WTCC is proud to announce Atari as the Title Sponsor of the World Touring Car Championship meeting to be held this weekend at the Oschersleben Motorsport Arena which will be named "FIA WTCC Atari Race of Germany".
Atari is the worldwide publisher of "Race Pro", the new WTCC video game, scheduled for pre-Christmas release and designed exclusively for Microsoft's Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system.
Developed by renowned game developer SimBin, a leading creator of PC racing simulators, RACE Pro recreates a breathtaking reality giving gamers the ultimate racing simulation experience and provides unrivalled realism and deep immersion into the racing world through ultra realistic car models and tracks of the World Touring Car Championship.
RACE Pro was successfully presented by Atari and SimBin to the press and fans last week at the Leipzig Game Convention. BMW Motorsport displayed their WTCC car in front of the RACE Pro game park that welcomed 300,000 visitors.
"Having personally taken the leap from twenty years of championship racing to racing simulation development, I am really excited for SimBin to be taking WTCC from PC to Xbox 360," said Henrik Roos, CEO of SimBin Studios AB.
HUISMAN JOINS WIECHERS-SPORT
Dutch touring car ace Duncan Huisman joins Wiechers-Sport for the German team's home race meeting in Oschersleben, at the wheel of a BMW 320si car.
Over the last twelve seasons the 36-year old Dutchman has built a reputation as one of the fastest and effective touring car drivers around, always in BMW cars. After clinching the Dutch championship title twice, Huisman finished runner up in the 2001 FIA European Super Production Championship, was crowned Independents' champion in the 2003 FIA European Touring Car Championship and claimed four victories in the infamous Macau Guia Race.
He made occasional appearances in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, managing to collect one win (Macau 2005) and two second places (Valencia and Macau 2006).
Due to his impressive racing career, Huisman will not be eligible to compete for the WTCC Independents' Trophy and as a race-by-race entrant he will receive a 30kg ballast.
BMW DRIVERS ARE OPTIMISTIC
Oschersleben is the home event for BMW, therefore is no surprise that the drivers of the German Manufacturer are looking forward to this Sunday's races with great expectations.
Reigning world champion Andy Priaulx claimed four victories at Oschersleben between 2003 and 2007: "My personal memories are of wins, and also the emotions of 2005. That year I stood on the podium alongside Zanardi when he won his first WTCC race - there was not a dry eye at the track."
Local hero Jörg Müller won here twice, in 2003 and 2006: "I just can't wait for my home race. The 15 points I scored at Brands Hatch came at the perfect moment. I'm far from giving up the fight for the title. Now I have to score as many points as possible in Oschersleben, though I'm aware this will be no easy task with 70 kilos of success ballast."
Here, in 2005, Alessandro Zanardi claimed his first victory after the crash that cost him both legs: "Quite obviously, my relationship with Oschersleben is a very special one. Being back on the highest step of the podium there, for the first time following my accident, will always remain unforgettable. However there's no reason for me to only look back. Following my good recent results I now want to score again in Germany."
A CHEVROLET HHR TO THE V-WTCC WINNER
Chevrolet has offered a very unique prize for the V-WTCC, the Virtual World Touring Car Championship based on SimBin's videogame Race.
The competition's main prize is a Chevrolet HHR, in a special customised version that is also equipped with an environmental friendly LPG installation from the German company Fahrmitgas. Besides the car itself, the winner will also receive a voucher for Euro 500 worth of LPG.
"The Chevrolet HHR and the V-WTCC form a perfect combination of the message that Chevrolet is conveying: distinctive cars for a reasonable price for youthful drivers who also pay serious attention to dealing responsibly with natural energy resources. This initiative is also very much in line with the FIA's campaign 'Make Cars Green' the WTCC is adhering to. The V-WTCC contest, therefore, enables us to target environmentally aware, energetic and sporting car enthusiasts," said Eric Nève, Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Manager.
The Chevrolet HHR will be used as the WTCC leading car in Oschersleben, this weekend.
CORONEL BROTHERS GO TO SOUTH AMERICA
Twin brothers Tim and Tom Coronel will team in the 2009 Dakar Rally, swapping roles as driver and co-driver. They will drive a Bowler Nemesis car, built and run by the Dakarsport.com team.
The 2009 Dakar Rally will be held in Argentina and Chile; Chile's Atacama desert will be the toughest challenge for the competitors while the three final stages will be held around Córdoba, Argentina. The rally will come to an end in Buenos Aires on January 18th.
"It will be like learning how to race all over again. Everything in this car is different from what I drove in the past. We are bouncing and jumping all the time. Even in a WTCC race I am not shaken as much as I am here. It is a big challenge, and both Tim and I are very much looking forward to it," Tom Coronel commented.
OSCHERSLEBEN QUALIFYING LIVE ON EUROSPORT
Contrary to what was announced last week, Eurosport will air the Oschersleben qualifying session live, on Saturday from 15.00 to 15.45. The original plan was to air it on a delayed basis at 19.00.
The revised schedule for WTCC coverage from Germany is the following:
Saturday, 30th: Qualifying - LIVE Eurosport 2, 15.00/15.45
Sunday, 31st; Warm up - LIVE Eurosport International, 08.45/09.15
Race 1 - LIVE Eurosport 2, 11.45/12.45
Race 1 - highlights Eurosport International, 15.00/15.30
Race 2 - LIVE Eurosport International, 15.30/16.30
Times are CET (Central European Time)
Fabio Ravaioli - FIA WTCC
