The full season entry list for the 2010 FIA WTCC has been released, with 20 drivers confirmed for full season campaigns.
The 20 confirmed drivers will come from 15 different countries, in 3 different types of car manufacturer, and it is expected that race by race entries will expand the field even more during the season, with the potential for more manufacturers to enter during the season.
The entry list sees a reduced number of works entries, after Seat withdrew and BMW scaled back. LADA don't feature on the entry list for the coming season, something which the FIA are looking into, as KSO's General Manager, Marcello Lotti, explains: “We were surprised and disappointed, because in 2009 they undertook a commitment for a three-year programme. This is now a matter for the FIA to deal with.”
The 2010 season also sees a number of new teams and drivers enter the Championship for the first time, something Lotti is pleased to see: “It is very rewarding for us to see young drivers and teams joining the championship. The new entries from bamboo-engineering and Zengö-Dension Team, the arrival of promising youngsters like Michelisz and Vaulkhard and the full commitment of drivers coming from new regions – Bennani from Morocco and O'Young from China – are testament to the WTCC's worldwide reputation.”
On the whole entry list, Lotti commented: “We are proud that we managed to maintain a high quality field in this challenging economic environment. Most of our regular drivers and teams are still with us, which guarantees continuity in the growth of the championship's popularity. We are grateful to BMW and Chevrolet who renewed their trust in the championship confirming their factory programmes. And we also thank SEAT because, although no longer competing with an official team, the brand made a big effort to guarantee a strong representation of customers teams that will be provided by SEAT Sport with the necessary technical support.”
The entry list, released by KSO today:
Car Number | Competitor | Driver | Car |
1 | SR-Sport | Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) | Seat Leon 2.0 TDi |
2 | SR-Sport | Tom Coronel (NED) | Seat Leon 2.0 TDi |
3 | SR-Sport | Tiago Monteiro (POR) | Seat Leon 2.0 TDi |
4 | SR-Sport | Jordi Gene (ESP) | Seat Leon 2.0 TDi |
5 | Zengo-Dension Team | Norbert Michelisz (HUN) | Seat Leon TDi |
6 | Chevrolet | Yvan Muller (FRA) | Chevrolet Cruze LT |
7 | Chevrolet | Rob Huff (GBR) | Chevrolet Cruze LT |
8 | Chevrolet | Alain Menu (SUI) | Chevrolet Cruze LT |
10 | BMW Team RBM | Augusto Farfus Jnr (BRA) | BMW 320Si |
11 | BMW Team RBM | Andy Priaulx (GBR) | BMW 320Si |
15 | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Franz Engstler (GER) | BMW 320Si |
16 | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Andrei Romanov (RUS) | BMW 320Si |
17 | Sunred Engineering | Michel Nykjaer (Den) | Seat Leon 2.0 TDi |
19 | Bamboo engineering | Harry Vaulkhard (GBR) | Chevrolet Lacetti |
20 | Bamboo engineering | Darryl O'Young (HKG) | Chevrolet Lacetti |
21 | Wiechers-Sport | Mehdi Bennani (MAR) | BMW 320si |
23 | Colak Racing | Marin Colak (CRO) | Seat Leon 2.0 TFSi |
24 | Poulsen Motorsport | Kristian Poulsen (DEN) | BMW 320Si |
25 | Scuderia Proteam Motorsport | Sergio Hernandez (ESP) | BMW 320Si |
26 | Scuderia Proteam Motorsport | Stefano D'Aste (ITA) | BMW 320Si |