WTCR Q&A: GABRIELE TARQUINI
Gabriele Tarquini is the first winner of the WTCR – FIA World Touring
Car Cup presented by OSCARO, beating Yvan Muller to top spot by three
points in an all-action season showdown in Macau today*. This is what
the Hyundai-powered BRC Racing Team driver has had to say.
How good does it
feel to be the inaugural WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by
OSCARO title winner?
“I wanted to win because it was a long season, a tough season, the
first season of WTCR. And I was leading for 90 per cent of the time.
It’s great and WTCR has been great. I must also thank Hyundai for
choosing me in the beginning, all the BRC Racing Team, the mechanics
and my team-mate [Norbert Michelisz]. And I also want to congratulate
Yvan [Muller], who made a great job through the season. He was my
toughest opponent. And I forgot to thank my family – my wife, my
daughter and son!”
Did you expect to
win at the start of the season?
“To be honest I expected to be fighting for the title. I already knew
the car was very good but there are four Hyundais and the level of the
others are very high, Norbi, Yvan and Thed [Björk] are very good. As I
said at the beginning of the year it will probably not be the fastest
guy who wins the title but probably the luckiest guy or the cleverest
guy because it’s a long season with 30 races.”
After you retired
in Race 2 did you think your title hopes were over?
“I
won the title in the hardest way, by my mistake. I cannot blame anybody
else, it was my mistake in qualifying. Without this it would probably
have been easier, but with this mistake starting P14 in the second and
third race I knew something could happen during the start. In the
second race something happened because I was in a very good position, I
overtook two or three cars. Somebody crashed in front of me, but we
were stopping in the middle of Lisboa and they destroyed the back of my
car. The third race, probably the worst start of my weekend, but I had
a little bit more chance to survive in this corner. After the first lap
50 per cent of the job was done. It was quite tough because I had Thed
behind me, it was quite hard, but the car was much faster than
yesterday because yesterday I had some trouble with the performance of
my car. It was tough, but it’s even better than if it was easier.”
How does this
achievement compare to your other FIA World Touring Car title?
“It’s on the top because the level of competition is probably higher
than 2009 when it was more or less the SEAT drivers in contention. This
is not like 2009 because it was a lot of fight with a lot of drivers.
And with the Balance of Performance sometimes you are top, sometimes
you are down and for everybody it’s very tough to score points.”
Is it true you
considered stopping after that 2009 success?
“I have the memory nine years ago walking to the press conference with
a world title, and I was thinking to stop racing because what do you
want to achieve more than a world title? It’s probably the best time to
stop, but walking there I was thinking ‘why should I stop, I want to race.
I have the adrenaline, I am not very slow, I can compete again.’ And I
decided, because SEAT stopped, to start again with a private team in
2010. It was a tough moment but nine years later I was playing for the
title again. It’s very strange but sometimes life is very strange.”
Your title win
must doubly satisfying, because you played a big role in the
development of the Hyundai i30 N TCR?
“It was a long preparation, it was a long effort from me but also from
Hyundai, the engineers, the mechanics, the team. Everything was well
prepared from the beginning, the plan was very good we approached this
season in the best way. I am very proud what we did.”
Yvan Muller has
announced his plans to return to WTCR OSCARO in 2019. Will you come
back to defend your title?
“To be honest, I don’t know yet. I want to cool down. I’m 56, I’m still
quite fast, probably a little bit more clever than when I was younger.
This is my third world title, because I won one in karting. I don’t
think that I want to stop, so if Hyundai would be pleased to let me
continue, I will continue.”
GABRIELE
TARQUINI (ITA)
DATE OF BIRTH: 02/03/1962
NATIONALITY: Italian
TEAM: BRC
Racing Team
CAR: Hyundai
i30 N TCR
WTCR 2018 record
|
WTCR starts
|
29
|
SQ Q1 appearances
|
10
|
WTCR wins
|
5
|
SQ Q2 appearances
|
6
|
WTCR poles
|
2
|
SQ Q3 appearances
|
5
|
WTCR fastest laps
|
5
|
Best qualifying result
|
1
|
WTCR
laps led
|
73
|
Best
race result
|
1
|
WTCR 2018
Round-by-round
|
FQ
Result
|
R1
Grid
|
R1
Result
|
SQ
Result
|
R2
Grid
|
R2 Result
|
R3 Grid
|
R3
Result
|
Points
|
Morocco
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
10
|
19
|
1
|
1
|
62
|
Hungary
|
4
|
4
|
6
|
2
|
8
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
56
|
Germany
|
7
|
6
|
DNF
|
14
|
14
|
DNF
|
DNS
|
DNS
|
0
|
Netherlands
|
24
|
24
|
DNF
|
22
|
20
|
19
|
27
|
18
|
0
|
Portugal
|
9
|
9 (3)**
|
4
|
3
|
8
|
9
|
3
|
2
|
42
|
Slovakia
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
7
|
2
|
1
|
9
|
DNF
|
42
|
China (Ningbo)
|
4
|
9
|
4
|
4
|
7
|
DNF
|
4
|
2
|
23
|
China (Wuhan)
|
21
|
20
|
17
|
16
|
16
|
DNF
|
16
|
13
|
0
|
Japan
|
5
|
8
|
8
|
2
|
8
|
5
|
2
|
1
|
50
|
Macau
|
8
|
7
|
4
|
14
|
14
|
DNF
|
14
|
10
|
15
|
**Grid position for restart
FIVE FACTS
Touring car
titan: An ex-Formula One driver with 37 grand prix
starts to his name, Tarquini has been a touring car titan for more than
two decades with his technical prowess and a no-nonsense driving style
key attributes.
Euro-beater: After
winning the British Touring Car Championship in 1994, Tarquini took the
European series by storm, claiming six wins on his way to 2003 title
joy.
World success: Tarquini
became World Touring Car champion with SEAT in 2009. Although there
would be no more titles, the Italian was a race winner in six of the
seven seasons that followed, including two triumphs with LADA in his
final full-time campaign in 2016.
Unwelcomed
return: While racing in the WTCC was always
Tarquini’s preference, the circumstances surrounding his 2017 comeback
with Honda in China were far from ideal after he was drafted in to
replace his injured friend and former team-mate Tiago Monteiro.
Did you
know? Tarquini has played a key role in developing
the Hyundai i30 N TCR into a winner having signed for the make as its
development driver in 2017.
CAREER SO FAR:
1983: 1, European and Italian karting
1984: 1, World and Italian karting
1985: 6, Formula 3000 Championship
1986: 10, F3000
1987: 8, F3000; Formula One World Championship (Osella)
1988: (best result 8), F1 (Coloni)
1989: 5 (1 win), Italian Super Touring Championship (BMW M3); (best
result 6) F1 (AGS)
1990: (best result 13) F1 (AGS)
1991: (best result 8/11) F1 (AGS/Fondmetal)
1992: 5, Italian Super Touring (BMW M3); (best result 14) F1
(Fondmetal)
1993: 3 (5 wins), Italian Super Touring (Alfa Romeo 155)
1994: 1 (8 wins), British Touring Car Championship (Alfa Romeo 155)
1995: 7 (2 wins), Italian Super Touring (Alfa Romeo 155)
1996: 14 (1 win), International Touring Car Championship (Alfa Romeo
155)
1997: 6 (1 win), BTCC (Honda Accord)
1998: 7 (1 win), German Super Touring Championship (Honda Accord)
1999: 4 (1 win), German Super Touring (Honda Accord)
2000: 6 (3 wins), BTCC (Honda Accord)
2001: 3 (9 wins), European Super Touring Championship (Honda Accord)
2002: 14 (best result 3), European Super Touring (Alfa Romeo 156)
2003: 1 (6 wins), European Super Touring (Alfa Romeo 156)
2004: 3 (6 wins), European Super Touring (Alfa Romeo 156)
2005: 7 (2 wins), FIA World Touring Car Championship (Alfa Romeo 156)
2006: 5 (1 win), WTCC (SEAT León)
2007: 8 (1 win), WTCC (SEAT León / SEAT León TDi)
2008: 2 (3 wins), WTCC (SEAT León TDi)
2009: 1 (3 wins), WTCC (SEAT León TDi)
2010: 2 (5 wins), WTCC (SEAT León TDi)
2011: 5 (1 win), WTCC (SEAT León TDi/SUNRED León 1.6T)
2012: 4 (1 win), WTCC (SEAT León)
2013: 2 (2 wins), WTCC (Honda Civic)
2014: 6 (1 win), WTCC (Honda Civic WTCC)
2015: 5 (best result 2), WTCC (Honda Civic WTCC)
2016: 9 (2 wins), WTCC (LADA Vesta)
2017: NC, WTCC (Honda Civic WTCC); NC, TCR International Series
(Hyundai i30 N TCR)
2018: 1 (5 wins), WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO
(Hyundai i30 N TCR)
*Subject to
confirmation of the results by the FIA
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