Race Report 28.03.2004
Alfa Romeo and BMW share the spoils

Alfa Romeo driver Augusto Farfus started the new FIA European Touring Car Championship season in Monza sensationally.


The‘star of tomorrow‘ from Brazil achieved the trick of winning in his first ever start in the Alfa Romeo 156, which is equipped with Sachs Race Engineering clutches and dampers. As a result, the 20-year old newcomer did not only leave the rival BMW and SEAT factories in the shade but in particularly his more experienced factory colleagues Gabriele Tarquini and Fabrizio Giovanardi. So, Alfa Romeo celebrated a one-two-three.

In race two the tables were turned in favour of the BMW team, who also rely on high-tech from the ZF Sachs factory. Jörg Müller, who was fifth in the first race behind his namesake and stable companion Dirk Müller, won the second race convincingly from the Briton Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus, who now leads the championship table. „I was lucky enough to ease by Tom Coronel and pull away from the rest. I‘m extremely pleased with our performance and pace in the first two races“, expressed Jörg Müller after his first victory of the season.

Seat driver Frank Diefenbacher came home twice in the points. The man from Pforzheim, whose Seat Toledo Cupra is fitted with ZF Sachs dampers, took the chequered flag in eighth position in race one, and in the second race he finished sixth. The two touring car seasoned campaigners and Alfa team colleagues Gabriele Tarquini and Fabrizio Giovanardi eliminated themselves from the second race after colliding with each other.

FIA European Touring Car Championship (ETCC), Monza (I), 28.3.2004:
Race 1
1. A. Farfus, Alfa Romeo, 21:13.214 min., ZF Sachs
2. G. Tarquini, Alfa Romeo, + 0.161 sec., ZF Sachs
3. F. Giovanardi, Alfa Romeo, + 0.297 sec., ZF Sachs
4. D. Müller, BMW, + 0.683 sec., ZF Sachs
5. J. Müller, BMW, + 1.120 sec., ZF Sachs
6. A. Priaulx, BMW, + 1.339 sec., ZF Sachs
7. T. Coronel, BMW, + 5.118 sec., ZF Sachs
8. F. Diefenbacher, Seat, + 5.321 sec., ZF Sachs

Race 2
1. J. Müller, BMW, 18:11.840 min., ZF Sachs
2. A. Priaulx, BMW, + 3.233 sec., ZF Sachs
3. A. Farfus, Alfa Romeo, + 4.708 sec., ZF Sachs
4. D. Müller, BMW, + 4.824 sec., ZF Sachs
5. T. Coronel, BMW, + 7.477 sec., ZF Sachs
6. F. Diefenbacher, Seat, + 7.924., ZF Sachs
7. A. García, BMW, + 8.084 sec., ZF Sachs
8. J. Gené, Seat, + 9.318 sec., ZF Sachs

Drivers Championship Standings:
1. Farfus, 16 points; 2. J. Müller, 14; 3. Priaulx, 11; 4. D. Müller, 10; 5. Tarquini, 8; 6. Giovanardi, 6; 7. Coronel, 6.; 8. Diefenbacher, 4; 9. García, 2, 10. Gené, 1.

Manufacturers Championship Standings:
1. BMW, 27 points; 2. Alfa Romeo, 24; 3. Seat, 5.

Contact:
ZF Sachs AG
Detlef Reinhart, Director of Corporate Communications
Ernst-Sachs-Straße 62
D-97424 Schweinfurt
Telephone: +49 (0) 9721 98-2141
Telefax: +49 (0) 9721 98-3180
E-Mail: presse@sachs.de

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