[ETC] Cup 2009 - Braga, Portugal - 24th/25th Oct

[Jon411]

Nice to see a British Team taking part. I hope they do well.

Makes sense I guess, seeing as they had visions of eventually racing in WTCC when they were Tempus Sport, so its a logical step for them. It'll be interesting to see how they go compared to the Perfection Racing guys.

Looking back at last year - the entry list was revealed about a week before first practise, so hopefully we'll get a full list and a few more announcements over the rest of the week/ the weekend.

Hartmann Honda still have Braga down on their schedule on their website - hopefully we'll see another 2 or 3 of the big guns from the DTC, STCC or BTCC

[FIRE]

Swedish Touring Car Championship Honda driver Tomas Engström is going to take part in the European Touring Car Cup 2009. "We are going to the race to take a top three finish," said Engström.
...

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=4115

[Jon411]

We have our first BMW as well:

PTCC leader Fontes enters ETC Cup

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=4113

[Mike Sheraton]

would be great to see some works teams with big drivers take part in one of these years a bit like the first year it took place

[werner]

I indeed would love to see The Volvo's, Flash and Westcoast BMW against Vauxhall, RML Chevy and RAC BMW. It would help if the ETCC could be broadcasted on the same channel that does the BTCC, or if Eurosport would have more coverage in Britain.

[Craner Curves]

Unless they heavily subsidise transport costs, I can't see that happening. BTCC teams were reluctant enough to go to Ireland for Mondello, never mind Portugal and I understand that was subsidised to a degree.

[werner]

I can imagine that for the privateers. But the big teams with big sponsorship interests do not only look at costs. If they are smart, and I think they are, they compare the costs of an extra race far away, to the potential benefits in terms of mediaattention. Currently the costs are not extreme I think. They offcourse have quite large transportationcosts, but they are not that large compared to the costs of running a team anyway. And they have the cars anyway, so since the teams are in the business of making money by racing cars, an extra race would be a chance to make more money.
Currently the benefits are not interesting though. A regular BTCC-meeting will get a much larger Britisch TV-audience compared to the ETCC broadcasted on Eurosport. But if the races where broadcasted on ITV, they would probably reach a similar, or even larger audience. And that is what counts for the sponsors of the large teams.

Although I must admit, another important part of the sponsorship, ie hospitality, is more difficult to arrange in Portugal than in the UK. It is quite expensive to fly your guests to the other end of Europe, and in these days it is questionable if it is responsible business. (Although everybody would love a weekend in Portugal this time of the year I guess.) I don't know how important the posibility of hospitality is for sponsors as Vauxhall, Aon or Rac compared to the number of people seeing their brand on tv.

The same goes offcourse for Sweden. and I every year see a few Swedisch teams competing, compared to few if any Britisch. My best guess is that Eurosport is a much more popular channel in Sweden than in the UK. Am I correct?

[Speed-King]

Thommo for European Touringcar Champion 2009

[KA]

There's now a (preliminary?) entry list up on the ETCC site: 18 cars so far, 13 S2000, 3 Production and 1 S1600

5x Lacetti:
1: Perfection Racing (Nykjaer)
7,8: Maurer Motorsport (Vincent Radermecker, Jose Monroy)
9,10: Bamboo Engineering (da Costa, Vaulkhard)

3x Honda
2: Engstrom Motorsport (Engstrom)
11,12: Hartmann Honda Racing (Thompson, Poulsen)

3x BMW
3,4: Liqui Moly Team Engstler (Urmas Kitsing, Franz Engstler)
14: Sports & You (Fontes)

2x SEAT
5: SEAT Sport- presumably SUNRED? (Michelisz)
6: Veloso Motorsport (Carvalho)

Production & S1600

21: Marcis Birkens (AV Sport Civic Type R)
22: Nikolay Karamishev (Sport Garage Golf)
23: Mikhail Zasadych (Sport Garage BMW)
31: Carsten Seifert (NK Racing Fiesta ST)

http://www.fiaetcc.com/2k9/entryList.asp

[FIRE]

SEAT Eurocup winner Norbert Michelisz, at the wheel of a SEAT León TDI car, set the fastest lap in the first of today’s three tests.
Twelve competitors took part in the session. The two Maurer Motorsport Chevrolet cars sat in their garages as the team worked to repair damaged obtained in the final round of the German Procar, and so did the two Sport-Garage Super Production machines that arrived this morning in Braga.
All drivers were very cautious, as for most of them this was the first visit to the Portuguese racetrack.
Experience was a factor and local man Francisco Carvalho led the time sheet for most of the one-hour session in the Veloso Motorsport SEAT León TFSI. Carvalho emerged on top in the early stages with a lap of 1:23.996 that he later improved to 1:23.241.
Michelisz, James Thompson, Michel Nykjær, Harry Vaulkhard and Tomas Engström, they all improved consistently, threatening Carvalho’s leadership. Thompson’s Hartmann Honda Accord was fast from the beginning, as the Briton set a 1:23.858 on his fist lap out of the pits and then improved to 1:23.589 to be placed third, just ahead of Nykjær’s Chevrolet (1:23.601).
After being the first driver to clock significant laps (1:25.173) Michelisz bettered his times as soon as the session progressed, eventually improving to 1:22.557 with ten minutes left.
...

A light rain fell to disrupt today’s second test session and this resulted in only eight drivers hitting the track.
...
A few of the top drivers joined in the second half of the session. Duarte Félix Da Costa was the first one to break the 1:30 wall with a lap of 1:29.291 in the Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Lacetti.
However the Portuguese’s mark was bettered by Norbert Michelisz, who completed a lap of 1:28.525, emerging on top of the time sheet again.
James Thompson hit the track only in the dying minutes but this was enough for him to post the third fastest lap of 1:30.510, beating Michel Nykjær by three tenths.

The third and final test session started under heavy rain; the track was soaked which discouraged a number of drivers from taking part. Not James Thompson who set the fastest lap in his Hartmann Honda Accord, inflicting a gap of 9 tenths to Franz Engstler.
Drivers representing four car manufacturers – Honda, BMW, SEAT and Chevrolet –filled the top-five positions.
Again Norbert Michelisz and his SEAT León TDI set the pace in the early stages, as the young Hungarian clocked a lap of 1:30.401, but then the others closed in. Thompson posted a second fastest lap of 1:30.761 and then improved it to 1:30.420, while Harry Vaulkhard climbed to third with a time of 1:30.987.
The rain eased a little bit halfway through the session and Michel Nykjær was clocked at 1:30.530, which ousted Vaulkhard from third. Soon afterwards Thompson set a provisional fastest lap of 1:30.077, before claiming the top of the time sheet for good posting a 1:29.331 that nobody was able to match.
Many drivers improved in the final part of the session. Francisco Carvalho (1:30.481) climbed to third, while Vaulkhard (1:30.555) reclaimed fifth position after losing it to Franz Engstler (1:30.694) and Duarte Félix da Costa (1:30.754). Only a few moments before the session ended, Engstler clocked a 1:30.295 that gave him second place, demoting Michelisz and Carvalho to second and third respectively.
...

Source: ETCC pr

Michelisz using a TDI. First privateer using this car (of course his entry is financed by SEAT, but still I consider him as a privateer).

[Alfa Fan]

He's not a privateer at all. Car being run by SEAT.

[JMeissner]

He is considered to be a privateer by the organisation as SUNRED is a privateer team in the WTCC, co-operating with SEAT.

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by JMeissner

He is considered to be a privateer by the organisation as SUNRED is a privateer team in the WTCC, co-operating with SEAT.

In the same sense that Perfection Racing is backed by Chevrolet Denmark effectively.

Still, it's a good upper hand for Michelisz - but I'm doubtful it'll make much of a difference.

[Hazard]

I'll eat my words. Michelisz has taken pole.

Thommo's got work to do from 6th.

My money's on Engstler

[FIRE]

Race start in few minutes

[FIRE]

Engstler not with the regular Liqui Moly colors.

Damp track.

The Honda Accord is old but still a great looking racing car.

[Jon411]

Eurosport UK aren't showing race 1 - only race 2, totally pointless

[FIRE]

Race 1 is live on ES2

[Jon411]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Race 1 is live on ES2

We've got a load of monkies talking about World Superbike - they don't have a race until 12:30

They could of cut to the ETC and come back, instead they are talking for about 30 minutes between the races

They are also treating us to live skiing on both Eurosport 1 and the HD channel.

Eurosport are a strange channel, with 2 UK drivers in the field it makes more sense to show both races than it has for the past few years

[FIRE]

Race 1
1. Michelisz
2. Engstler
3. Thompson
4. Nykjaer
5. Vaulkhard
6. Monroy
7. Carvalho
8. Da Costa
9. Engstrom
10. Kitsing

[Hazard]

You're allowed in if your national sports body sponsors you.

The rules aren't made to particularly force anybody out from the event.

Michelisz wins the first race for SEAT. Engstler close behind, then Thommo then Nykjaer.

Bamboo Engineering have pole for race two with Felix Da Costa.

It's going to be close between Thompson and Nykjaer I reckon, unless Michelisz now proves he can race as well as lead.

[Jon411]

I'd throw Engstler in as well as the BMW should be good off the start

[Jon411]

That first corner was quite entertaining.

Well done to Thompson. Engstrom had a good race 3 as well

Lets hope that they go for a track a bit more north next year to try and interest a few more teams, that and Eurosport doing proper coverage (like you guys in Europe seem to have had) of both races - as it doesn't exactly do much for the sponsors otherwise.

[touringlegend]

Good showing from Vaulkhard I thought but Thompson's sheer class shone through again in the Accord. At least he's won something this year!

[redshoes]

After getting caught in the first corner confusing it was a storming drive by Thompson - from 9th at the end of lap 1 to nearly 3 seconds in front at the flag.

Feel a little sorry for Vaulkhard though, clearly the track was very slippery.