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Terting tastes victory for SEAT Sport in Mexico
In warm, overcast conditions, Germany’s Peter Terting took his first ever WTCC win - the SEAT Sport team’s second of the season - when he drove his SEAT Toledo Cupra to victory in Round 10 of the 2005 FIA World Touring Car Championship at Puebla.
Race 1
Both Jordi Gené and Rickard Rydell made excellent starts, with the pair in 4th and 5th places after lap 1. On the second lap, however, Jordi drifted off-line as he entered Turn 15 and the right side of the car impacted the trackside wall, ending his race there and then. Rickard then ran for much of the race in 4th place, but he overtook James Thompson’s Alfa Romeo on lap 14 to clinch 3rd and so finished on the podium.
Starting from 12th position, Peter Terting gained a place on each lap and was in the first of the points-scoring places after lap 4. He then battled his way up to 6th place before a loose gearlever slowed him over the last few laps; he was then content to finish 7th and so start Race 2 from 2nd place on the grid. Jason Plato fared even better, making up 9 places during the 17-lap race. Despite slight damage to the radiator ducting, Jason drove sensibly to finish in 11th position and so started Race 2 with an excellent chance of scoring points.
Rickard Rydell (3rd): "I’m very, very happy to finish in third place, especially when you consider that my recent success means that I’m carrying so much ballast. It’s also great for SEAT to score a podium in Race 1 and now Peter has a chance to do even better. I had some understeer in that race and so we’re trying to do something about it for Race 2; my aim is just to stay out of trouble and to score some points.”
Peter Terting (7th): "The race was not so bad, but I had a problem with the gearlever moving around for the last 5 laps, and so I was having problems fighting with Robert Huff in the Chevrolet. It was difficult to drive and to overtake, but I have to say I like this circuit. Now the guys will have a chance to fix the gearlever and I’ll see what I can do from position two on the grid. My aim is to finish on the podium at the very least.”
Jason Plato (11th): “This was about the best I could do from twentieth place; it was pointless to take risks. There was a lot of shoving and banging going on in the first corner – I tapped the guy in front of me and I must have damaged the radiator duct. Every time I got close to anyone, the temperature went off the scale. It’s such a lottery here; it’s like driving on a drying track on slick tyres, so we’ll wait and see for Race 2.”
Jordi Gené (DNF): “To be honest, I haven’t a clue as to what happened. I made one of the best starts I’ve ever made in a front-wheel-drive car and I was just planning to see what happened when the car started to drift about a metre off-line and I hit the wall. I don’t know - maybe I hit some loose gravel on the track or something - but I don’t really know what happened. The race was really easy to that point, but the car’s quite badly damaged. I can’t believe it.”
Race 2
Starting from 2nd on the grid, Peter Terting made a storming start to lead the race into the first corner. From then on, he drove flawlessly to lead for all 17 laps and take a stunning victory for the SEAT Sport team. The huge roars of approval from the Mexican crowd confirmed Peter’s popularity here; the 21 year old German driver has been a firm favourite with media and fans alike since arriving in the country 10 days ago. Also in the points was Rickard Rydell, who finished 7th despite slight contact with Jason Plato’s Toledo on lap 6.
Jason himself finished 13th after brake problems on lap 7 forced him to go off the track briefly, while brake problems also troubled Jordi Gené. His mechanics had worked miracles in the short time allowed to repair the damage from Race 1, but loss of brake fluid on lap 13 meant Jordi’s race ended in the tyre wall at Turn 11.
Completing a successful weekend for SEAT, Tom Coronel won both races in the Michelin Independents’ Trophy. Tom’s Toledo Cupra finished Race 1 in 8th position, which meant he started Race 2 on pole, going on to finish in 6th place and so secured maximum points from his trip to Mexico.
Peter Terting (1st): "It feels absolutely unbelievable! I was fast all weekend and the only downside was the penalty after the engine change yesterday. The race went just as I wanted it to; Garcia pushed me hard and my tyres were starting to go off towards the end, so another four or five laps and he might have caught me. I want to say a huge thank you to the team and especially to Rickard for all his help this year. I also want to say thank you to Mexico for such a fantastic welcome.”
Rickard Rydell (7th): "I’m really, really pleased for Peter and the entire SEAT Sport team. I had a few problems in Race 2 and I’m not as happy as I was after Race 1. There was a misunderstanding with Jason that cost me a few places, but to score so many points with 35kgs of ballast is more than I was hoping for. It’s been a really good ten days here and SEAT Mexico really looked after us; also the support of the fans and the Mexican media was really important to us.”
Jason Plato (13th): “I had a great start and was enjoying the race, when I started to understeer and then suffered bad brake knock-off going into Turn 12. I went off briefly and after that I had to pump the brake pedal on every corner. It was a fantastic result for Peter; he’s been strong all weekend. As for me, I’m looking forward to my next WTCC races at Spa and it’s back to the ‘day job’ in the BTCC before that.”
Jordi Gené (DNF): "The mechanics did a great job to repair the car; to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to take the start and so I have to say thanks to them. I was going okay, but then lost my brakes and went straight on into the wall. I don’t know exactly what happened, but perhaps it was because of damage to the brake pipes. Peter was the star of SEAT Sport in Mexico in all respects and I’m delighted for him and for the team.”
Jaime Puig, SEAT Sport Director: “I’m very, very happy! It was a fantastic weekend for us; for Peter getting his first win, for Rickard finishing on the podium and for Tom Coronel winning both Independents’ races. I know it was difficult for Peter because of the engine change, but everyone worked very hard to achieve this and I’m proud of the entire team. Halfway through the year, we’ve achieved half our objectives – now for the rest!”
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