ALFA ROMEO GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE FOR THE DEFENCE OF ITS 2004 DEFENCE OF ITS EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CROWN
Alfa Romeo has gone back to the future for the team that will defend its European Touring Car title with Fabrizio Giovanardi, who won the title for Alfa in 2002 before defecting to BMW for 2003, rejoining the team alongside reigning champion, Gabriele Tarquini, who gifted Alfa the title in his 156 GTA in 2003, and the youngest driver in the 2004 championship, Augusto Farfus.
“Let’s say I’m coming back after a… sabbatical year at BMW,” said Fabrizio Giovanardiat the launch of the 2004 team. In 2003 he finished ninth in the championship with no wins in his BMW account.
“I have to say that it was a very frustrating season for my morale but I would not say it was a completely wasted season, because I gained new experience driving a different car and using a different working method. And this might prove useful one day.But now I’m back with Alfa Romeo, and eager to start winning again!”
Along side Gabriele Tarquini and Fabrizio Giovanardi in the 2004 Alfa Romeo team is Augusto Farfus, the youngest driver in the 2004 FIA European Touring Car Championship.
He turned 20 in September but he already boasts an impressive CV: eight titles won in as many karting seasons, champion in the 2001 Formula Renault Eurocup and the 2003 Euro F3000 Series. No surprise that, after a test in Valencia, Alfa Romeo offered him a drive with the Autodelta works team.
“After winning in F3000, there are not many options for a young driver who wishes to compete at a professional level,” says Augusto Farfus. “There is Formula 1, and then there is ETCC. Formula 1 remains my goal for the future, but for now I’m quite happy for this opportunity of entering the ETCC through the front door. With Alfa Romeo and Autodelta I am at the top; they are a winning team, and racing for them will surely be a big boost for my career.
And what about joining Gabriele Tarquini and Fabrizio Giovanardi?
“It is like joining Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen in a Formula 1 team. On one hand I am a bit in awe of them, but I know that this will give me a great chance to learn from the best men around. I will look at them, the way they work, and I will try to follow their advice to gain experience. This is a tough championship, and in my first season I’m aiming to grow up quickly. I will be very happy if I find myself on the podium during the 2004 season,” Farfus explains.
This week (January 15-16 2004) has seen Alfa Romeo back at the track, testing with the new drivers and the 2004 version of the car that has served them so well in the ETCC, the Alfa Romeo 156 GTA. Initial testing at the Misano track in Italy, has already revealed that Alfa Romeo have lifted the pace on the 2003 car and with the 2003 and 2002 champions in the team, along with the sport’s most promising youngster, Alfa Romeo will be the team to beat in 2004.
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Picture Caption: Farfus between his new team-mates, Giovanardi and Tarquini in the 2004 Alfa Romeo European Touring Car Team
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