After overcoming the difficult conditions at the Okayama racetrack, SEAT finally embraced victory with open arms at the WTCC last season’s race held in Macau November 22nd. The hard work and team spirit have paid off for SEAT Sport Team. They not only excelled in the highly demanding Macau street circuit, but also went on to claim both the Drivers and Manufacturers’ titles in what became the culmination of a spectacular season. An encore performance, too. It’s the second consecutive WTCC title for SEAT!
 
The sweet taste of victory. Find out how the action unfolded.




          Gabriele Tarquini, new World Touring
          Car Champion. Yvan Muller becomes
          championship runner-up.

MACAU: SEAT becomes World Touring Car Champion again! – 22nd November ‘09

Absolute success for SEAT in the 2009 World Touring Car Championship. The SEAT Sport team achieved today all of its aims at the urban racetrack of Macau, venue of the last round of the season, clinching the Manufacturers’ World Championship and the Drivers' World Championship for the second year in a row, and also the Independents' Trophy. SEAT and Gabriele Tarquini are the 2009 champions, Yvan Muller finished runner-up and Tom Coronel took the Independents’ Trophy, meaning that SEAT has been able to win with two different cars, the Leon TDI and the Leon WTCC, beating BMW, Chevrolet and Lada in the manufacturers' championship.

SEAT, who was defending this year the two world titles achieved last season, achieves one of the biggest successes for Spanish sports in 2009, with a triumphant finish after a very difficult season, marked by the difficulties stemming from several regulation changes during the season which limited the possibilities of the SEAT Leon TDI. However, all of these changes did not hinder a triumphant finish, thanks to the effort and team work of all SEAT Sport team members.

This spirit has been essential in a very complicated weekend. On Friday, Gabriele Tarquini and Yvan Muller, champion and runner-up, finished the qualifying session in hospital after sustaining a serious accident which left their cars quite battered. After the efforts of the mechanics to have the cars ready for the race, the five drivers of the team carried out a perfect strategy today to secure the double victory.

In the first race, an impeccable start by Tiago Monteiro, Jordi Gené and Gabriele Tarquini, allowed the SEAT drivers to control the situation from the second, third and fourth position, without taking risks for the victory and scoring the points needed to secure the first of the titles. Tarquini finished the race second, ahead of Gené, with Yvan Muller fifth and Monteiro sixth. This result awarded one of the two SEAT drivers mathematically with the title already.

The second race was even more tactical, with Yvan Muller on third position, followed by Monteiro and Gené, and with Gabriele Tarquini recovering positions and moving up to sixth. Gené was slightly touched which allowed Tarquini to pass him, leaving the SEAT in formation, keeping their positions. An accident in the back of the pack forced the race to be red-flagged two laps before the finish, thus confirming SEAT’s and Gabriele Tarquini’s triumph.

In the Independents’ Trophy, Tom Coronel won the first race, which awarded him the title mathematically, his second title in this class with SEAT.

With his victory, 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.

For the Spanish make, this is the fifth world title after those achieved in rallies in 1996, 1997 and 1998 with the Ibiza Kit Car and the four titles of the World Touring Car Championship clinched in 2008 and 2009 with the Leon TDI WTCC.
OKAYAMA, Japan : SEAT achieve aims and continue leading the WTCC - 1st November '09  
Under extremely adverse weather conditions, SEAT contested the two races of the World Touring Car Championship staged today at the Japanese Okayama racetrack achieving the aims set and keeping the lead in the championship. The last meeting of the calendar, which will be held in Macau on November 22nd, will decide on the two world titles of the 2009 season.

Despite the layout, which is more favourable to rear-wheel drive cars, the SEAT Sport team was able to maintain all their options intact, especially as regards the drivers’ standings with Tarquini and Muller on the two top positions and the highest expectations for the last race of the year. Gabriele was not lucky today, while Yvan, with a consistent and efficient drive, as well as a podium finish in the second race, placed himself one step from the leadership.

After the race in Japan, Tarquini keeps the leadership in the drivers' standings with 115 points, two ahead of Muller who has 113. Third on the list is Augusto Farfus with 102 points. These three drivers will be fighting for the title in Macau. As regards the manufacturers’ standings, SEAT is still in the lead, but the advantage over BMW has been cut down to three points.

The bad conditions on the track due to the rain caused several incidents in both races which affected especially the SEAT drivers. In the first race, Tarquini, who was starting from pole, went off the track and was set back to eighth. Rickard Rydell who took over the lead, touched Jorg Muller and was forced to enter the pits and rejoin the race a couple of minutes later. Andy Priaulx took the lead then, followed by Jorg Muller, with Jordi Gené on third, although he finally finished sixth behind Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini, who continued the race with especial care in order to score as many points as possible.

The incidents, with many more cars involved, continued during the second race behind an intense rain curtain. Monteiro who started from pole, was pushed off the track by Jorg Muller, while Tarquini was forced to go wide to avoid touching other drivers. Gabriele lost a large part of his options in this incident rejoining the track on seventeenth position but started a spectacular recovery which allowed him to finish seventh, thanks also to the good job made by Gené and Rydell.
Yvan Muller taking the third place
in the second race.
   
IMOLA, Italy: Two double victories solidify SEAT Sport's championship lead - 20th September '09  
SEAT Sport braved the odds during two spectacular races on the Italian track of Imola. The team clinched two sensational victories in this 10th race of the championship, with Tarquini and Muller coming first and second in the first race. The second race saw the same pilots crossing the chequered flag in reverse order – with Muller in first and Tarquini in second place.

The groundwork of the two double wins was done in the qualifying practices during which three SEAT pilots landed themselves in the top positions of the grid. During the first race, Tarquini and Muller set a strong pace that could not be followed by their rivals and that allowed the SEAT drivers to keep their positions until the end. In the second race, Menu took the lead at first, but Muller and Tarquini had a spectacular recovery moving up to the top two positions after overtaking the six rivals they had ahead of them due to the inversed starting order. SEAT has now increased the advantage over its main rival in the championship with Tarquini and Müller ranking first and second in the drivers’ standings.

The penultimate WTCC race meeting will be staged at the Japanese racetrack of Okayama on November 1st. You don't want to miss it.
Tarquini to the top: SEAT Sport's
pilot wins first race in Imola.
   
OSCHERSLEBEN, Germany: Three podium finishes for SEAT Sport at one of the most difficult venues of the season - 6th September ’09  
SEAT Sport managed to clinch three podium finishes on the German racetrack of Oschersleben – with Tarquini in second and third place in the first and second race respectively, and Rydell in third place in the first race. Meaning that the championship lead of the team is secured – with SEAT in top position in the manufacturers' and Tarquini ahead of the rest in the drivers' overall standing.

In a suspenseful race that saw several other SEAT pilots involved in accidents and collisions, other team members could nonetheless score several points – points that may become decisive towards the end of the season. After all, in line with the SEAT engineers' forecast the gap between SEAT Sport and its main rival is narrowing: With 235 points in the manufacturers' standing, SEAT is only 1 point ahead of BMW – while BMW's Farfus is relentlessly creeping up on SEAT's Tarquini, with only 1 point separating the drivers. This is a result of the adjusted technical race regulations, which reduced the performance of the SEAT Leon TDI considerably – making it very difficult for the SEAT pilots to reach the race pace necessary to compete against their rivals.

"The FIA reduced our performance, and there is nothing else we can do. This is our level right now and therefore, although I'm happy to be leading the standings, I know that the race in Imola will be much harder than last year." commented Tarquini, the best SEAT driver of the day.

Check in again right here for the latest developments on the Italian racetrack of Imola on 19th and 20th September!
Tarquini and Rydell taking second
and third place in the first race.
   
BRANDS HATCH, UK: SEAT keeps the leadership and the final victory is closer - 19th July '09  
The predictions of the SEAT Sport engineers were right, the recent changes in the application of the technical regulations made it more difficult to follow the pace of the rival cars on the British track. In spite of the difficulties, the scoring results of Gabriele Tarquini, Rickard Rydell and Tiago Monteiro, and the two points achieved by Yvan Muller in the second race allowed the team to keep their position at the end of the Brands Hatch meeting.

The Brands Hatch circuit has been the scenary of two complicated races for the SEAT Sport drivers. An accident in the first lap of the first race left Yvan Muller out. Gabriele Tarquini and Rickard Rydell took over in the front positions finishing the race in fourth and fifth position, with Tiago Monteiro seventh and Jordi Gené further in the back due to an accident.

In the second race Monteiro and Rydell were fighting for the third position, waiting for the arrival of Tarquini and Muller's recovery, who moved up from the last place to seventh in the last lap. Rydell co-operated with Tarquini, while Monteiro and Gené did the same with Muller in order to let them both score important points for the overall standings, showing again a productive teamwork.

SEAT keeps the leadership both in the manufacturer's and drivers overall standings after the British race.

SEAT Sport will be at the German racetrack of Oschersleben on 5th and 6th September. Check in soon!
Rydell and Tarquini scoring important
points to keep the leadership.
   
PORTO, Portugal: SEAT claims top podium and secures WTCC leadership -
5th July '09 		 
An eventful two races in Porto saw SEAT Sport win the first race and take second and third place in the second race. A top result considering the team had never raced the SEAT Leon TDI on the urban Porto circuit and only ever started familiarising itself with the track during the free practices throughout the week-end.

After two accidents in the first lap of the first race, the race direction was forced to stop the race. Once the track was cleared, Tarquini took the lead and defended his position until the end against Chevrolet's Huff, who was in turn closely followed by team colleague Muller in third place.

The second race saw BMW's Farfus in the lead, followed by Rydell, Gené and Monteiro, who waited for the arrival of their team mates Muller and Tarquini, catching up from the back. Farfus won the race with Muller and Rydell in second and third place – while Tarquini was eliminated trying to pass his rivals.

Again, the excellent team work between the pilots and their engineers and amongst the drivers is the cause for the excellent results achieved – keeping SEAT Sport firmly in the lead of the WTCC in both the manufacturer's and the drivers' ranking.

Check in again soon, and read all about SEAT's pursuit of glory on the British race track of Brands Hatch on 18th and 19th July.
Ready to Go: The yellow fleet of SEAT Sport's Leon TDIs is prepared to face the urban track of Porto.
   
BRNO, Czech Republic: SEAT Sport defends leadership - 21 st June '09  
Held in sunny Brno, the sixth race of the WTCC has seen fantastic results: SEAT Sport has achieved vital points to maintain the leadership in the overall drivers' and manufacturers' championships – titles held by the team since the beginning of this year's racing season. Accordingly, SEAT Sport remains on top of the world's podiums.

An accident on the first turn left SEAT's Gené and six other drivers out of the first race, giving Tarquini and Rydell the green light to overtake and finish in third and fourth place.

Muller and Monteiro started the second race from top positions, and landed SEAT on the podium. Muller finished in a coveted second place, while Monteiro managed third place with ease. At a short distance from the leaders, Tarquini and Rydell fought and won fifth and sixth position, scoring important points for SEAT Sport's overall ranking. Meanwhile, Rydell came in fourth and sixth place, adding important points to SEAT's scorecard.

SEAT Sport will be at it again on Porto's urban racetrack on 4th and 5th of July. Check in soon!
Very Important Points: SEAT Sport team
in the lead again.
   
CHESTE, Spain: SEAT Sport takes over podium in Valencia - 31 st May '09  
The perfect coordination between the five SEAT drivers and engineers and the dedicated team work of the pilots have paid off once again: An excellent qualifying session that allowed SEAT Sport to start the first race of the day from the top four positions was followed by a spectacular first race on the Cheste track which landed three of the team members on the podium: Yvan Muller as the winner, Tiago Monteiro in second place and Gabriele Tarquini in third position.

After a tough struggle with his rival Andy Priaulx of BMW during the second race, Gabriele Tarquini came third once again, while his colleagues, Muller and Monteiro, started from the back of the grid, and finished amongst the first eight.

The highly successful race meeting in Valencia has boosted SEAT Sport's lead of the championship in both the manufacturers' and drivers' ranking, and took the team's score of the season to a total of 11 podium finishes and 5 victories.

Check in again soon in order to get all the details of SEAT Sport's pursuit of glory on the Brno racetrack in the Czech Republic on 20th and 21st June.
Ready, set, win: The SEAT Sport pilots
dominate the podium after the first race.
   
PAU, France: SEAT Sport faces challenging race in France - 17th May '09  
Team SEAT faced two incredibly challenging races on the track of Pau in France last week-end, and couldn't live up to the great expectations set during the first three meetings of the season. Due to a short notice alteration of the technical rules by the FIA that lowered the permitted turbo pressure for TDI engines, SEAT Sport had to reduce the performance of its fleet drastically, and couldn't keep up with its rivals.

Having qualified in the last position on the grid, and due to the nature of the racetrack of Pau that leaves literally no room for overtaking manoeuvres, the SEAT pilots had no options to score points in either of the two races. The best classified SEAT pilot was Gabriele Tarquini who came sixth in the second race. Jaime Puig, SEAT Sport Director, explains: "Given the changes in the implementation of the technical rules, we were not able to do more".

Nonetheless, Yvan Muller continues in the lead in the overall drivers' championship ranking, while SEAT Sport holds on to the top position in the manufacturers' standings.

Check in again soon for all the details on the next race meeting on the Spanish racetrack of Cheste in Valencia on 30th and 31st May.
Never shies away from a challenge:
The SEAT Leon TDI WTCC in Pau.
   
MARRAKECH, Morocco: SEAT Sport strengthens lead in Marrakech -
3rd May '09 		 
The SEAT Sport pilots have achieved three podium finishes in Marrakech at the third meeting of the FIA World Touring Car Championship staged in Morocco. Gabriele Tarquini and Jordi Gené finished second and third in the first race, while Yvan Muller took the second position in the second race – thus strengthening the team's leadership.

Watch this space for the latest news on the races in France next week-end.
Muller celebrates his stepping
on the podium in style.
   
PUEBLA, Mexico: SEAT takes another double win in Mexico -
22nd March '09 		 
Team SEAT strengthened its leadership in this season's WTCC ranking by taking a clear double win in Mexico on March 22nd. Despite not starting out in pole position after the difficult qualifiers of the previous day, Rydell took the lead of the first race after the very first lap. He defended his position relentlessly against BMW's Farfus until chasing his Leon TDI across the finishing line first.

In the second race, Gené took the lead before being overtaken by his team mate Muller – who in turn was pursued by his rival, BMW's Priaulx. Muller resisted the attacks of Priaulx with the help of his team mate Rydell – and took the first place of the second race.

Rydell and Muller, the two winning members of Team SEAT, are very happy with their performance, the results and the points the rest of their team managed to score – all in all a perfect racing week-end for SEAT.
Muller and Rydell: Winning shoulder to shoulder.
   
CURITIBA, Brazil: There are defending champions, and then there are attacking champions - 8th March '09  
We may have won both the Manufacturers' and Drivers' titles at the 2008 WTCC, but we've no intention of taking our foot off the pedal. The SEAT team dominated in Brazil, claiming the first four places in both races to start the new season like they finished the last. The Leon TDI will be back in action in Mexico on March 22nd. With its bold new livery at least it won't be difficult for our rivals to see what they have to catch.

SEAT TDI. Doing amazing things with diesel Leon TDI® WTCC.
The champions back on the attack.