2009 FIA WTCC Race of Japan

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Japan 2009 Race of Japan
Race details
Circuit TI (Aida).png
Round 11 of 12 in the 2009 World Touring Car Championship at Okayama International Circuit in Mimasaka, Japan.
Date1 November, 2009
LocationMimasaka, Japan
CourseOkayama International Circuit
3.703 kilometres (2.301 mi)
Race One
Laps 16
Pole position
Driver Italy Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport
Time 1:37.666
Podium
First United Kingdom Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK
Second Germany Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany
Third United Kingdom Rob Huff Chevrolet
Fastest Lap
Driver Sweden Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport
Time 1:51.428
Race Two
Laps 14
Podium
First Brazil Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany
Second United Kingdom Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK
Third France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport
Fastest Lap
Driver United Kingdom Rob Huff Chevrolet
Time 1:52.538

The 2009 FIA WTCC Race of Japan (formally the 2009 FIA WTCC Kenwood Race of Japan) was the eleventh round of the 2009 World Touring Car Championship season and the second running of the FIA WTCC Race of Japan. It was held on 1 November 2009 at the Okayama International Circuit near Mimasaka, Japan. The two races were won by BMW drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus. The race was supported by the 2009 1000 km of Okayama, the inaugural event of the Asian Le Mans Series.

Background[]

Gabriele Tarquini arrived in Japan with a seven-point lead over SEAT Sport teammate Yvan Muller. BMW Team Germany driver Augusto Farfus was the only other driver that could still win the title. He was eighteen points behind Tarquini.

SUNRED Engineering placed Japanese-based Brazilian João Paulo de Oliveira in their third car for the race,[1] taking it over from Andrea Larini. Japanese drivers Seiji Ara and Nobuteru Taniguchi also made their championship debuts, for Wiechers-Sport and Proteam Motorsport respectively, while Masaki Kano returned to Liqui Moly Team Engstler, the team with which he made his series debut in 2008.[2] Macau's Henry Ho also drove for Engstler, making his series debut.[3] Independent SEAT drivers Marin Čolak and Mehdi Bennani did not travel to Japan, while Fabio Fabiani did not follow-up his one-off drive for Proteam at the previous race in Italy.[4]

Report[]

Testing and free practice[]

Yvan Muller was quickest in Friday's test session, ahead of Farfus and the SEAT trio of Tiago Monteiro, Rickard Rydell and Gabriele Tarquini.[5]

Farfus set the fastest time in Saturday morning's free practice session, ahead of fellow BMW driver Andy Priaulx and SEAT drivers Jordi Gené, Yvan Muller and Tiago Monteiro. Stefano D'Aste crashed ten minutes into the session, bringing out the red flags and stopping the session.[6]

Farfus was also the quickest in the second practice session, ahead of BMW Team Germany teammate Jörg Müller and his namesake Yvan. Robert Huff for Chevrolet and Tarquini were fourth and fifth quickest.[7]

Qualifying[]

Tarquini took his third straight pole position and his fifth of the season in the qualifying session. He will start ahead of Priaulx, Jörg Müller, Rydell and Farfus. Yvan Muller will start in seventh place. Tom Coronel was the quickest of the Independent runners.[8]

Warm-Up[]

Farfus set the quickest time in the Sunday morning warm-up, ahead of Gené, Jörg Müller, Rickard Rydell and Tiago Monteiro.[9]

Race One[]

Andy Priaulx leads Jörg Müller during Race One.

A heavy downfall of rain before the first race meant that the field began behind the safety car.[10] The safety car came in at the end of the first lap, with polesitter Tarquini leading the pack. However, he drifted wide at Turn 2 through the gravel trap.[10] This left Priaulx to lead until the end of the race, despite pressure from BMW teammate Jörg Müller.[10] Despite dropping back after his off-track excursion, Tarquini came back through the field to finish in fifth behind Huff and Yvan Muller, ahead of SEAT teammates Gené and Monteiro. Farfus had gone off at the same time as Tarquini on lap 3, but he fought his way through to finish eighth and securing pole position for Race Two after pushing Alain Menu wide on the penultimate lap, continuing his habit this season off recovering from early Race One incidents to finish eighth and start Race Two on pole.[10] Coronel took the Independents' class victory.[10]

Race Two[]

Augusto Farfus won Race Two ahead of Andy Priaulx.

Race Two began with Jörg Müller starting quickly, causing a bunch-up at Turn 1 that resulted in Müller spinning Monteiro off the track.[11] Tarquini joined him in running off, although he was able to rejoin the circuit. Müller received a drive-through penalty for causing the incident.[11] Many other drivers ran wide at Turn 2 in the treacherous conditions. Farfus lead Priaulx home to give another one-two finish for BMW, ahead of Yvan Muller.[11] The three Chevrolets finished next, with Menu ahead of Nicola Larini and Huff. Gené and Rydell sacrificed their positions on the last lap to give teammate Tarquini a seventh-place finish.[11] D'Aste took the Independents' win, finishing tenth overall[11]

Results[]

Qualifying[]

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Q1 Q2
1 2 Italy Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:38.168 1:37.666
2 6 United Kingdom Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 1:38.117 1:37.716
3 7 Germany Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1:37.914 1:37.726
4 3 Sweden Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:38.149 1:37.799
5 8 Brazil Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1:38.323 1:37.826
6 4 Spain Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:38.017 1:37.835
7 1 France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:38.255 1:37.978
8 5 Portugal Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 1:38.202 1:38.119
9 11 United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:38.900 1:38.620
10 12 Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:38.460 1:39.110
11 10 Spain Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 1:39.043
12 21 Netherlands Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:39.078
13 36 United Kingdom James Thompson LADA Sport Lada Priora 1:39.106
14 14 Italy Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 1:39.126
15 23 Spain Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 1:39.159
16 9 Italy Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 1:39.186
17 27 Italy Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 1:39.395
18 49 Japan Nobuteru Taniguchi Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 1:39.469
19 18 Netherlands Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport Lada Priora 1:39.498
20 50 Japan Seiji Ara Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 1:39.549
21 47 Brazil João Paulo Lima de Oliveira SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:39.643
22 25 Germany Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1:39.672
23 22 United Kingdom Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 1:39.823
24 26 Denmark Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1:40.112
25 19 Russia Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport Lada Priora 1:40.786
26 51 Macau Henry Ho Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1:41.536
27 48 Japan Masaki Kano Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 1:42.427

Race 1[]

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 6 United Kingdom Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 16 32:18.887 2 10
2 7 Germany Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 16 +0.484 3 8
3 11 United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 16 +2.552 9 6
4 1 France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +12.066 7 5
5 2 Italy Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +15.757 1 4
6 4 Spain Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +17.131 6 3
7 5 Portugal Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 16 +18.693 8 2
8 8 Brazil Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 16 +25.403 5 1
9 12 Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 16 +28.163 10
10 21 Netherlands Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 16 +30.133 12
11 36 United Kingdom James Thompson LADA Sport Lada Priora 16 +30.693 13
12 14 Italy Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 16 +32.217 14
13 18 Netherlands Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport Lada Priora 16 +40.278 19
14 23 Spain Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 16 +50.587 15
15 9 Italy Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 16 +55.891 16
16 19 Russia Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport Lada Priora 16 +57.180 25
17 50 Japan Seiji Ara Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 16 +58.480 20
18 22 United Kingdom Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 16 +1:05.796 23
19 26 Denmark Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 16 +1:09.905 24
20 49 Japan Nobuteru Taniguchi Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 16 +1:15.829 18
21 48 Japan Masaki Kano Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 16 +1:28.415 27
22 51 Macau Henry Ho Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 16 +1:53.615 26
23 47 Brazil João Paulo Lima de Oliveira SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 16 1:59.405 21
24 27 Italy Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 15 +1 Lap 17
25 3 Sweden Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 14 +2 Laps 4
Ret 25 Germany Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 3 Wheel damage 22
Ret 10 Spain Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 2 Race incident 11
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Race 2[]

Pos. No. Name Team Car C Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 8 Brazil Augusto Farfus BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 14 26:55.015 1 10
2 6 United Kingdom Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 14 +0.761 8 8
3 1 France Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 14 +3.298 5 6
4 12 Switzerland Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 14 +5.878 9 5
5 14 Italy Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 14 +13.725 27 4
6 11 United Kingdom Robert Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze LT 14 +17.538 6 3
7 2 Italy Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 14 +24.104 4 2
8 3 Sweden Rickard Rydell SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 14 +26.212 24 1
9 4 Spain Jordi Gené SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 14 +27.272 3
10 27 Italy Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 14 +35.619 23
11 23 Spain Félix Porteiro Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 14 +36.900 13
12 10 Spain Sergio Hernández BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 14 +37.866 26
13 21 Netherlands Tom Coronel SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 14 +41.110 10
14 22 United Kingdom Tom Boardman SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 14 +58.394 17
15 25 Germany Franz Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 14 +1:03.206 25
16 7 Germany Jörg Müller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 14 +1:07.306 7
17 9 Italy Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 14 +1:10.579 14
18 50 Japan Seiji Ara Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si Y 14 +1:18.816 16
19 47 Brazil João Paulo Lima de Oliveira SUNRED Engineering SEAT León 2.0 TFSI Y 14 +1:19.317 21
20 48 Japan Masaki Kano Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 14 +1:40.690 20
Ret 18 Netherlands Jaap van Lagen LADA Sport Lada Priora 9 Engine 12
Ret 36 United Kingdom James Thompson LADA Sport Lada Priora 8 Anti–mist failure 11
Ret 51 Macau Henry Ho Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 6 Race incident 22
Ret 26 Denmark Kristian Poulsen Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si Y 6 Race incident 18
Ret 49 Japan Nobuteru Taniguchi Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW 320si Y 3 Race incident 19
Ret 5 Portugal Tiago Monteiro SEAT Sport SEAT León 2.0 TDI 0 Race incident 2
DNS 19 Russia Kirill Ladygin LADA Sport Lada Priora 0 Engine 15
  • Bold denotes Fastest lap.

Standings after the event[]

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of drivers' standings.

References[]

  1. ^ "Brazilian driver joins SUNRED". World Touring Car Championship. 2009-10-17. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  2. ^ "Japanese trio to race in Okayama". World Touring Car Championship. 2009-10-06. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  3. ^ "Team Engstler test Asian drivers". World Touring Car Championship. 2009-10-01. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2009-10-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Meissner, Johann (2009-10-30). "Yvan Muller fastest in Japan". TouringCarTimes. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  6. ^ Veltman, Rob (2009-10-31). "Farfus quickest in first practice". TouringCarTimes. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  7. ^ Veltman, Rob (2009-10-31). "Farfus fastest again, Chevrolet gets closer". TouringCarTimes. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  8. ^ English, Steven (2009-10-31). "Tarquini takes third straight pole". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  9. ^ Hudson, Neil (2009-11-01). "Farfus heads Japan warm-up". Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Priaulx sings in the rain". World Touring Car Championship. 2009-11-01. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Farfus keeps title fight open". World Touring Car Championship. 2009-11-01. Archived from the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2009-11-01.

External links[]

Media related to 2009 FIA WTCC Race of Japan at Wikimedia Commons

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 FIA WTCC Race of Japan Next race:
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