Champion Jose Mario Lopez of Argentina can equal or better his last season’s record of 10
wins in the season, during the final round of the World Touring Cars Championship at Losail today.

By Joe Koraith /Doha


This time at the Losail International Circuit, the screeching wail of the MotoGP and the WSBK motorcycles will be replaced by the guttural exhaust note of the touring cars punctuated with the rhythmic backfires. The season finale of the World Touring Cars Championship will take place today at the LIC with two races for the motorsport fans in Qatar to watch and enjoy.
The drivers are primed and ready, having studied the 16-corner Losail Circuit during the testing and two free practice sessions. Jose Mario Lopez has already wrapped up the 2015 title. But there are many sub-plots that will make today’s races interesting. The Argentinean can equal or better his last season’s record of 10 wins in the season. He has notched up nine so far.
The other battle that will take the spotlight is the one between Citroen teammates Sebastian Loeb and Yvan Muller for the second spot in the championship. The French rallying legend who took up this sport in 2014 has 329 points so far with his compatriot Muller trailing him by five points. Loeb has parted ways with Citroen for next season, with the 41-year-old crossing over to Peugeot to be a part of their Dakar team. While there were reports that Qatar could be his last couple of races in WTCC, it has been revealed yesterday that his team – Sebastian Loeb Racing (SLR) will continue running as a satellite outfit next season. That will be good news for the fans of Loeb.
Then there’s the matter of the Yokohoma Drivers’ Trophy to be decided. Hungary’s Nobert Michelisz (Zengo Motorsport) has a seven-point lead going into the final two races over SLR’s Mehdi Bennani. This tussle between the Honda of Michelisz and the Citroen of Bennani will be made even more interesting by the fact that the latter is from Morocco and will get a huge support from the fans here. Bennani, last year, became the first driver from the Arab region (Mena) to win a race it the WTCC. The Hungarian might be ahead but the Moroccan has won his class three times in the four previous races so far.
And then comes the biggest highlight for the local fans. Qatar’s rallying legend Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah has been given a wildcard to race in this event. Francois Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the parent body of the WTCC, had said that al-Attiyah was the perfect ambassador to promote the sport in this region. “It would have been sad if we came here and didn’t have Qatar’s ambassador in this event. We cannot do better than him to promote this event. He has had an unbelievable season, having won the Dakar, WRC2 and the MERC title. I am super glad that such a big profile driver like him is participating in this event,” said Ribeiro during the pre-event press conference.
The two-time Dakar winner has had testing session with his Chevrolet Cruze and finished second last in both the free practice sessions. With an in-depth knowledge of the circuit, al-Attiyah will be looking to steal a few places during the races.
Lopez, who claimed the top spot both times, dominated the free practice sessions. He will be looking to carry forward this form into the qualifying sessions today. Loeb managed third and fourth while Muller could only finish in ninths and 11th in the two sessions. Benanni had a good run, finishing second and eighth, both times comfortably ahead of his rival Michelisz who could only manage seventh and 13th.
All eyes now on the qualifying today, which promises to be a closely fought one. And then onward to the races. With the weather being generous it will be great event for the Qatar motorsport fans to come and watch. QMMF is also organizing free rides to the Losail Circuit. A good opportunity to treat your eyes and ears to the symphony of touring car racing.



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