SEAT COMES WITH GENE’ AND DIEFENBACHER
Confirming the rumours that started a few months ago, SEAT officially announced today its come-back to international motorsport with a two-car works programme in the 2003 FIA European Touring Car Championship. “Of all the different international championships, the ETCC is most in line with SEAT’s targets,” said Winfried Burgert, President of SEAT Sport. “The races are run with cars which are close to road cars and it is held in Europe, where SEAT’s main markets are located. Another plus is that ETCC is given excellent television coverage since it is included in the Super Racing Weekends.” SEAT Sport has developed an ETCC Toledo fit with a 2-liter four-cylinder 260-bhp normally aspirated engine and a 6-speed sequential gearbox. “The Toledo was chosen mostly because of its excellent aerodynamics, which give it the highest top-speed of the whole SEAT range, a crucial issue in racing,” explained Jaime Puig, SEAT Sport’s Motosport and Technical Director. “We have also shortened development time, since the Toledo shares modular technology with the León, an excellent performer in racing that we know already very well, thanks to our SEAT León Supercup.” The drivers signed for the programme are Jordi Gené, 32-years-old from Barcelona, and Frank Diefenbacher 20-years-old from Germany. A former Spanish Touring Car champion in 1996 with Audi, Gené took part in the 2002 FIA ETCC at the wheel of a Ravaglia Motorsport BMW 320i; he was classified eighth in the Drivers Championship, with a third place in Donington Park. Diefenbacher proved to have the right stuff in the German F3 championship, where he finished third (with three wins) in 2001 and fourth (with one win) in 2002. The SEAT Sport team is expected to take part in the Vallelunga test-days, from 8th to 10th January. In the picture, courtesy of SEAT Sport: Diefenbacher and Gené with the new ETCC SEAT Toledo.
bron: eurostc.com
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Jammer dat Vincent Radermecker er niet bij is. Hij had het nochtans verdiend na z'n prestaties dit jaar in Frankrijk. Maar ja een Spaans merk van een Duitse groep....
12-12-2002, 18:57
