BMW ETCC - Monza Race Report
After two exciting races in Monza the 2003 FIA European Touring Car
Championship
finished with a new title for BMW thanks to consistency all year from the
drivers run by the
three national teams. Unfortunately at the end it was not to be a double
celebration as Jörg
Müller missed out on the Drivers' title by a single point.
BMW has a long and successful record in European Touring Car Racing.This
goes back to
its first title in 1966 and continued through the seventies and eighties. It
was a BMW that
won the last European Touring Car Championship when the series was
discontinued after
the1988 season, and a BMW that won again when it was re-instated 13 years
later in 2001.
Up to the start of the 2003 season BMW had claimed 17 European Touring Car
Championship titles. It can now add to that the 2003 Manufacturers' and
Independents'
titles.
Dr. Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: We have seen that the ETCC can
deliver
great sport. The excitement is hard to beat and the championship stayed
open until the last
round, so we didn't know who would become champion. All the BMW Teams worked
hard
and I would like to congratulate them on a job well done. This is
especially important at the
final round, as Monza is not a track that BMW expected to be competitive, so
a win and
three further podium places was a great bonus. BMW and Alfa Romeo have been
equally
strong over the season under the current regulations. We see the sporting
side of the series
as critical. In some races, including the final, we saw overly aggressive
driving. The
incidents we saw over the season have not all been judged in the same way.
For next year
we expect a more equal interpretation of the rules and regulations.
BMW Team Deutschland - Schnitzer Motorsport - Charly Lamm: "We came to
Monza
fighting for the drivers' title and we have lost out by a single point.
Obviously we are sad
about this but you cannot win all the time. I think Jörg gave everything and
drove
fantastically today. He won race two from 12th on the grid, but the slow
puncture he picked
up in race one robbed him of the points he so urgently needed. I wish to
thank all the team
at Schnitzer and BMW Motorsport for all their efforts through the whole
season."
Dirk Müller (GER) - Qual 2nd ; Race 1 - DNF; Race 2 - DNS: "I am relieved I
was not
injured in the accident. I was wearing the HANS system and I this prevented
any injury to
my beck. I just have a sore back. I am disappointed as I don't like to
finish the final race of a
season with a crash. We saw the Stewards' decision and from the Colciago
inboard
pictures I am disappointed a competitor acted that way. I had a good car
today and I am
sorry for the team and the mechanics to lose it in such a way."
Jörg Müller (GER) - Carrying 20 kilos of ballast: Qual 1st ; Race 1 -
12th ; Race 2 - 1st :.
"For me it was a sweet weekend as we came to Monza without any expectations
as we
thought Alfa Romeo would fill the top five. We were surprised by our
performance in free
practice and qualifying so I am quite happy being championship runner-up by
just a point. It
was a good weekend for us on a circuit which is not usually good to BMW so I
am happy."
BMW Team Great Britain - RBM - Bart Mampaey: "We made some changes in the
warm
up and the car was so good we did the quickest lap time in race 1. The way
race one
developed we felt we had a chance of the title. There was a lot happening
around us but we
stayed out of trouble so we had a good result. In race Andy made one of his
usual brilliant
starts, but then Tarquini made a mistake and the result was Huisman ran into
Andy. He
tried to come back as well as we could and the finish showed how competitive
our car was.
I am happy with the way the championship has finished for us and want to
thank BMW GB
and Andy for all their efforts."
Andy Priaulx (GBR) - Carrying 10 kilos of ballast: Qual 7th ; Race 1 - 2nd
; Race 2 - 6th:
"It has been a brilliant year. We have got to be pleased with what we have
done with
three race wins and fighting for the championship at the end of twenty
races. I am very
pleased and hopefully next year will be as good if not a little bit better.
In race two I made a
good start. Unfortunately sometimes you have contact and sometimes you get
away with it
and today I didn't get away with it. I am not disappointed because we have
had a good year
and ended on a strong performance. It is one of those things, as I have had
situations when
I have been lucky and today I was not."
BMW Team Italy-Spain - Ravaglia Motorsport - Roberto Ravaglia: "I am happy
because Alex finished in the points but I am disappointed because BMW lost
the drivers'
championship. For me it is a question of style. BMW together with all the
drivers have the
right style of competing. I was amazed today to see what Alfa did,
especially the accident
with Dirk so he could not help Jörg."
Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA) - Qual 15th -(started 20th due to engine change)
- Race 1 - 6th -
Race 2 - 5th : "I think it was impossible for me to fight for the win. The
car was fine today
and, in fact, better than at some of the other races, so for me it is good
to finish the
championship like this."
Antonio Garcia (ESP) - Qual 6th ; Race 1 - DNF - Race 2 - DNS : "I was
sixth on the grid
and thought I could overtake the two Alfas in front of me. I made a good
start but then at
the end of the straight I got pushed by someone, spun and then got hit by
most of the other
cars on the grid. It was very difficult to leave room for everyone in that
corner."
Alex Zanardi (ITA) - Qual 11th; Race 1 - DNF; Race 2 -7th: "My second race
was better
than the first one. I am not super happy, because super happy would be if I
won the race. I
am still encouraged to see where I am after very few days of practice and
very little time in
the car this weekend, because we had trouble not only in race one but also
in the first
practice and this didn't help at all."
Results: Race 1 - 9 laps - 1. James Thompson (GBR/Alfa Romeo) 18:26.052,
2. Andy Priaulx (GBR/BMW
320i) 18:26.858, 3. Tom Coronel (NED/BMW 320i) 18:28.037, 4. Gabriele
Tarquini (ITA/Alfa Romeo) 18:32.858,
5. Duncan Huisman (NED/BMW 320i) 18:43.381, 6. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA/BMW
320i) 18:45.218,7. Adriano de
Micheli (ITA/Alfa Romeo) 18:59.182, 8. Tomas Engstrom (SWD/Honda Civic)
19:00.468.
Race 2 - 9 laps - 1. Jörg Müller (GER/ BMW 320i) 18:30.665, 2. Tom
Coronel (NED/BMW 320i) 18:30.872, 3.
Gabriele Tarquini (ITA/alfa Romeo) 18:31.731, 4. Nicola Larini (ITA/Alfa
Romeo) 18:32.236, 5. Fabrizio Giovanardi
(ITA/Alfa Romeo) 18:32.493, :10.116, 6. Andy Priaulx (GBR/BMW 320i)
18:45.792, 7. Allesandro Zanardi
(ITA/BMW 320i) 18:45.971, 8. Adriano De Micheli (ITA/Alfa Romeo) 18:46.354.
Championships Positions: Drivers: 1.Tarquini 107, 2. J Müller 106, 3.
Priaulx 100, 4. Larini 92,
5. D Müller 66, 6. Colciago 66, 7. Huisman 47, 8. Garcia 46, 9. Giovanardi
43, 10. Coronel 25, 11.
Rydell 18, 12. Thompson 12, 13. Ruberti 12, 14. Balzan 10, 15. Diefenbacher
9, 16. Francia 4, 17.
Gené 4, 18. Couto 3, 19. De Micheli 3, 20=. Tavano 2, Zanardi 2, Engstrom 2.
Manufacturers: 1.
BMW. 290, 2. Alfa Romeo 249, 3. Seat 13.
