacher (GER) 6

95Antonio García (ESP) 5

1044Salvatore Tavano (ITA) 3

119Jordi Gené (ESP) 2

1225Stefano D´Aste (ITA) 1

134Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) 1

1446Luca Rangoni (ITA) 1

ETCC, Manufacturers’ Championship

Pos.ManufacturerPoints

1Alfa Romeo 54

2BMW 47

3SEAT 8

(ends)

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