In 2012, SEAT Sport’s high-profile collaboration with private teams registered for the WTCC include Special Tuning Racing and Lukoil Racing Team, who have once again placed their trust in SEAT.
Three of the four drivers competing in these two teams made their Touring car race debut at the Supercopa Leon — Tom Boardman, Josep Oriola and Alexander Dudukalo. The fourth driver will be Gabriele Tarquini, World Touring Car Champion in 2009 with SEAT.
They will all be driving at the wheel of the SEAT Leon equipped with the 1.6 T engine which has recently been homologated according to the newest FIA guidelines.
SEAT Sport is planning to focus its 2012 activities on lending support to the brand’s customers at different national and international championships and on personalizing SEAT models using a range of custom designed accessories. Continue reading ‘SEAT Sport lends team support in 2012′
After achieving all aims set in the World Touring Car Championship, SEAT has newly orientated its motor sports activities for 2010. The Spanish brand will no longer compete with its official team in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). SEAT Sport will focus its activities on customer sports in different championships, ranging from the Independent class participants in the World Touring Car Championship to different national championships. Further focus lies on the SEAT León Eurocup and the Supercopa SEAT León that will take place in even more countries in 2010. (continue reading…)
Tiago Monteiro is hoping to get a renewed contract with SEAT for 2010. The Spanish manufacturer is yet to reveal its plans, but a seriously downscaled program is expected to be announced shortly.
‘Basically, SEAT Sport is not sure what is going to happen,’ Monteiro said to Autosport.
‘Everybody at SEAT Sport wants it to go on and wants to do something – they have 100 people there, they have the cars, the people, the materials – everything is there. (continue reading…)
As they say, champions show why they are champions when it matters. Gabriele Tarquini did just that last weekend at Macau. A huge crash, a visit to the hospital, a new engine and starting middle of the pack, Tarquini’s odds were against him. He prevailed in the end.
Gabriele Tarquini is the most veteran of the drivers on the WTCC grid. And not only does he like it but boasts about it to his rivals. At the age of 47 but with the enthusiasm and drive of a beginner, Gabriele Tarquini becomes the seventh Italian world champion in history eighteen years after Teo Fabi and beforehand Nino Farina, Alberto Ascari, Mauro Baldi, Roberto Ravaglia and Massimo Biasion. He has also marked a spectacular record, since at his 47 years of age, he is the most veteran champion in motor sports history, passing even Juan Manuel Fangio. Continue reading ‘WTCC: At 47 Gabriele Tarquini wins his long awaited championship title’
[topsy_retweet_small] Talk about coming down to the wire, crashes and your two top drivers heading to the hospital. That is exactly what one would not want during a championship weekend but that exactly what SEAT Sport was handed.
Miraculously, SEAT overcame all this and won the Manufacturers’ World Championship, the Drivers’ World Championship and the Independents’ Trophy.
Race report and gallery after the jump. Continue reading ‘Tarquini and SEAT take the WTCC Championships in a wild weekend at Macau’
With the final race here, SEAT Sport was looking at both a drivers title and a very close manufacturer title. 3pts seperate SEAT from BMW in the manufacturers chase and Tarquini has 2pt lead over teamate Muller with Augusto Farfus 11pts down to Muller.
With that said, the accidents of both the top points leaders put the whole race into a different light. Muller qualified 7th with Targquini in 8th. SEAT did change Tarquini’s engine but due to rules he will stay in 8th position. Both were checked in at the hospital and released.
Macau is an insanely tight circuit. Walls and cars do not mix well. Starting 6 cars back, it will be a huge challenge to move up and stay safe.
Yvan Muller running a very tight line Photo: WTCCThe practice session of the WTCC’s last round that will be raced next Sunday in Macau has been extremely difficult for the SEAT Sport team. The practices in Macau are traditionally held on Friday and after an excellent first session, in which the five SEAT managed to qualify for Q2, the definitive qualifying session with the ten fastest cars, Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini, the two title contenders, where hampered by an accident. They both had to be taken to hospital with minor injuries. Jordi Gené and Tiago Monteiro qualified fourth and fifth fastest as the best positioned SEAT for the first race on Sunday. Continue reading ‘WTCC: SEAT Sport rebuilds Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini’s cars after crashes in Macau’
After a long season starting 8th March in Brazil – and in which SEAT Sport has been the major player – the World Touring Car Championship will host the last race in Macau on 22nd November. The SEAT team and its five drivers are leading the field in the run-up to the last race in what has been one of the most exciting seasons on WTCC record. Gabriele Tarquini, Yvan Muller and Augusto Farfus are fighting the Drivers’ championship out between themselves, with a13-point gap between them and 20 points left to race for. SEAT is 3 points clear of BMW, 36 points being the maximum score possible. Continue reading ‘WTCC: Decisive race on Macau urban circuit for SEAT Sport’
