Next stop: Monza, Italy

The FIA WTCC heads for Monza, where the third meeting of the season will take place this coming weekend. The stop at the Autodromo Nazionale, Italy’s temple of speed and one of the most glorious racetracks in the world, is a traditional one for the World Touring Cars.

Monza hosted the championship’s inaugural event back in 2005 and then continued to be home to the WTCC Race of Italy until 2008 and again from 2010, after being temporarily replaced by Imola in 2009.

WTCC is one of the favourite events for the enthusiastic Italian fans who always come to fill the grandstands in overtaking places such as the first chicane and the Ascari.

BMW and Alfa Romeo shared victories in 2005 and 2006 but the SEAT León TDI cars made the most out of Monza’s superfast layout and won all the four races held in 2007 and 2008.

In 2010 Andy Priaulx won the first race for BMW, stopping SEAT’s winning streak, then in Race 2 Yvan Muller claimed Chevrolet’s first victory on this track.

This year’s key point will be saving the front tyres, as 2010 results were decided by blown tyres in the final lap that stopped Gabriele Tarquini and Rob Huff who were fighting for victory in Race 1, and Michel Nykjær who was about to grab his first victory in Race 2.