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WTCC Newsletter

TARQUINI IN HONDA F1 AT GOODWOOD
Gabriele Tarquini has the great honour to drive an historical Honda Formula One car this weekend, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Italian joined 1964 F1 World Champion John Surtees in representing the Japanese manufacturer in the 20th edition of the famous event in the UK that culminates in the Goodwood hillclimb race that always features legendary machines and racers.

While Surtess is at the wheel of the Honda RA300 that he actually drove to victory in the 1967 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Tarquini was entrusted the RA272, the first Japanese car to win a F1 race, the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix in the hands of Ritchie Ginther; this single seater was powered by 1.5-litre V12 48-valve water-cooled engine that delivered 230 bhp at 13000 rpm.

Both the RA300 and RA272 cars are part of the Honda Collection located at Twin Ring Motegi race track.

"I feel incredibly honoured. To represent Honda in such a glamorous event, in a car that is a symbol of the manufacturer's history and alongside a legend like Surtees, marks one of the topical moments of my racing career," commented Tarquini.

In Short...

D'ASTE AND THOMPSON TOGETHER AT MISANO
Stefano D'Aste and James Thompson, who are rivals in WTCC races, will be team-mates in the 4 Hours of Misano that will take place on July 27. D'Aste and Thompson will share the a Lotus Cup 2014 car, run by PB Racing with technical support from Hexathron Racing System.

"The first outing with the new car was very positive. Racing in the Misano 4 hours will help us to check performance and reliability," D'Aste explained. "James is a good friend and a great driver, I'm thrilled by the idea of sharing the car with him."
And Thompson echoed: "I can't wait to race in the Lotus and with PB Racing. The team is doing a great job in WTCC and the technical support from Hexathron Racing System makes this a top level programme."

HUFF BETWEEN FASHION AND HORSE RACING
Rob Huff, is all set for his first appearance as Ambassador of Newmarket Racecourses at this week's Piper Hiedsieck July Festival.
This new partnership between Huff and Newmarket Racecourses brings the glamorous and adrenaline-fuelled worlds of international motorsport and horse racing together.

As part of his ambassadorial role, Huff will attend numerous public engagements throughout the course of the year, starting with this week's Piper Hiedsieck July Festival that combines fashion with horse racing.

Huff will attend all three days of the festival, judging the ‘Best Dressed Male' during Abu Dhabi Gentlemen's Day on Friday. In addition, the reigning WTCC Champion is due to make an appearance on Channel 4 Racing's The Morning Line programme from 8.00 on Saturday, kick-starting the Darley July Cup Day with a chat about his newly-formed relationship with Newmarket Racecourses and his own career in motorsport.

"I'm truly excited about commencing my ambassadorial duties," said Huff. "It's always a thrill to visit this historic venue, but it's particularly special now we have this relationship. It will be interesting to judge the ‘Best Dressed Male'. It's a new experience for me, but I really hope all the chaps put in a lot of effort to make the decision as challenging as possible!"

ETCC TESTING POSTPONED AT PERGUSA
The FIA European Touring Car Cup test sessions that were due to take place today at Pergusa, as preparation for rounds 7 and 8, have been postponed to tomorrow.

The reason for putting them off was the cancellation of the Italian Prototype Championship round, supporting series of the Sicilian event that was therefore compressed over two days.

Two 90-minute ETCC test sessions have been rescheduled for tomorrow, at 8.30 and 11.00.

Drivers will take the track again on Saturday in two further 30-minute sessions: Free Practice at 13.30 and Qualifying at 15.30.
On Sunday, a 15-minute Warm Up will open the race day at 9.00, while the two 10-lap back-to-back races will follow at 11.20 and 12.30.