SEAT Leo'n TDI - World Touring Car Champion

SEAT: World Touring Car Champion

• SEAT achieves the overall victory in the FIA World Championship for the first time and the first world title of a diesel-engined car in the history of motor sports.
  
• SEAT does also secure the drivers' world title since two of their drivers, Muller and Tarquini, will be fighting for the World Championship in Macau.
  
• The victories achieved today in Japan with two different car models, the petrol WTCC and TDI WTCC, were the key for the final triumph

MARTORELL : October 26, 2008 - As the final highlight of an excellent season, SEAT has become 2008 World Touring Car Champion today, at the Japanese racetrack of Okayama

Tiago Monteiro

SEAT's triumph in the manufacturers' standings, is moreover the fulfilment of a pending subject for Spanish motor sports, since an award like this had never been attained before. The Spanish make has mathematically secured the manufacturers' and drivers' title, since only two drivers of SEAT, Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini, have chances to become world champions in the last race to be held in Macau on 16th November.

The Spanish make, which takes part in the championship with a team of five official drivers, Jordi Gene' (Spain), Tiago Monteiro (Portugal), Yvan Muller (France), Rickard Rydell (Sweden) and Gabriele Tarquini (Italy), has counted on the Leo'n TDI WTCC, the best car of the championship that has been able to clinch 11 victories so far.

The penultimate round of the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) staged today on the Japanese racetrack, allowed SEAT to achieve the necessary points to secure the title mathematically, with excellent wins in both races that proved their technological ability. Rickard Rydell won the first race on the Okayama racetrack at the wheel of the Leo'n TDI WTCC and Tom Coronel succeeded in the second race with the petrol-engined Leo'n WTCC.

The finishing touch of this fantastic season for SEAT will take place on the urban racetrack of Macau on 16th November with the proclamation of the name of the driver to become Drivers' World Champion.

Jaime Puig, SEAT Sport Director: "The excellent teamwork of all people working at SEAT Sport, both those making up the race team, as well as all those who support us from Martorell, has been the key for this success. I want to say a big thank you to all of them, because it was their working capacity and their team spirit that has allowed us to achieve such an significant success".

Images : SEAT : 2008 World Touring Car Champion






[Source : SEAT]