If Maurer's new car goes as well as it looks, it will be hard to beat - Photo Credit: Maurer Motorsport

Teams have begun to enter this year’s FIA European Touring Car Cup, which begins in March.

The series will be held over four race weekends, the first three of which will coincide with the World Touring Car Championship meetings at Monza (11 March), Valencia (1 April) and the Salzburgring (20 May). The competition will then come to a conclusion with a stand-alone event at Imola on 24 June, giving the victors some early silverware in 2012.

The first of the teams to commit is Swiss outfit Maurer Motorsport, who have previously run cars in the WTCC and the ADAC Procar Series based in Germany. They will enter a pair of new Chevrolet Aveo cars in the Super 1600 class, which will be driven by young Russian duo Alexander Frolov and Vadim Meshcheryakov. Frolov, 19, and Meshcheryakov, 21, were both champions in their domestic touring car series last year, winning the touring and national classes respectively.

“We are in process to build the cars, and the whole team are looking forward to the coming season,” said team manager Beat Maurer. “We are very happy to work with strong partners.”

The team are also in negotiations with drivers for a third Aveo as well as for a Lacetti and Cruze models in the Super 2000 class.

Meanwhile, Czech driver Peter Fulin has announced he will contest the ETC Cup with a Super 2000 BMW 320si run by Czech BMW specialists Autonagy. 34-year-old Fulin has previously won races in the German SEAT Supercopa as well as the Abarth 500 European Trophy.

Giovanardi scored a victory and a second place in two rain-soaked races to take the title, beating Oriola to the crown by one point, which came courtesy of his pole position on Saturday.

Giovanardi gave the Denmark-based Hartmann Racing Honda team their third straight victory in the cup, following those won by James Thompson in the previous two years.

In Race 1 (which began behind the safety car due to the treacherous conditions) Giovanardi kept hold of the lead throughout, despite constant pressure from 17-year-old Spaniard Oriola in his SUNRED SEAT Leon TDI. His victory was impressive considering that his windscreen wipers gave up the ghost during the race and he also suffered from gearbox problems on his Honda Accord.

Swede Tomas Engstrom finished the first race close behind the pair in his privately-run Honda Accord. Mehdi Bennani finished in fourth, just ahead of fellow BMW driver Ibrahim Okyay. Giovanardi’s teammate Wolfgang Treml was sixth, with Jens-Guido Weimann and Peter Rikli rounding out the top eight.

Rikli and Weimann began Race 2 on the front row courtesy of the reverse grid, but it wouldn’t take long for the leading trio of Oriola, Giovanardi and Engstrom to move to the front.

Weimann stalled his car at the start, which allowed Treml to move into second and then take the lead from Rikli later on the opening lap. On lap two Oriola took the lead from Treml while Giovanardi moved into third past Engstrom. The Italian then took second from Treml on the following lap.

Oriola was able to stay away from Giovanardi, taking the checkered flag by 2.376s. Giovanardi’s second place was enough for him to take the crown though, ending up with one more point than Oriola due to the three bonus points for pole position compared to the two scored by Oriola for second in qualifying.

“It’s nice to come back to touring cars with a victory,” said Giovanardi. “I was fancying it and I thank Hans Hartmann for giving me this opportunity. I said myself: this can be a good car and a good team for claiming a good result. And the result came. It was not easy though, as Oriola made my life very hard, especially in the first race.

“In the second race I focused on following him, as I knew that finishing immediately behind would be enough for the title. Then he looked in troubles and I tried to catch up, also because Engström was on my tail, but after overtaking a slow car Oriola pulled out again and I decided to avoid risks and settle in second.”

Oriola said: “Unfortunately the title fight was decided by qualifying points. Yesterday’s qualifying was a bit crazy with all those weather changes. Who knows, maybe in a different situation I could have won that point that made the difference. Anyway, the second place behind Giovanardi was a great result for me and the team. I did my best to follow him in the first race and pushed at the maximum in the second one. I am also very proud to be the driver who gave the SEAT TDi its last victory.”

Engstrom finished just behind Giovanardi in third to complete a double podium finish, with Treml some way back in fourth. Rikli came home in fifth with Andreas Kast and Christian Fischer in sixth and seventh.

Michel Nykjaer suffered a disastrous weekend thanks to engine problems with the Chevrolet Cruze that he was using for the event, failing to finish both races.

Michel Nykjaer must have wished he'd stuck to using a SEAT after his Chevrolet Cruze suffered from engine problems throughout the event. Photo Credit: fiaetcc.com

Serbian Aleksander Tosic claimed the Super Production title in his Honda Civic after he finished the two races in 11^th and 8^th overall, some way ahead of his only rival and WTCC racer Fabio Fabiani. Tosic was behind the wheel of the same car that Vojislav Lekic used to win the title last year.

“Our target was to claim a second consecutive European Cup for the ASK Vitro Racing,” said Tosic. “And I’m very happy we managed to do it. The car was very good and we had no problems whatsoever during the whole weekend. It’s just a shame that we did not find a strong opposition. It was not even the case to show the real potential of our car as I just had to cruise to the end, trying to stay out of trouble and not to cause any problems for the faster drivers.”

In Super 1600 Thomas Muhlenz became the first driver to win an FIA title behind the wheel of an LPG-powered car in his Ford Fiesta ST. The German enjoyed two comfortable victories in 9^th and 10^th overall.

“It was a perfect weekend for me after two years without racing,” he said. “Pole position, two race victories and the European title; I could not ask for more. It was also a reward for us after we had bet on the LPG technology, as we have proved that this kind of cars can compete on equal footing with the normal petrol-powered cars.”

Thomas Muhlenz comfortably won the Super 1600 category in his LPg-powered Ford Fiesta. Photo Credit: fiaetcc.com

Race 1 result – 14 laps:

Race 2 result – 12 laps:

S2000 standings:

1. Giovanardi, 21 points
2. Oriola, 20
3. Engstrom, 13
4. Treml, 8
5. Bennani, 6
6. Rikli, 5

SP standings:

1. Tosic, 23
2. Fabiani, 16

S1600 standings:

1. Muhlenz, 23
2. Krafft, 18
3. Lukas, 11
4. Bingler, 9
5. Skuz, 7

Giovanardi (Hartmann Honda) and Oriola (SUNRED SEAT) traded top spot throughout the first half of the session, which began on a damp but drying track.

At the halfway mark Giovanardi was on top, just as the rain began to come down again. This allowed the Italian to hold on to top spot with Oriola unable to improve his time.

Tomas Engstrom was third in his Honda Accord, just under a second away from Giovanardi. Ibrahim Okyay was fourth in his BMW, two and a half seconds away from pole. He was just over a tenth quicker than fellow BMW driver Mehdi Bennani. Giovanardi’s teammate Wolfgang Treml was sixth, ahead of Jens-Guido Weimann and Peter Rikli.

Michel Nykjaer spent much of the session in the garage while his team replaced the starter on his Chevrolet Cruze. By the time he got out onto the track the rain had begun, leaving him down in 11^th and the last of the Super 2000 runners.

In 12^th overall was the top Super 1600 entrant Thomas Muhlenz in his LPG-powered Ford Fiesta. Just behind him was Aleksander Tosic, the top Super Production driver in his Honda Civic.

Qualifying results:

The first of the two hour-long sessions was held in the rain, with only some of the field choosing to take to the track in the conditions.

Of those that did go out, Fabrizio Giovanardi completed plenty of laps as he familiarised himself with the circuit and reacquainted himself with the Honda Accord that he last raced in 2006. The Italian posted the fastest time, half a second ahead of Michel Nykjaer. The Danish WTCC driver and two-time former ETC Cup winner was trying to get to grips with the Chevrolet Cruze that he is racing for the first time this weekend. Pepe Oriola was third in his SEAT Leon TDI.

Engstrom only completed a handful of laps in his Honda, which meant he ended up 2.687s down in fourth. He was still able to shade fellow Honda driver Wolfgang Treml and BMW pilot Jens Guido Weimann who completed far more laps.

In the afternoon session, on a much dryer circuit, Giovanardi led the way again, but outbraked himself at the chicane and ended his session a little early in the gravel.

This enabled Engstrom to post the fastest time, with Giovanardi hanging on to second three tenths behind.  Oriola was third, just three thousandths of a second behind Giovanardi. Nykjaer was fourth, ahead of Weimann and Treml.

Ibrahim Okyay was seventh, with the Rikli Motorsport Hondas of Christian Fischer and Peter Rikli in eighth and ninth. Aleksander Tosic was the best of the Super Production runners in tenth in his Honda Civic.

Test session 1 results:

Test session 2 results:

17-year-old Oriola will race a SEAT Leon TDI, run by the same SUNRED Engineering outfit that runs him in the WTCC.

Moroccan driver Bennani will race a BMW 320si for the Proteam Racing squad whom he drives for in the WTCC. Both Oriola and Bennani will be making their first appearances in the ETC Cup.

The Super 2000 category is made up of nine other entries. Two-time champion Michel Nykjaer races a Chevrolet Cruze, while former European champion Fabrizio Giovanardi races a Honda Accord with Wolfgang Treml as his teammate at Hartmann Racing.

Swiss outift and ETC Cup regulars Rikli Motorsport enter two Hondas – a Civic FD model for team owner Peter Rikli and an Accord Euro R for Christian Fischer. Occasional WTCC entrant Ibrahim Okyay will race his BMW 320si. ADAC Procar runners Jens-Guido Weimann and Andreas Kast will take part in their BMW and Audi respectively. The Super 2000 entries are completed by Swede Tomas Engstrom in a Honda Accord.

In the Super Production class, WTCC driver Fabio Fabiani attempts to reclaim the title he won in 2008 behind the wheel of his BMW 320i. His competition comes in the form of Serbian Honda Civic driver Aleksandar Tosic and Dutch driver Niek Oude Luttikhuis in a Mitsubishi Carisma.

The Super 1600 class will be contested by five Ford Fiestas, including the LPG-powered car of Thomas Muhlenz.

Full entry list

The Dane won the title at his first attempt in 2007 at Adria in a GR Asia-run SEAT Leon. He then won again in 2008 at the Salzburgring driving a Chevrolet Lacetti entered by Chevrolet Motorsport Denmark. In 2009, at Braga, he failed to retain his crown in the Lacetti.

In last year’s series (which was made up of three events rather than just one) he contested the second and third rounds at the Salzburgring and at Franciacorta, using the SEAT Leon TDI he was racing in the WTCC with SUNRED. He won all four races he entered, which was enough to see him finish runner-up overall, just four points behind James Thompson.

This weekend he will again use a Chevrolet, this time a 2.0 litre normally-aspirated Cruze model run by the Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden team, usually raced by Rickard Rydell in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.

The Danish Hartmann team have won the previous two ETC Cup titles with James Thompson in a Honda Accord S2000. With Thompson having moved onto the Polestar Volvo squad for 2011’s Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, the squad have signed Giovanardi to lead their attack for the event on 24^th July.

Giovanardi will be joined by the Austrian driver Wolfgang Treml in the team. Treml contested two rounds of last year’s ETC Cup with Hartmann.

Giovanardi has previous experience of the Honda Accord, having raced it for JAS Motorsport in the World Touring Car Championship at Curitiba and Macau in 2006.

It will be the Italian’s first appearance in the ETC Cup, where he will aim to regain the European crown that he won in 2001 and 2002.

“We are definitley aiming for winning the title again,” said Giovanardi. “The team have the expertise and the car has the potential. Now it’s a matter of how quick we will work to adapt the car to my driving style.

“The last time I drove a Honda Accord was at Macau in the 2006 WTCC and we will have only three test sessions at Salzburg to find a good set-up. In any case I see this opportunity to show that I am still able to be competitive at an international level.”

Team principal Hans Hartmann Petersen commented: “Winning the European Cup for the third consecutive time will not be easy, because every year the competition is stronger. We are very motivated; both cars have new engines and we have a strong team.

“Giovanardi is an experienced and fast driver, while Treml is very consistent as it was proved last year by his fourth place. All in all we have everything we need to reach this ambitious target.”

Thompson entered the sixth and final race of this year’s cup with an eight point advantage in the standings over both Nykjaer and Tomas Engstrom, meaning a sixth place finish for Thompson would be enough to retain the title he won in 2009. He started in sixth position, courtesy of the reverse grid system, with Engstrom seventh and Nykjaer eighth.

Turkish driver Aytac Biter started the race on pole position alongside Jorg Schori, but it was Biter’s Borusan Otomotiv teammate Ibrahim Okyay who jumped into the lead at the start, having started fourth in his BMW. Engstrom climbed to second place during the opening lap, while Nykjaer spun after being hit by Biter as they fought for third. Biter was handed a drive-through penalty for causing the collision.

Engstrom took the lead from Okyay on the second lap, while Thompson was chasing Hartmann Honda teammate Wolfgang Treml for third position. He found a way through on lap four, before passing Okyay for second on lap five. A recovering Nykjaer also overtook Okyay to move into the top three, before taking second from Thompson on the following lap.

Nykjaer began chasing down Engstrom for the lead, passing him on lap 19 as Engstrom attempted to lap the BMW of Massimo Zanin. He held on to take the victory, with Engstrom second and Thompson third, which was enough for the Briton to take the title.

Treml and Okyay came together when fighting for fourth on the final lap, which earnt Treml a 30 second penalty that saw him drop to sixth. Peter Rikli benefited from the collision to finish fourth, ahead of Okyay.

Carsten Seifert took the Super 1600 title after winning the class in ninth overall in his Ford Fiesta. Vojislav Lekic made it four wins from his four starts in Super Production by finishing 11th overall, taking the title in that class.

The Danish SUNRED SEAT Leon TDI driver got the better of polesitter and standings leader James Thompson off the line, passing him at Turn 1. Nykjaer went on to score a straightforward and dominant win.

Thomson, driving a Honda Accord Euro R for Danish team Hartmann Racing, also lost second place on the opening lap to the similar, but privately-run, machine of Tomas Engstrom. He remained close to the Swede for much of the race as he tried to regain the place, but dropped back later on.

The front three were running at a considerably faster pace than the rest of the field, with Thompson’s teammate Wolfgang Treml finishing over a minute off the winner in fourth after a quiet race. Ibrahim Okyay finished fifth in his BMW, with Peter Rikli sixth in his Honda Civic. Rikli had started at the back of the grid after having his qualifying times disallowed for failing to comply with ride height requirements.  He was running in fifth, before being passed by Okyay on lap 16.

The remaining Super 2000 cars were all lapped, with Jorg Schori finishing seventh in his Honda Accord, Aytac Biter eighth in his BMW and Massimo Zanin ninth, the latter spinning at the final corner of the race and losing his eighth place, which also brings pole position for the second race.

Carsten Seifert won the Super 1600 category, finishing tenth overall in his Ford Fiesta, while Vojislav Lekic won Super Production, the Serbian finishing 11th overall in his Honda Civic Type-R. Lekic lost the class lead to Fabio Fabiani by spinning on lap two in the slippery conditions, before retaking the position, while Fabiani lost further ground by spinning later on.

Thompson’s lead in the Super 2000 standings has now been cut to eight points ahead of the final race, with both Nykjaer and Engstrom tied for second place.

Britain’s James Thompson currently leads the standings, driving for the Danish Hartmann Honda outfit. The two-time BTCC champion and reigning European Cup champion won the opening race at Braga, Portugal in March before picking up two second place finishes at the Salzburgring, Austria in July.

Swedish driver Tomas Engstrom began the season with the Hartman team before running his own Honda Accord from Salzburgring onwards. He lies 10 points behind Thompson, having scored three podium results from four races.

Denmark’s Michel Nykjaer is the final contender for Super 2000 glory. The WTCC regular only joined the competition for the Salzburgring round but won both races in his Sunred Engineering SEAT Leon TDI. He lies 12 points behind Thompson, and will be looking to win the European Cup for a third time, having won it in both 2007 and 2008.

A total of ten S2000 cars have been entered for the Franciacorta event. In addition to the three title contenders are Thompson’s Hartmann teammate Wolfgang Treml, the Borusan Otomotiv BMWs of Aytac Biter and Ibrahim Okyay, the two Rikli Motorsport Hondas driven by Peter Rikli and Jorg Schori and two new entries in the form of Promotor Sport with their older BMW 320i driven by Massimo Zanin and Mariano Bellin.

It is not only the S2000 title that is up for grabs, with Super Production and Super 1600 categories also running. In Super Production, Serbia’s Vojislav Lekic currently leads the way having picked up both class wins in Austria in his Honda Civic. He has a four point lead over occasional WTCC driver Fabio Fabiani, the only other competitor in the Super Production class.

In S1600, Carsten Seifert leads fellow German and Ford Fiesta driver Jens Lohnig. Lohnig has won three of the four races so far, but failed to finish the first race in Austria, giving Seifert the initiative. Three other S1600 drivers will be present at Franciacorta, with Sergey Krylov and Charlie Geipel driving Fiestas along with Croatian Zeljko Markovic in a Citroen C2.

Thompson, who currently leads the standings in the ETCC after a win and a third at Braga last month is now looking for another drive, and is working hard with his race engineer Marco Calovolo to get back on track, as he explains: “I’ve heard that there could be more manufacturer entries in the 2011 WTCC. I hope that will be the case, as I feel we have some unfinished business in the world championship. Together with my friend and engineer Calovolo we’re trying to find something for me, he’s working hard as usual for that, as much as I work hard for him. I really hope we’ll find something both for him and for me.”

The Yorkshire man isn’t the only big name touring car driver who is without a drive in 2010. Double British Touring Car Championship Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi is without a drive again, having completed his one race deal with Triple Eight Race Engineering while reigning Champion Colin Turkington was unable to secure the funds to defend his crown.

“Marco Calovolo (his engineer), the boys and myself were really looking forward to racing for them, I had good results there and enjoyed the racing, but it’s not continuing anymore and it’s such a shame. That’s the end of one chapter; I have to find some work now!” was Thompson’s reaction when it was announced that he would be leaving the team, and went on to add “At the moment I just feel it’s frustrating not to be able to fight for a championship this year, I was looking forward to the Scandinavian Cup and the ETCC. But, in the end, that’s the way life is.”

What did the drivers have to say after the opening races?

2009 Champion and current Championship leader James Thompson: “I’m very pleased with this win that came mainly from yesterday’s pole position. Our car is 30 kilos heavier than the BMWs and this is a big gap. I believe the second race showed what the real positions at the moment are. This was a perfect weekend for us and we have done everything right to take the most out of it using the package that we have. The first race was especially difficult, because from the start I had to defend my position and as the race progressed the BMWs were closer and closer while my car was having more and more problems with the front tyres.”

Race 2 winner, the local hero at Braga Cesar Campanico: “We have achieved a very good result today in front of our home crowd. And honestly it could have even been a better one, should I have not made a mistake in the first race that cost me the second position. But in the end, finishing second in the event only one point behind Thompson is a big boost for us for the next races!”

FIA World Touring Car Championship Independent Kristian Poulsen said about his weekend: “We had a lot of fun today with a number of close fights between James, César,Tomas Engström and me. I also have to blame myself for a mistake that enabled Campaniço to come through. But all in all I’m quite happy with this third place in the first time Iwas back racing with my own team. I have a 2-point gap from the lead and I’mconfident in looking forward to the rest of the season.”

The current leader of the S1600 category is ATM Racing’s Jens Lohnig: “There are racing weekends when everything comes together and this was one of those for me. My car was definitely the best today, fast and consistent, so it was not too difficult to win both races. I only had to regain the lead after I had slept a bit at the start in both races…”

Off the line, pole man Yuriy Protasov (Bevz Kostantyn) made a solid start in his older E46 BMW 320i, but lost the lead into the braking zone for the first corner to former WTCC Independent Ibrahim Okyay (Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport). Behind the BMW train, Sunred Engineering’s young Frenchman Michael Rossi was spinning into retirement after contact with the Honda Accord of Tomas Engstrom.

By the end of the opening lap, Okyay was under pressure from both Campanico and Poulsen while Thompson had made it as far as fourth, passing pole sitter Protasov and Marin Colak (Colak Racing team) in the same move.

Lap 3 saw the leading 3 BMW’s all together, and Campanico made his move, firstly passing Poulsen for second before passing Okyay for the lead, coming out of turns 5 and 6. Campanico then put hi9s head down and never looked back.

Straight away, Okyay then lost another spot as Poulsen took second away from the Turkish racer, with Thompson closing up rapidly. Thompson made his move on lap 6 to take third from Okyay, and wasn’t challenged by Okyay, but wasn’t able to pull away either.

The rest of the race saw the battle for fifth intensify, between the Petrol powered Seat Leon’s of young Russian Timur Sadredinov (Sunred Engineering) and Croatian Colak, with Sadredinov winning the battle of the Leon’s on the penultimate lap of the race.

In the S1600 class, ATM Racing’s Jens Lohnig backed up his race 1 class victory with the class win in race 2, and with it the class lead, while the only Super Production racer, Mircis Birkens, didn’t take the start due to the engine problems which caused his retirement in race 1.

The Nations cup for Braga was awarded to the MSA of Great Britain, for Thompson’s win and third place.

The next rounds of the 2010 FIA European Touring Car Cup take place in Austria, at the 4.2km Salzburgring on the 24^th and 25^th July.

Standings after Rounds 1 and 2: S2000:

S1600:

At the start, Thompson defended from the BMW’s of Cesar Campanico (Novadriver Racing Team) and Kristian Poulsen (Poulsen Motorsport), a battle that would be run for the whole 17 lap encounter.

Lap 3 saw contact between the Croatian driver Marin Colak and Turkish BMW driver Ibrahim Okyay, with Colak dropping back two positions due to the contact.

Behind the top 3, Thompson’s Hartmann Honda team mate Engstrom was passing the leading Seat Michael Rossi for fourth and then set about joining the top 3, to form a 4 car battle for the race victory.

Lap 13 saw the battle for second intensify, as Campanico, Poulsen and Engstrom all closed up on Thompson. Entering the chicane, Campanico bit the back on Thompson’s Honda Accord Euro R, pushing the Honda driver sideways. Thompson held on, and behind, at the apex of the Chicane, the BMW’s made contact, and as they exited the chicane, Engstrom joined in and made it 3 abreast, before finishing the move into turn 9.

After this, Thompson had a clear run to the line with team mate Engstrom absorbing the pressure from behind.

Pole for the second race went to the BMW 320i E46 of Yuriy Protasov, who finished in eighth place.

In the S1600 battle, the win went to the ATM Racing Ford Fiesta ST of Jens Lohnig, ahead of reigning Champion Carsten Seifert of the NK Racing Team. The only Super Production entry of Latvian Mircis Birkens retired with an engine failure. Birkens was the only DNF of the first race.

Thompson, who won the one off race at the wheel of a Hartmann Honda Racing Honda Accord, lapped the 3km Braga track in a time of 1m22.740, beating the potent BMW 320si cars of WTCC Independent Kristian Poulsen (1m22.811) and of local hero Cesar Campanico (1m22.894s).

With this best time, Thompson smashed the S2000 lap record by 2.1 seconds, while the S1600 pole sitter, Jens Lohnig in his Ford Fiesta had to beat the S1600 lap record by over 2 seconds to secure top spot.

Early in the session, it was Danish racer Poulsen who set the pace, a lap of 1m23.791, before Thompson took sixth tenths out of it with a 1m23.108s, which was then beaten by the BMW of Campanico, who set a 1m23.064s.

After the pit stops for tyres, it was Poulsen who then responded by bettering Campanico’s best effort, by setting a 1m23.041, but soon enough, Thompson responded with a new best effort, and the first driver to break into the 1m22’s in qualifying, with the lap that would prove to be the fastest of the session, a 1m22.740s. Poulsen and Campanico both improved their times, but not enough to better Thompson’s best time.

Behind the top 3, the best of the rest was the Sunred Engineering Seat Leon 2.0 TFSi of Michael Rossi, who set the fourth best time of a 1m23.401s, over sixth tenths slower than Thompson’s time.

Pole man Thompson was delighted to secure pole for the first race, and said about his qualifying session: “It’s nice to restart with a pole position. This is my first race after the accident in Macau last November and I spent most of the winter to recover. I was impressed by the pace of the BMW cars. I had to push to the limit to beat them and it will not be easy to do it again tomorrow, but I’m confident because the team worked very well in setting my car up. It should be very competitive on the race distance too.”

Second on the grid, and the first BMW driver Kristian Poulsen said: “I am very happy with my second place. This is my first time in Braga and I took my time to learn the track. It paid off because I was able to consistently improve my lap times and we have also worked a lot on the race set up. So I am confident.”

Second of the BMW’s and third on the grid is local star Campanico: “It was a very close qualifying today. I pushed very hard and I am satisfied, because I managed to improve my personal lap time here in Braga. Tomorrow we will have a couple of very tough and close races. I’m looking forward to them, because this is my home track and I would like to achieve a brilliant result.”

The only driver in the Super Production class of the ETCC is reining Champion, Latvian Mircis Birkens, who said after qualifying: “I am disappointed, because I could not qualify properly. My car had a problem with the gear shifting and it was not possible to fix it in time. We will fix it for tomorrow, though. Obviously with no other competitors in the class my first goal is to finish the races, but I would also like to improve my pace compared to last year and fight with some of the slowest S2000 cars.”

Pole in the S1600 class went to German Jens Lohnig in his Ford Fiesta ST, who said about his session: “The team did an excellent job. They set the car up in the best way and it was easy for me to drive around and improve by two seconds compared to this morning. I think my car is very well balanced, so it should also be competitive in the races. I really hope to continue setting the pace and I am confident that we can fight for the title tomorrow.”

Cars 72, 5, 71, 51 and 73 were below the qualification maxima of 1:28.531.

The races will be shown on Eurosport 2 at 4.30pm and 5pm tomorrow, the races aren’t being shown live on TV, but live timing will be available via http://www.mstworld.com/timing/livetiming.htm?series=etcc.

2010 sees the annual event expand from a single, stand alone race weekend towards the end of the season to a mini Championship, with races being held in Portugal, Austria and Italy. The German Round has been cancelled due to a clash with the WTCC and BTCC.

Braga held the event last year, which saw James Thompson claim the overall honours, and helped the MSA take the Nations cup, while Latvian driver Marcis Birkins took the Super Production title with the S1600 title heading the way of Carsten Seifert.

The Previous winners since 2005:

The 2010 running sees all of the 2009 Champions return to defend their titles, James Thompson in his Honda Accord Euro R, which is run by leading Danish outfit Hartmann Racing, and is joined in the team by Swede Tomas Engstrom, who races for Swedish Honda team Engstrom Motorsport. Engstrom is the only driver to have competed in all of the previous editions of the ETCC.

Marcis Birkens returns in his Honda Civic Type R, looking to retain the crown he won at Braga last year, but will face opposition from Italian Fabio Fabiani, who won the crown in 2008, at the wheel of a BMW 320i.

In the S1600 Category, Carsten Seifert is back, looking to retain the crown in his Fiesta, but will face competition from fellow Fiesta pilots Jens Lohnig and Florian Heitmeier.

Other noticeable entrants for this year’s ETCC include WTCC Independent regulars Marin Colak in his Petrol powered Seat Leon, WTCC Independents Champions Sunred Engineering with a brace of Leons for young Russian driver Timur Sanredinov and Frenchman Michael Rossi.

Kristian Poulsen has entered at the wheel of his BMW 320si E90, and Turkish driver Ibrahim Okyay has joined the grid in his BMW, and his team, Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport are looking for funds to enter fellow Turk Aytac Biter at the Salzburgring and Franciacorta.

A trio of BMW 320i E46 have been entered for the Protasov family, Father Leonid, Son Yuriy and Daughter Irina, and they are being run by the Bevz Kostantyn outfit.

The official FIA ETCC Entry list:

Looking ahead to Braga – local drivers Cesar Campanico and Francisco Cavalho will both be looking for a positive start to the Championship, and hoping that local track knowledge will give them an advantage come race day.

The weekend will see three test sessions held on the Friday for the competitors to learn the track and find the best set up, before a 30 minute practice session on the Saturday.

The teams will then head into qualifying, another 30 minute session. This will decide the grid for the opening race of the weekend, which will start at 11.20am, with the second race straight after that, starting at 12.35.

The grid for race 2 will see the top 8 from the opening race reversed, ahead of the standing start. Race 1 sees the rolling start race.

The races will be shown on Eurosport 2 at 4.30pm and 5.00pm UK time.

Last year saw Norbert Michelisz and James Thompson take the S2000 race wins, in what was a wet but drying opening race and a drier second race. This weekend saw Michelisz make it Seat Leon TDi debut, and took a surprise pole position. Michelisz won the drive as a prize for winning the WTCC Supporting Seat Eurocup.

At each event, the Nations Cup will be awarded to the Nation who have the best placed two cars in each race – in 2006 and 2009, the MSA Won it, and 2007 and 2008, the title went to Denmark.

The sole tyre supplier, Yokohama, will award prize money of 100,000 Euro’s to each of the winners: 70,000 Euros to the S2000 winner, 20,000E to the S1600 winner and 10,000 Euros to the Super Production winner.

After Braga – the next event takes place on July 23^rd to 25^th in Austria, at the Salzburgring before the finale on the 15^th to 17^th October, at the Franciacorta circuit in Italy.

Tomas Engstrom will be racing a Honda Accord alongside the current FIA ETCC Champion James Thompson, who claimed the crown for Hartmann Honda at Braga last year. The two of them will challenge for the ETCC honours in the 3 race series and at Brands Hatch and Monza in the WTCC.

“We know each other very well from the last three years, as both teams have taken part in the European Touring Car Cup, which we won last year. We have been discussing ways of co-operating and now it is a reality,” commented Hans Hartmann, Team Owner of Hartmann Honda.

“I am looking forward to working with Hans and the guys from his team, as they have given a good impression of themselves, when we have been fighting in the European finals over the last three seasons,” said Tomas Engstrom.

The opening round of the 2010 FIA European Touring car Cup occurs at Braga, Portugal on the 27^th and 28^th March, while the next round of the WTCC occurs at Marrakesh on the 1st and 2nd May.

Run as a one-off event since 2005, it will be switching to a four-event series, including two 50km races per event, with a 400,000 Euro prize awarded to the winner of the series.

The cars eligible to take part will remain the same that are currently accepted: Super 2000, Super 1600 and Super Production.

The dates are as follows, with the circuits set to be revealed at the WTCC event in Macau.

2010 FIA European Touring Car Cup calendar

28 March – Portugal
6 June – Germany
11 July - Austria
17 October - Italy

“A series of four events will help to cover the whole European territory, making it easier for the teams to take part in all or selected events. The aim is also to strengthen the ties between the National Championships that adopt the FIA technical regulations,” KSO General Manager Marcello Lotti explained.

The opening race was dominated by Hungarian Norbert Michelisz, who took the victory (and ten points) from the pole position he earned yesterday, grabbing fastest lap along the way on a wet Circuit of Braga track.

The only competitor who seemed to have the pace to match the SEAT driver was Franz Engstler, who eventually finished second, 0.4 seconds behind. Thompson fought his way up from a sixth place grid slot to take the final spot on the podium, ahead of defending class champion, Michel Nykjær in fourth.

Despite the wet track, attrition in the small field was low, Per Poulsen being the only retirement after beeching his Honda Accord in the turn one gravel trap.

The second race was a very different affair.

Duarte Felix da Costa, starting from pole by viture of his eighth place race one finish and a reverse grid got a clean start and led the pack into the opening turns, a sharp right, followed by a long left hander.

However, behind him all was not so well.

Into the first corner Harry Vaulkhard tipped Francisco Carvalho’s petrol SEAT into a spin, the Portuguese sliding across the track, over the grass and back onto the track. Right ahead of the rest of field.

The carnage was predictable, Michelisz and Jose Monroy were tangled together, Monroy’s Chevrolet dragging both bumpers as it clipped Nykjær’s Lacetti, the Dane almost immediately retiring, while Monroy limped back to the pits.

The melee left da Costa in his Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet with a clear lead that he promptly threw away spinning out of the lead on the second lap, managing to rejoin, but no longer a challenger for the lead.

That handed Carvalho, who had escaped relatively unscathed from the start crash, the lead before his first lap aggressor Vaulkhard took the lead. Engstler and Thompson, who had dropped to eighth after the crash, soon followed passed Carvalho, into second and third as Engstler, Thompson, Michelisz and Vaulkhard all seemed to be converging on the same points’ tally.

These calculations only grew more complex when Thompson passed Engstler for second, the reverse of their race one result.

However, it all became academic as Vaulkhard ran wide onto the wet grass, sliding helplessly into the tyre wall, and while, like da Costa before him, he was able to rejoin, he could only climb back as high as sixth.

That freed Thompson to take the victory, Engstler second (a position he also took overall) ahead of Tomas Engstrom in another Accord. Michelisz finished fifth, taking third overall.

As well as taking the individual title Thompson’s point haul combined with Vaulkhard’s was enough to give Britain victory in the Nation’s Cup competition.

In the only other competitive class, the three strong Production class Latvian Marcis Birkens took both race wins in his Honda Civic Type-R, the first ever Baltic driver to win an ETCC title.

“I thought that I could maybe finish in the top three of the first race and then try everything in the second. And it worked, although a lot of credit for this goes to my engineer who led me towards the right tyre choice. I usually go for the wrong one,” said Thompson. “I also have to thank the team, because they have done an amazing job. The car was perfect in both races. Quick and consistent.”

“Everything worked very well until the second race. Then we made the wrong tyre choice. It was a shame, but I’m happy anyway,” explained Michelisz. “This was a great opportunity and I am proud of myself.”

Meanwhile Engstler looked back on his lucky escape in the second race. “I was also lucky to escape the incident at the start of the second race. When I rejoined after swerving on the grass I said to myself: let’s hope that nobody hits me now!”

The qualifying session for the now annual event took place under difficult conditions as the weather at the Braga track in Portugal started wet, but dried out continuously as the field of S2000, Production and S1600 cars ran in search of the best starting position.

This, of course, meant that the top times were set late in the session, with the provisional pole changing 15 times during the 30 minute session.

But 25 year-old Michelisz was a constant throughout as, driving the only diesel powered car in the field, he bettered his lap time and again.

First he had to beat defending champion Michel Nykjær, then Touring Car all-rounder James Thompson, then WTCC privateer Franz Engstler. Finally as the track dried out Portuguese driver Duarte Felix da Costa took the top spot in his Chevrolet Lacetti, before Engstler, driving a BMW 320si similar to that he enters in the WTCC, looked to have wrapped up the pole position.

That was before, with seconds to spare, Michelisz clocked a lap of 1:24.821, to beat the German by only 0.077 seconds.

“These were not easy conditions to drive the turbo diesel car. Before the qualifying I was hoping for a dry track, but it’s ok, I managed to claim pole position and I’m veryhappy,” he said. “Honestly I did not expect such a result.”

“I am very happy with my second place. My team did a very good job in setting up the car. I was able to set some fast laps, and the car is also very consistent,” said Engstler. “But I wish to congratulate Michelisz. It is great to see some young drivers like him and da Costa being so quick in such a difficult category. Anyway, I’m an old driver and I’m here to have fun. So I will try to beat them tomorrow!”

Da Costa’s time (1:24.952) was eventually good enough for third, one place ahead of his Bamboo Engineering teammate Harry Vaulkhard. Thompson, driving a Honda Accord finished the session sixth while Nykjær, who was challenging for the pole with only five minutes left ended eighth of the eleven driver to set a time, a full 1.3 seconds off the pole time.

Former Volvo and Vauxhall BTCC driver Vincent Rademacker did not even make it onto the track, with his team trying to fix an electrical problem on his Lacetti that stops the Belgian from starting the car.

Photo credit: ETCC

Both Thompson and Vaulkhard will compete in the premier Super 2000 class of the race, which also caters for Production and S1600 cars.

Vaulkhard will race a Chevrolet Lacetti, prepared by his (now) regular BTCC team Bamboo Engineering, where he will be joined by Duarte Felix da Costa, one of four Portuguese drivers hoping to take advantage of home track advantage.

James Thompson, who has split his season between the British, Danish and World Touring Car Championships, is to drive a Danish run Honda Accord, alongside Per Poulsen.

They will be joined in the 13 car S2000 class field by WTCC regular Franz Engstler, who will enter his and other BMW 320si under the Liqui Moly Team Engstler banner and one time BTCC driver Vincent Rademaker, who now mostly race in the German ADAC Procar Series.

In contrast to the WTCC series, where diesel powered cars have began to dominate there is only one SEAT Leon TDI entered, though it is in capable hands, being driven by new SEAT Eurocup champion Norbert Michelisz.

However, all are likely to have to beat two time and defending ETCC champion (and newly crowned Danish Touring Car champion) Michel Nykjær who will drive a single Lacetti entered by the ominously titled Perfection Racing.

The European Touring Car Cup was created in 2005 after the new WTCC superseded the European season and has previously been held at Vallelunga, Estoril, Adria and the Salzburgring.

It is made up of two 50km races, the second with top eight finishers of race one reversed on the starting the grid, with title being awarded to the driver who scores the most points using the FIA’s normal 10-8-6…. points system.