Route to Curitiba, Brazil

The FIA World Touring Car Championship will resume next week after a 50-day break, when rounds 15 and 16 takes place at Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba, Brazil.

This will be the seventh time the 3.7 km circuit that lies on a plateau 900 metres above the sea level, has hosted the WTCC. After having been the championship opener from 2007 to 2011, the Brazilian event has been put off to the mid season, just like it happened on the world championship’s first visit back in 2006. And this means that competitors will have to cope with wintry weather conditions.

Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini are the most victorious drivers here, with three race wins apiece. Speaking of Manufacturers, SEAT claimed six victories against three for BMW and Chevrolet. The latter was victorious in three out of the last four races, including a double success in 2011 with Rob Huff in Race 1 and Alain Menu in Race 2.

After sharing last year’s event with the Brazilian Stockcar championship, this year the WTCC is staged together with the Copa Petrobras de Marcas. Now on its second season, this category is reserved for saloon cars that are close enough to the WTCC’s for technical concept and performance.