For
immediate release: 19 March 2018
TOURING CAR LEGEND GIOVANARDI TO RACE ALFA ROMEO IN WTCR
*Multiple championship winner is Team Mulsanne’s first
WTCR signing
*Italian makes
comeback in Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR by Romeo Ferraris
*Michela
Cerruti: “To have Fabrizio is a crucial element of our programme”
One of the most successful touring car drivers in history
will bring his considerable skill and experience to the WTCR – FIA
World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO in 2018.
Fabrizio Giovanardi, a winner or champion in almost every
touring car series he’s contested, will drive an Alfa Romeo Giuletta
TCR by Romeo Ferraris for Team Mulsanne, a move that will allow the
51-year-old to race one of the famous Italian machines for the first
time at FIA level since his two-year stint in the World Touring Car
Championship between 2005-06.
“I wish to thank everybody at Romeo Ferraris who have
made possible the 2018 season,” said Giovanardi. “I had the
pleasure of driving the car very recently, and I was very impressed.
For me, it will be a comeback on the world stage after a few years out
of racing, but my passion and hunger for victory are intact. At Monza,
I had the chance to start a journey that hopefully will bring a lot of
satisfaction for those involved in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR by
Romeo Ferraris project.”
A winner in karting, Formula 3 and Formula 3000,
Giovanardi made a permanent switch to touring car racing in 1992 and
was soon winning titles – and driving Alfa Romeos – with success in his
homeland, Germany, Spain and Europe-wide. Winner of the reborn European
Touring Car Championship in 2002, Giovanardi won races in the WTCC, was
twice British champion and also raced in the Argentine TC2000 series
and Aussie V8s before his return in Italian TCR in 2017.
Michela Cerruti, Romeo Ferraris’ Operations Manager said:
“To have Fabrizio with us in such an important venture is a
crucial element of our programme. Racing at the highest level in 2018
represents a big step forward for our organisation and for
Team Mulsanne, who will be competing against many prestigious
brands and teams. We have progressed with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR
by Romeo Ferraris, and the positive feedback received from Fabrizio at
the test in Monza has made possible what at the beginning was only a
dream. Still, we do not live in Wonderland and we know we'll have to
perform at 100 per cent to be competitive in such a top series as
WTCR.”
François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCR
promoter, said: “Team Mulsanne’s entry not only brings a seventh
customer racing brand to the grid, in Fabrizio Giovanardi we welcome a
touring car legend whose vast experience will certainly be a strong asset
to the team as it develops the car and brings back that iconic touring
car brand to where it belongs: the top.”
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