The title showdown for the FIA World Touring Car Championship was tailor made to be held at Macau. The former Portuguese enclave is well known for its casinos and other forms of entertainment. The Macau Grand Prix is the icing on the cake. In order to ensure the world title to be decided at Macau double points could be won this weekend. SEAT Team Holland driver Tom Coronel knows the track quite well and knows that a lot can be won at Macau, but also that the guardrail can be your biggest opponent here. After finishing the first free practice session in third place Coronel put his GR Asia prepared SEAT Toledo Cupra on 13th place in qualifying. With this he was the fastest privateer driver, which was vital for his attack on the Michelin Independents Trophy. However just like many other drivers the Dutchman was to be a victim of the tight track and the unforgiving guardrails.
foto: FIA WTCC
Tom Coronels is realistic enough about racing at Macau. "It is just a great track. I am always quick here, however I never managed to get a podium finish here. You need an awful lot of luck to be on top. In free practice everything was great. I was third behind Andy Priaulx and Jörg Müller, beating all other works drivers and of course also my rivals for the Michelin Independents Trophy. The latter was the most important thing for this weekend. The SEAT Team Holland driver said.
In qualifying Tom had to settle for 13th place, but was still the fastest privateer driver. "There was a lot more in it", he said afterwards. "But it was hard to get a decent lap in. Several times the session was interrupted by a red flag and at the moment when I was on a hot lap Nicola Larini blocked me with his Chevrolet. During the debrief session we saw that by adding the sector times sixth place would have been possible. This would have made me also the fastest SEAT driver. Also this could have meant a lot to the Independents title. The further up front the better as overtaking is quite hard here. When you are on the track you constantly have to look around to see who is doing what. The track is narrow and the guardrails are always close and unforgiving.
foto: FIA WTCC
With the confidence of being the fastest privateer Coronel started the warm up in which he set a 12th time. After that preparation started for the first race of the day. "My start was quite good. Before the first corner I had won already two or three positions. I was behind Jörg Müller and ahead of Antonio Garcia when we entered the first tight righthander. Müller was pushed into the tyre barrier by Rob Huff resulting in two cars blocking the corner. I got a small push from Garcia and after that my car was hit by some others that were heading full speed into the first corner. This was the shortest race at Macau I ever had. The race was stopped by a red flag, but as the car was completely damaged there was no chance that I could race again this weekend. So bye bye Macau, bye bye Independents Title, bye bye everything. Really a shame, because when you look at the results of my rivals for the Independents Trophy, Marc Hennerici and Guiseppe Ciro, a title would certainly be possible. But OK that's racing. Our focus will be on next season from now on. With the successes we already had this year with a brand new team and an unkown car there must certainly be more on the cards next season", Tom Coronel concluded.
18 November 2005: Third time for Tom Coronel in free practice at Macau
Tom Coronel will start from 13th place in Sunday's Macau Guia race which is the the final race weekend of the FIA WTCC. Although the Dutchman was quicker than most of the works drivers and that he was fastest of the privateers, Coronel was a bit reserved afterwards. "This result would not be too bad on any other track. But in Macau you want to be up front as overtaking is nearly impossible. We were quick all day but this is typically Macau. You must get everything 200% right otherwise you will not be up front. Both yesterday and today we were quick, the car was good but then you still need a free track to set your time. In qualifying there were a lot of red flags so I had to slow down again. Furthermore Nicola Larini seemed to be determined to keep me from setting a fast lap. We checked all sector times and when you put them together I would be sixth, but the reality is that we are in 13th now and in the middle of the field. The latter is our main handicap for the race. Our main goal will be to stay out of trouble in the first corner, the place where most races are decided, and in most cases in a negative way. Furthermore I need to keep an eye on Ciro and Hennerici. They are behind me on the grid, but I need to catch up some points on them. You can be sure that I will battle until the end to keep my Independents title", Tom Coronel concluded.
foto: FIA WTCC
17 November 2005: Third time for Tom Coronel in free practice at Macau
Tom Coronel started off the Macau race weekend well. The Seat Team Holland driver managed to set the third fastest time in the first free practice session and headed all SEAT, Alfa Romeo Chevrolet and BMW works drivers except two. Coronel, who drives a privately entered SEAT Toledo Cupra prepared by GR Asia, was beaten only by title contenders Andy Priaulx and Jörg Müller, who both are works supported BMW drivers. Coronel's main rivals for the Michelin Independents Trophy, Guiseppe Ciro and Marc Hennerici finished in 20th and 30th place respectively. However it has to be noted that Marc Henericci did not set a timed lap today. Tomorrow the grid positions will be decided in the two qualifying heats at Macau.
"I like Macau and am always fast here but somehow I have never been on the podium. I know the track well and I know I have the speed but it is a matter of having luck as well – not only in the casino but also in the streets. The car feels good, I don’t have any troubles. To be honest I didn’t expect to be so fast but then I saw my position and I was pleased", Tom Coronel said afterwards.
16 November 2005: WTCC night on Eurosport
Eurosport will broadcast the decisive race of the FIA WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) from Macau live. In the night from Saturday to Sunday the coverage will start at 00:45 with a live report of the warm up session, followed by repeats of the Oschersleben, Istanbul and Valencia races. After that there will be live action from 4:45 on when the Macau Guia race will start. . Of course both races will be shown live. On Sunday Morning at 11:30 a highlight program with the races at Macau will be shown
The title contest for the FIA World Touring Car Championship is down to three drivers. Dirk Müller is heading the list with 86 points, followed bu Britain Andy Priaulx, also a BMW driver. The reigning ETCC champion is just one point down on his German rival. Third placed Fabrizio Giovanardi is also still in the race for the title with 81 points on his tally. As there will be double points granted at Macau Jörg Müller also still has a mathematical chance on the title with 59 points.
The Independent Trophy is also far from decided. Tom Coronel, the reigning Independents Champion is now in third, while Marc Hennerici is leading the standings while Italian Guiseppe Ciro is in second. Also in the privateers battle double points can be earned, so for Tom it is far from over.
| 20 november: FIA WTCC FIA WTCC Night on Eurosport | |
|---|---|
| 00:45 - 01:15 | FIA WTCC Macau Warming up LIVE |
| 01:15 - 02:30 | FIA WTCC Oscherleben |
| 02:30 - 03:30 | FIA WTCC Istanbul |
| 03:30 - 04:45 | FIA WTCC Valencia |
| 04:45 - 07:00 | FIA WTCC Macau LIVE |
| 08:30 - 09:45 | FIA Intercontinental Cup F3 LIVE |
| 11:30 - 13:00 | FIA WTCC Macau Highlights |
25 October 2005: McGregor launches Spyker fashion line
This fall McGregor launches in co-operation with Tom Coronel the exclusive McGregor- Spyker Squadron Le Mans 2005 collection. This collection is exclusively designed by the designers from McGregor in co-operation with the designers from Spyker. The collection is launched as a tribute to the Spyker driven by Tom Coronel, which participated in the 24 hours of Le Mans 2005, the ultimate endurance race-challenge.
This luxurious collection is very comfortable and very suitable for sportive occasions. The collection consists of various shirts and rugby's. Expressive colors like navy, white and Spyker orange define the look of the collection. Badges with a sturdy look and prints with the SQDN logo are characteristic of this collection.
The Spyker collection is available in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. In the Netherlands at all McGregor Shops, De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and at the following McGregor dealers:
- Houtbrox,Marktstraat 25, Uden
- Empire, v. Boetselaerstraat 7, Alphen a/d Rijn
- Newport Blue, Catharinaplein 35, Eindhoven
- Newport Blue, Oude Sluis 2, Lemmer
- Manifesto, Schoof 24-28, Hendrik Ido Ambacht
- Mr. Style, Verkuylaan 7, Badhoevedorp
- Krijn Kuyvenhoven, Hortensiastraat 6, Monster
- Johnson's Mannenmode, Vissersburen 15, Lemmer
In Belgium exclusively at the following McGregor shops; Antwerpen Schoenmarkt, Antwerpen Leystraat, Gent, St. Niklaas, Hasselt, Leuven, Brugge en Knokke. In France at the Galeries Lafayette and the McGregor shop in Paris.
16 October 2005: Tom Coronel fifth at Vallelunga
Tom Coronel finished fifth in the FIA European Touring Car Cup at Vallelunga in Italy. The Dutchman ended up in fourth place in the first race with his SEAT Toledo Cupra prepared by GR Asia. In the second race Tom came home in fifth place. The final results were made up by adding the points of the two races. Swedish driver Richard Göransson came away with his two second place scores. Jason Plato and Alessandro Zanardi each won a race, but were not constant enough, leaving them in second and third place in the final ranking.
foto: FIA WTCC
6 October 2005: Tom Coronel in European Touringcar Finale
Tom Coronel will take part in the European Finale of the FIA European Touringcar Championship on 18 Oktober. The race, that will take place at the Italian track of Vallelunga, will be the grand finale of all the European touringcar championships. Tom Coronel will of course drive his SEAT Toledo Cupra prepared by the GR Asia team. British driver James Kaye, a BTCC regular in a Honda Civic, will team up with Coronel in the second GR Asia SEAT. Other drivers to watch are Jason Plato and Alessandro Balzan, who just like Coronel are WTCC regulars in a SEAT Toledo Cupra.
For Tom it was not just a planned event to race at Vallelunga. "Actually the European Final is meant as an ultimate showdown for all teams and drivers who normally race in their national touringcar series. Unfortunately we do not have such a series in The Netherlands, but the organisers were kind enough to get us a wild card entry. As there are no factory teams everybody is running with equal material. In the WTCC we have some very competitive fights, but for the privateers it is always hard to race for an overall podium position. Our aim will certainly be a place on the podium, and most preferably the one in the middle", Tom Coronel said.
2 October 2005: Tom Coronel keeps Independents Trophy in sight
The over 4 kilometers long track of Valencia in Spain hosted the penultimate round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. At the relatively tight and twisty track the WTCC SEAT's were in a class of their own. This resulted in a All SEAT front row with works drivers Jordi Gene and Peter Terting in their brand new Leons. Tom Coronel managed to qualify his GR-Asia prepared SEAT Toledo in 11th place. However the SEAT Team Holland driver was demoted to 21th place after his engine change after the previous round at Istanbul. Coronel did not make it to the finish after a collision. In the second race Coronel worked his way up to 13th place which keeps him still in contention for the Michelin Independents Trophy.
foto: FIA WTCC
"Things were looking quite well", Tom Coronel said. "Both in free practice and in qualifying we were well on the pace. For the first time I used the 16 valve engine. Before that we used the 20 valve engine and which does not have as much torque. Torque is the main thing you need to accelerate out of a corner, and there are plenty of corners here. Furthermore SEAT Sport provided us with some more parts to help us chasing the Independents title. Besides the new front bumper that we had in the previous race, we also got the right shock absorbers and the full aerodynamics package. Basically the only thing that is different from the works Toledo Cupra is the gearbox", the SEAT Team Holland driver said.
With the help of a well-prepared car Tom was on the pace all weekend, or as he said himself "we were all the time in the first row of the timing sheets". Coronel was battling for a top ten position. "What happens then is that we were penalized twice for our bad luck in Istanbul. I did not score there because of an engine failure. After fixing it you get another punishment as you are put back ten places. This sounds like a double punishment to me. In the first race I had a good start, but the main thing was to stay out of trouble. I managed to do so and from the first lap on I was already ahead of my main opponent for the Michelin Independents Trophy. Things were looking bright for us until Stefano d'Aste outbraked himself and used my rear wheel as a brake. The only thing I could do was driving back to the pits. The GR-Asia crew needed just ten minutes to change the rear axle, which is a great job. I could do one lap but unfortunately it was not enough to get a classification and points for the Independents Trophy. However on the other hand we did not loose any points as my rivals for the Independents title had already dropped out and also failed to score".
Coronel started the second race with a rocket start as he called it himself. "I overtook about five or six people on the first lap. This put me in third place for the privateers battle. I tried to move up some more but this did not really work out. The main benefit was that Marc Hennerici, the leader in the Michelin Independents Trophy, was behind me. At the end of the race I closed the gap by four points. With one race weekend still to go it is all but decided as in the season's finale at Macau double points can be scored in both races. We have to go for it there. I know that Macau is one big casino. You can win a lot, but you have to be careful not to lose twice as much. The track is extremely tight and full of obstacles. Qualifying well saves you a lot of work because overtaking at Macau is next to impossible", Coronel said.
18 September 2005: Bad luck for Tom Coronel in Istanbul
Tom Coronel was looking forward to the WTCC races at Istanbul. A beautiful new track full of challenges for the SEAT Team Holland driver.
After the previous round the engine of the GR Asia prepared SEAT Toledo Cupra needed to be revised and just like in Formula 1 these days you will be put back ten places on the grid. Coronel decided not to bother about qualifying too much. In stead he did just one lap in order to save his tyres for the race. "This strategy really worked out well", Tom said. "From the first lap on I was flying. I moved up from the back of the grid to twelfth, and more important for me, ahead of my opponents for the Michelin Independents Trophy. Only Carl Rosenblatt was ahead of me in the privateers battle, so I was really satisfied with the situation. I the race would have ended at that moment I would be only one point behind Marc Hennerici, the leader of the Independents Trophy Standings. With some more to come in the second race who knows what could have happened. But it was not to be . My engine started to lose power. I had to let the others go and abandon the race. As I always say 'That's Racing', but it is always hard to accept when it happens. At the next race in Valencia we will have the same handicap again. The engine will have to go out again, so I will be demoted by ten places on the grid again. On SEAT's home ground this is not what we want and, more important, it is a lot harder to overtake at Valencia. So things are not looking too bright for us, but we have survived tougher battles in the past. We just have to go for it in Spain, and that is exactly what we will do", Tom Coronel said.
17 September 2005: Coronel starts from the back at Istanbul
When Tom Coronel started the qualifying session for the 15th race of the FIA WTCC he already knew it would be in vain and he would start from the back of the grid. The GR Asia team took out the engine for a technical check since the last race at Oschersleben. The regulations dictate that the driver will be put back ten places on the grid at the next event in such a case. "They consider our engine repair as an engine change. We suspected some problems at Oschersleben so the team decided to check the engine. Indeed there were some problems so it was fixed and put back in the car. As we knew we would start practically from the back we did not bother making an all out qualifying effort on new tyres. This way we saved a set for tomorrows race, which is more important. After all we are still hunting Marc Hennerici for the Michelin Independents Trophy. Marc is six places ahead of me so my main target will be finishing ahead of him in the race", the SEAT Team Holland driver said.
foto: FIA WTCC
This weekend Tom Coronel got his first acquainance with the new track of Istanbul. "It is really great here. The place is awesome. Not only the facilities are brand new and beautiful, but also the track itself is perfect. It is really fun to drive, a good combination of corners with a nice flow. You really need a good setup to be quick here", Tom Coronel concluded.
foto: FIA WTCC
28 August 2005: Podium for Tom Coronel in Oschersleben
The stage for the 13th and 14th round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship was set at Oschersleben, a modern track nearby Magdenburg in Germany. Victory in both of the 14 lap-races were taken by BMW drivers. The first race was won by reigning champion Andy Priaulx and the second went to Alessandro Zanardi. SEAT Team Holland driver Tom Coronel managed to close the gap to championship leader Marc Hennerici in the Michelin Independents Trophy to just five points. In the privateers battle Coronel came home fifth of the in the first race and he won the second race in his SEAT Toledo Cupra prepared by GR team Asia.
On the eve of this raceweekend Tom Coronel got a pleasant surprise from the SEAT Sport works team. "As a reward for my performance in the WTCC so far this year they decided to give me the aerodynamic package of the 2005 works cars. Frankly speaking I did not have the opportunity to test the difference as during my qualifying lap I was catching a slipstream but the guy ahead of me went off at the most important part of the track. My tyres had had so there was no chance in improving and I was down in 21st place. I knew beforehand that we would have a disadvantage with a front wheel driven car here. This is really a BMW track which is reflected by the results. Despite that I really wanted to make something of it. However it just would not be my race. Right after the start my car was already damaged due to all sorts of cars pushing me. Fortunately I managed to stay on the track and I was trying to make up as much ground as possible. This worked out pretty well and at a certain time I was second of the privateers. But as I said, it just was not my race. I made a mistake and I missed my braking point. This cost me three positions in the privateers battle and there was no time left to make them up. So that was my faith, fifth in the Independents Trophy and a position way down on the order. ", Tom Coronel said.
An unsatisfying result for Tom and a lot of work in the break between the two races for the GR-Asia crew was all what was left from the first race. "It seemed to me like Mission Impossible to transfer my damaged Toledo into a decent racing car again in just 15 minutes. When I was talking to my teamboss on the grid he said to me: "look Tom, you have got a brand new race car again. It was incredible, but they really managed to prepare the car in time for the second race. So I was back in business again. Right after the start there was a lot of pushing and shoving, and this time I really wanted to stay out of trouble, which in fact I did. Especially after I could overtake Carl Rosenblad relatively easy and I saw some of my nearest opponents for the Independents Trophy trackside, I could smell victory. I went for maximum points in the Michelin Independents Trophy but I was also fighting with Alfa works driver Gabriele Tarquini. Just before we went past the chequered flag I could overtake him, which is nothing more than a nice bonus for me", Tom Coronel concluded.
In the standings for the Michelin Independents Trophy Tom Coronel closed in on series leader Marc Hennerici to just 5 points. The battle will continue on 18 September at the new track of Istanbul, which recently hosted it's first Formula One race. Tom Coronel is supported by: SEAT-Pon Car, BBS, McGregor, FlexxVerzekeringen Online.nl and Splitfire Sparkplugs.
25 August 2005: Tom Coronel optimistic for Oschersleben
This weekend the WTCC circus heads down to Oschersleben. The track nearby Magdenburg sets the stage for the 13th and 14th round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. After his recent podium finish at Spa Tom Coronel is optimistic about the German round of the WTCC. "In the past we were always successful here. The circuit just suits me I think. Furthermore we made some good progress with the SEAT over the last few months. I hope we can continue our progress here as we are still hunting Marc Hennerici for the Michelin Independents Trophy", Tom Coronel said. The GR Asia team that prepares Coronel's Toledo Cupra can upgrade the car of the Dutchman this weekend. "SEAT Sport, the factory backed racing team will field a brand new León Cupra for Jordi Gené this weekend. Because of this they have the 2005 Toledo aero package available for us", the SEAT Team Holland driver explained. Gené will race the new León at Oschersleben and at Istanbul. After that, at Valencia all three factory drivers will change to the new car.
30 July 2005: Double podium for Tom Coronel
The 6th round of the FIA World Touringcar Championship 2005 was held in the same weekend as the 24 hours of Spa Francorchamps. That was the reason why both races where held on Saturday. With almost 7 kilometres of track, challenging corners and height differences, makes this circuit in the Belgium Ardennes to the drivers most favourite. Even so for Tom Coronel who’s in the WTCC driving for the SEAT Team Holland in one of the Toledo’s Cupra of Gr-Asia. With a 14th position in qualifying, Tom Coronel won the first race in the privateers and became third overall in the second race in Spa. With this result, the Dutchman has reduced his gap to 8 points to Marc Henerici who’s leading the Michelin Independents Trophy.
foto: FIA WTCC
It was a fantastic weekend for Tom Coronel. “It was very important” starts the SEAT Team Holland driver his story. “The second part of the season starts here. With the classification as well with the lap times we’re on top of it. Prior this weekend we have been testing with Henk Thuis of shock absorber manufacturer Intrax on the Zandvoort circuit. We had to improve the mechanical grip of the car. Compared to the manufacturer teams my wheels didn’t get that much traction we needed. With these test we were able to trace the problem and after mounting the Intrax dampers we could solve the problem. As a driver you notice that a team is even more motivated when there is a good achievement. In qualifying everything felt in the right place. I could pick up the right slipstream and classified as the best privateer on the grid. In the warm-up we had the same pace. It was a damp track and I decided to drive on slick tires. A choice that helped me even more in the second race”.
foto: FIA WTCC
Starting from 14th position, Tom Coronel had a fantastic start. “It was really super. Before I knew it, I was in 8th position. That good position was a result of being on the right side of the track and not being hit by another driver. I knew I couldn’t hold that position because the first manufacturer drivers should be in my tail after the first safetycar situation. I went for my own points in my own championship. In this race I had an extensive lead which I could hold to the finish”, explained the Dutch SEAT driver his podium beside overall winner Dirk Müller, Andy Prilaulx and Jorg Müller.
foto: Charles Webster
The second race was more chaotic when some cars got damaged. Tom Coronel: “there happened a lot but I stayed out of trouble. I had chosen for slick tyres which worked out very well. Overall third, on the podium with overall winner Giovanni ahead of a lot of other great names. I am still second with the privateers because Stefano D’Aste became second overall. I think I can be satisfied with the points and reduced the gap to only 8 points. With 8 races to go, the changes for the title comes in sight". Said the Dutch SEAT driver.
29 July 2005: Tom Coronel qualifies 14th at Spa Francorchamps
Tom Coronel drove to a 14th position today during the qualification for the World Touring Car Championship at Spa Francorchamps. With that he was the best privateer for the Michelin Independents Trophy wich gives him a good position for tomorrow’s race.
Augusto Farfus Jr drove is Alfa Romeo to pole position, just ahead of Andy Priaul and Jörg Muller.
16 July 2005: Tom Coronel fastest in EuroBOSS qualifying
Tom Coronel took no half measures on his chance to drive an Ascari Juddi in the EuroBOSS series. Coronel set the former Benetton F1 car on Pole Position by qualifying 1.238 seconds faster than reigning champion Klaas Zwart. Both Ascari drivers were the force to be beaten as the next best driver Patrick 'd Aubreby followed on 7.271 seconds.
Of course Tom Coronel was extremely happy. "Despite not driving just about nine laps I was faster than Klaas. Everything was just going fine. I really want that race win tomorrow. There are no team orders so I definitively will give it my best shot!", Tom Coronel said.
15 July 2005: Tom Coronel in EuroBOSS at Zolder SuperPrix
Tom Coronel will contest the Belgian round of the EuroBOSS series at Zolder this weekend. The Dutchman will drive an Ascari-Judd which is in fact an Benetton chassis modified to fit a four litre Judd engine. "Yesterday I was called by Klaas Zwart, the owner of Ascari, whether I was available to drive. Of course there was not a single piece of doubt in my mind. Driving this kind of cars is the icing on the cake for me. I want to thank NDS and Ascari Race Resort for making this all happen", Tom said. Besides the Ascari-Judds there will be numberous exotic cars on the grid next Sunday. Almost forgotten cars like the Simtek Ford, Arrows Cosworth, EuroBrun-Judd, Zakspeed-Zakspeed-turbo and even a Dallara-Infinity from the IRL will race again this weekend.
The races will take place at the Belgian circuit of Zolder. Besides the EuroBOSS series there will also be a demonstration run of Ferrari Formula 1 cars and spectacular races from the Benelux Racing League, Dutch Supercar Challenge and the Clio Cup.
26 June 2005: Double victory for Tom Coronel in Mexico
The World Touring Car Championship 2005 continued at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The Circuito Miguel E. Abed was the stage for the first Mexican round of the WTCC. For Tom Coronel and the SEAT Toledo Cupra prepared by GR Asia and entered by SEAT Team Holland the new racetrack in the series brought the maximum result. In both races over 17 laps Coronel won the privateer class. Overall victory went to Alfa Romeo driver Fabrizio Giovanardi in the first race and SEAT works driver Peter Terting in the second.
foto: FIA WTCC
Racing on this brand new race track was not all that easy. “Already on our first laps in practice the tarmac started to loosen. Furthermore the track was extremely slippery so it was hard to find any traction. This made it hard to find a setup for the car. After all our complaints the organisation decided to put concrete over the tarmac in order to improve the grip”, Tom Coronel said.
However the result everybody was hoping for did not come. “There was a black racing line. When you were not on in you had a problem. I saw many cars parked at the side of the track with quite a lot of damage. Even experienced guys like Jorg Müller were caught out”, Coronel continued. “I did not have any reason to complain. The car was quite OK and I was driving with my brains all the time. Of course I knew I could co faster a number of times, but finishing high up in the privateer battle was my main purpose this weekend”.
foto: FIA WTCC
Coronel’s good performance started already in free practice when he was just outside the top ten. “You really have to think what you are doing here. The circuit lays on an altitude of 2400 meters, so there is less oxygen in the air as we are used to. I am quite fit, but this situation made it quite heavy for me. Also the car needs to be taken care of. You must give it plenty of revs at the start, otherwise it just dies. Due to the fact that a number of drivers were a bit too rough in the previous race and SEAT works driver Peter Terting was set back ten places due to an engine change I was promoted from 13th in qualifying to ninth on the grid. I had a reasonable start and immediately I was fighting with some works drivers that were trying to move up. I changed positions a couple of times, but as soon as I was in eighth place I had only one thing on my mind. Just keep this position, no matter what. In the WTCC the top eight of the first race will start in reverse order in the second race. I managed to stay in eighth until the finish so I did not only score my first point for the general standings this year, but I was also on pole for the second race, next to SEAT works driver Peter Terting, but ahead of the BMW of Antonio Garcia. Right after the start I at to both let them go, but was not that easy for the rest of the field. All I did was fighting and defend my position as much as possible. Towards the end I was in sixth place and SEAT works driver Rickard Rydell was behind me. I asked on the radio if there were any team orders. They just told me that if he wanted to go past he would have to work for it. He didn’t to that so I crossed the line in sixth place. This also brought me the second independent victory of the day. I think I have to expand my house now as the awards for the victory are extremely big”, a happy Coronel said.
After the race the stewards decided to add 30 seconds to the time of Roberto Colciago. The JAS Honda driver drove a storming race from 20th on the grid to third, but his moves during his march through the field were a bit too rough according to race control. Tom Coronel moved up to fifth in the second race and now has five points in the general standings. In the Michelin Independents Trophy Coronel is now in second place with 47 points.
18 June 2005 23:00: Spyker Squadron abandons race after accident
Unfortunately the Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R had to abandon the race. Donny Crevels spun after the car locked up and burst into flames. The cause of the accident was a broken oil line which sprayed oil on the wheels and the exhaust pipe.
18 June 2005 22:00: Spyker Squadron back in the race
The Spyker Squadron is back on track after solving the steering problems. Tom Coronel completed a troublefree perfect stint with constant and quick laptimes. When the car was in the pits to fix the steeringproblem, the team took the chance to make some setup changes to the car. Tom Coronel noticed an immediate change for the better after that. "We changed the stabilizer setting. The car is handling perfect now, better than it has done so far this week. I can really put it where I want now. Furthermore the steering wheel problems are completely solved now, so from now it is just a matter of staying into the groove", Tom said.
Donny Crevels is now behind the wheel for a single stint. He will hand over to Peter van Merksteijn after that.
18 June 2005 20:00: Steering problem for Spyker Squadron
Peter van Merksteijn just completed his first stint. All three drivers have now driven a 15 lap stint. Tom Coronel went out but had to wait to have a steering problem fixed. Peter van Merksteijn noticed this problem towards the end of his stint, but managed to complete his 15 laps. After a short delay Tom Coronel was able to go out again. The Spyker Squadron dropped back to 38th place overall and 10th in the GT2 class because of this.
After completing his stint Peter van Merksteijn was optimistic. "I am learning more and more. Donny and Tom have more experience with this but for me it takes a bit more time to get used to it all. I am doing it step by step and everytime I try to go a bit faster. I made a small mistake at the beginning of my stint but it is a part of my learning curve, I accept it, that's racing", van Merksteijn said.
18 June 2005 19:00: Spyker Squadron makes good progress
Meanwhile three hours of racing have passed at Le Mans. The Spyker C8 Spyder GTR2 is in 33rd place overall and eighth in the GT2 class. Both Tom Coronel and Donny Crevels have done a single stint. At the moment Peter van Merksteijn is in the car for his first laps in the race.
Both Coronel and Crevels had a troublefree stint. "I was able to do my laps without any problems. The laptimes were constant and I did not have any problems. Only towards the end of my stint it became a bit heavier due to the heat. I managed to get some extra cooling by putting my hand out of the cockpit to get some airflow", Tom said
Donny Crevels was delighted after finishing his stint. "It was great to have a troublefree run after lacking tracktime in qualifying. I could find my rythm in the race and I am feeling more and more comfortable in the car".
18 June 2005: Start at Le Mans
The Le Mans 24 hours has just gone underway. Tom Coronel started in the nr. 85 Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R. In the meantime five laps have been passed and Coronel managed to win nine places so far. In the overall standings the Spyker is now in 40st place and tenth in the GT2 category.
18 June 2005: Troublefree warmup for Spyker Squadron
The Spyker Squadron had a troublefee warm up session this morning. Tom Coronel completed eight laps in which he set the fourth fastest time in the GT2 class. After missing some tracktime on Thursday the team managed to test the car in race trim and also scrubbed in the tyres for the race. In general Tom Coronel was satisfied with the car. "We set fourth fastest time in our class without driving the car on the limit. We made some minor changes to the traction control and this will really help us in the race. I expect that the tyres will last longer which could save us some time in the race when we don't have to change tyres on every pitstop", Tom Coronel said.
Tom Coronel will start the race in the Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R. The team will start with single stints, so after about 45 minutes Donny Crevels will take over and after that Peter van Merksteijn will have his turn. When the temperature at Le Mans will start to drop in the evening the team will change to double stints. Currently the temperatures are above 30 degrees under a clear blue sky and no rain forecasted. It is going to be a long and hot race at the Le Mans that will start at 16:00. Keep watching this page for regular updates throughout the race.
17 June 2005: Busy day for Spyker crew
Today the Spyker Squadron will prepare themselves for the race that will start tomorrow afternoon. Traditionally there is no track action on the Friday before the race. However this does not mean that the teams can lay back and wait for the race to start. After the accident of Tom Coronel in yesterday's qualifying session the team is busy with checking and rebuilding the car. Fortunately no major parts of the car appear to be dammaged. Apart from the repair works the team also have to do the normal race preparation such as changing the qualifying engine and gearbox for the respective race versions. The drivers can take a rest today in preparation for a long day at Le Mans starting Saturday early morning. Their only occupation today will be the Le Mans drivers parade in the city center this evening.
16 June 2005: Tom Coronel crashed hard in Le Mans qualifying
Tom Coronel crashed heavily in the second qualifying session. After the team had to quess why the car had stopped the Dutchman returned with the crew that was send out to the spot earlier. "At the entrance of the Porsche curves the throttle was stuck. We go flat out there so you can assume it was not the most pleasant experience. It was really a shame as things were going well so far. We were going to try out some improvements on the car and improve on our qualifying time at the same time. ", Tom Coronel said.
The car will be brought back to the pits in the break between the first and the second session. Technical Director Peter van Erp was not too optimistic about the chances of the car going out in the final session tonight.
16 June 2005: 2nd day of qualifying underway
The Spyker Squadron had an unfortunate start of the second qualifying session. After Tom Coronel completed an installation lap he managed to impove his qualifying time to 4m32.043s. One lap later however Coronel stopped at the beginning of the Porsche curves with yet unknown problems. Technical Director Peter van Erp suspects the problem is electronically related. "We cannot reach him on the radio so we don't know the exact problem. We send some of our engineers out there to find out what's going on".
15 June 2005: Le Mans qualifying 1st day
An exciting first day of qualifying has just come to an end. With rain showers in the beginning of the session and a drying track towards the end the stage was set for a thrilling end when the fastest times of the day were set in total darkness. The Spyker Squadron set a sixth fastest time in the GT2 class, which equals 36th overall. Technical Director Peter van Erp was satisfied with the work done so far. "All in all it was not too bad", he said. "Due to the wet circumstances it was hard to try out the new bits and things we have for Le Mans as it is hard to make a comparison. On the other hand we did not have any major problems and all the drivers could do their laps as planned."
foto: Robbert Maas
Peter van Merksteijn started the night session. He spent most of the time to re-learn the circuit. "I did not drive during the testday, so I had to familiarize myself with the car and the track again. As it was still wet out there I didn't take too many risks. It was quite tricky and fortunately the new traction control helped me a bit. For me it was just a matter of doing as many laps as I can".
Donny Crevels was the second man out in the night. Just like Peter van Merksteijn Donny's main task was to get the three obligated laps in the dark under his belt. "I took it relatively easy. It was really treacherous out there and the last thing I want is to dammage the car. I am still learning my way around here, so I was experimenting a bit. As you can see on my laptimes things went better and better and my final lap was even ten seconds faster than my previous one. It was just a matter of getting it all together", Crevels said.
Tom Coronel took the final driving duties. After one lap on full wet tyres he quickly came back in for intermediates. "The track was drying out quickly. The car was horrible on full wets. With the intermediates we were immediately faster. However the intermediates were degrading too quick. The circuit was nearly dry and in the final half hour it was possible to go out on slicks. For us there was no point in taking the risk however. Tomorrow we have another session which is likely to be dry, so the times will drop anyway", Tom Coronel concluded.
foto: Robbert Maas
15 June 2005: Le Mans qualifying underway
The first qualifying session at Le Mans has just started. After the session was started under dry circumstances the weather changed dramatically. Tom Coronel had nearly completed his first installation lap when the rain came pooring down. The Spyker crew however had other things to solve first. "We have a new exhaust system for this race which gives us some more power. However this is the first time we used it under race circumstances. Due to the heat under the bonnet the gear shaft was blocked so I couldn't change gears anymore", Tom said.
foto: Robbert Maas
5 June 2005: Le Mans testday
With the Le Mans 24 hour race just a fortnight away the Spyker Squadron tested their C8 Spyder GT at the French track during the official Le Mans testday. All the teams were present to prepare their cars for the classic race around the clock that will take place on 18 and 19 June this year. In fact it is the only opportunity in the year they get to test on the ‘Circuit des 24 heures’.
The Spyker Squadron will be present at Le Mans with the Spyker C8 Spyder GT this year. For the first time in history Spyker will have an all Dutch driver line up at Le Mans. Tom Coronel, Donny Crevels and Peter van Merksteijn will share the driving duties. All three have previous Le Mans experience. The only debutant in the Squadron is in fact the car itself. After the car made its race debut at Sebring the team will now take the Spyker C8 Spyder GT to Le Mans. In fact the C8 Spyder GT is also a novelty for the rest of the world. Spyker will be the first manufacturer in the 72 previous editions of the race to enter an open car in the GT class at Le Mans.
foto: Robbert Maas
Teammanager Hans van Rennes was positive after a long day of testing. “Things went fairly well”, he said. “Tom Coronel started behind the wheel. Within three laps he set a time that was faster than we ever did with the C8 Double 12 at Le Mans. Unfortunately we ran into technical problems after that. We suffered from an oil leak and we had to dismount the engine to fix it. This cost us about three an a half hours. When we had put the engine back on it was time to let Donny Crevels do his laps. The regulations dictate that a driver that has not driven at Le Mans for the last three years has to drive at least ten laps during the official testday. Donny did a fine job. He went out under difficult circumstances at it was raining on the back of the circuit while it was dry in other places. At the end of the day we were planning to send Tom Coronel back out on new tyres. Our fastest time so far was 4m13.263s, but we were convinced that we could go down to a time of four minutes and seven seconds. As we were about to go out it started to rain again. This ruled out all possibilities to improve our times. All in all I am quite satisfied with the performance of the car so far. We are now looking forward to the Le Mans 24 hour race. Preparations are already in full swing and in ten days time we will be back out on the circuit for official qualifying”.
foto: Robbert Maas
29 May 2005: Mixed fortunes for Tom Coronel at Imola
The fourth weekend of the World Touring Car Championship 2005 did not bring the results Tom Coronel hoped for beforehand. After starting from the pits in the first race the Dutchman ended the first race in 18th place. With this result the Seat Team Holland driver came home third of the Independent runners. In his GR-Asia prepared Seat Toledo Cupra Coronel failed to finish the second race of the day. After one third of the race distance Coronel had to park his car with suspension failure. Tom Coronel is now sharing fourth place in the Michelin Independents Trophy with his teammate Valle Mäkelä. Both are on 27 points. His Finnish teammate was replaced this race, as he will be on the next round, by Mexican Carlos Mastretta. The next round will take place at his home track Puebla. The FIA WTCC races brought victory for Fabrizio Giovanardi (Alfa) and Dirk Müller (BMW)
foto: FIA WTCC
Tom Coronel had a troublesome weekend at his favoured track Imola. "We could not find a good balance in the car", Tom said. From the first practice session on we had problems exiting the corners. Especially at places where you want to use the kerbstones it was hard to get enough traction. The cause of this problem was in the shock absorbers. The type we had did not have the right in- and outgoing movement for us. Unfortunately neither we nor the factory Seat Sport team did not have any other types available. Within the possibilities we had we tried to maximize our performance. All in all the car was not too bad in free practice I was quite satisfied and was even a bit surprised to be up to 12th place and best of the privateers. Our fortunes were much different in qualifying. We were down in 21th place, strange but true. The first race I started from the pitlane, as the starter engine failed at the final moment. From that moment I just started to catch the drivers ahead of me one by one. In the end I was 18th overall and third in the privateer ranking", the SEAT Team Holland driver said.
The second race was started under even hotter conditions than the first race. "Outside it was at least 35 degrees and inside even more", Tom explains. Despite his efforts to stay ahead of the BMWs that started behind him he had to let them go after some laps. "The rear wheel driven cars had a definite advantage at the start, but after that it was my turn to attack. It was going quite well until something broke in the left front wheel suspension. It made an unexpected end to my race due to mechanical problems. It is a part of racing, but it is still hard to accept!”, the SEAT Team Holland driver said.
28 May 2005: Disappointment for Coronel at Imola qualifying
Tom Coronel had to be satisfied with the 21st fastest time in qualifying for the WTCC round at Imola today. Quite a disappointment for the Dutchman as he was up to 12th fastest in free practice today. On top of that he was the fastest of the independent runners. So Tom will be out for another charge through the field tomorrow.
Pole position went to Alfa Romeo driver Fabrizio Giovanardi. The Italian headed the surprising Antonio Garcia (BMW) and SEAT driver Jordi Gene.
27 May 2005: SEAT smells success at Imola
After a successful raceweekend at Silverstone the SEAT drivers had a good taste of victory. Not only the factory drivers, but also the SEAT privateers were on the podium, Rickard Rydell for the factory squad and Tom Coronel for SEAT Team Holland. The Dutchman hopes to continue his rise in performance with his GR Asia prepared SEAT Toledo Cupra in San Marino. "Things are looking better and better", Tom said. "We showed the last couple of races that we can be competitive and that we can fight ourselves back after a setback. Our priority continues to be the Michelin Independents Trophy, although there might be something in store for us in the overall standings this weekend. At Silverstone we were allowed to take 20 kg out of the car. That helped us closin the gap to the BMWs. Furthermore we saw last year that Imola favours the front wheel driven cars. All in all I think that the SEAT's chances are looking bright this weekend", Tom Coronel said.
Within the SEAT teams there are some changes for this weekend. After his fine second place at Silverstone Jason Plato will drive a fourth factory backed SEAT. Furthermore it was announced this week that Carlos Mastretta Aguilera will replace Finnish driver Valle Mäkelä in the GR Asia Toledo Cupra. The race after Imola will take place at the Mexican track of Puebla, so the choice for a local hero alongside Tom Coronel is obvious.
Of course all the WTCC action from Imola can be seen on Eurosport.
| Schedule Eurosport | ||
|---|---|---|
| zaterdag 28-5: | 21:00 - 21:15 | Qualifying summary |
| zondag 29-5: | 9:15 - 9:45 | Warm up WTCC live |
| zondag 29-5: | 15:00 - 17:00 | Races WTCC live |
15 May 2005: Fiery exit for Tom Coronel at Silverstone
The circuit of Silverstone, also known as the home of British motorracing hosted the fifth and sixth round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship 2005. After the disillusion two weeks ago at Magny Cours Tom Coronel and the SEAT Team Holland were out for revenge. Despite finishing 14th in the first race the result felt as a win, which in fact it was. Coronel came first of the privateers and therefore took valuable points for the Michelin Independents Trophy. The second race was looking equally well and Coronel took 14th place again. In the second race however there had been more in store for Coronel. Two laps before the end Tom was in the top ten. A small fire in the engine cost him four places and more importantly, a win in the privateer battle. After the dominant Alfa Romeo 1-2-3-4 result in race on it was to be SEAT's turn in race 2 with a 1-2 victory for Rickard Rydell ahead of Jason Plato.
foto: FIA WTCC
Tom Coronel was satisfied with the results in practice. "We drove on the short track, which was something I had to get used to. The team had done the short track before however so they had some basic data to start with. The track suited the SEAT Toledo Cupra well and we got a fine setup for the car pretty quickly. Of course the twisty nature of the shortened track suits the front wheel driven Toledo very well. Furthermore we had some help from the FIA as the front wheel driven cars were allowed to take 20 kilos out of the car following the dominant results of the rear wheel driven BMWs so far this season. All this gave me a fifth fastest time in the warm up on race morning, even on old tyres! Everybody was surprised with our sudden pace, including us. In the first race I had quite a good start, but that was about it. I did not get involved in any exciting battles, which explains my 14th place. I was leading the privateers battle, which was my only goal. I decided to take the independents-win home without getting into unnecessary problems", SEAT Team Holland driver Tom Coronel said.
This solid result gave confidence for Coronel in race two. "Also this time I had a good start, but I got behind Hennerici. Hi is leading the Michelin Independents standings so he was my target. After being on his tail for some laps I managed to get by and take some distance. After that Dirk Müller and Gabriele Tarquini were closing in on me and I had to let them past. There is no sense in defending your position as they were clearly faster. Later on the Honda of Colciago was holding me up pretty much. He was difficult to overtake. Hennericci benefited from it and started to attack me. It was a good fight and I managed to stay ahead of him. Unfortunately two laps before the end I shifted down and saw smoke an some flames. I succeeded in bringing the burning car home and have it extinguished after the race had finished. This way at least I took some points for the Michelin Independents Trophy, which can be very valuable later on in the season", Tom Coronel concluded.
2 May 2005: Tom Coronel disqualified from Magny Cours
On his way home to the Netherlands Tom Coronel received the message that his SEAT Toledo Cupra was not conforming to the technical regulations after the race at Magny Cours.
"It was quite a weekend and this is one of those things that are part of it. We were told that the front spoiler was too low to the ground. At the beginning of the weekend the car was checked and everything was fine, but after the car was smashed in the warm up session the engineers were focussing on rebuilding the car. The crew really did a superjob. My teammanager apologized and admitted that the ride height of the car was not checked. This was checked afterwards by the scrutineers and it was just under the margin. Rules are rules however and the consequences are that we were taken out of the results. It is a shame as we did not gain anything with it, but as I always say: That's Racing", Tom Coronel said
1 May 2005: Eventful weekend for Tom Coronel and SEAT Team Holland
Hardly ever was a race weekend as eventful as the one at Magny Cours last weekend. The French track set the stage for the third and fourth round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship 2005. After a disappointing qualifying result the Dutchman made up for his 23th place on the grid in the warm up practice session. Things were looking good for Coronel and he set the 13th fastest time in his privateer SSEAT Toledo Cupra. This was a clear indication that there was more to come from Tom in the race. However things were to go wrong from there. At first Tom dammaged the underside of his car on a high kerbstone. This resulted in a huge oil leak which transferred the oil from the engine of his SEAT Toledo Cupra to the French tarmac. Tom immediately parked his car in the run off area and jumped out of the car. The oil on the track made life difficult for the other drivers. Andrea Larini was caught out on the oil and spun in the back of the stranded SEAT. This made an end to the warm up and a begin to some hectic repair works of the SEAT Team Holland crew. Some hours later Tom Coronel could hardly believe his eyes when a brand new looking SEAT Toledo Cupra was waiting for him to go out for the warm up lap of the first race. Coronel finished the first race in 23rd position. After some set up changes in the break before the second race Tom went for in second race. He moved up to 14th place overall and more importantly first in the privateers standings. After Magny Cours Coronel is now second in the Michelin Independents Trophy.
foto: FIA WTCC
Tom Coronel and SEAT Team Holland did some useful testing before the race at Magny Cours. "We went to the Spanish track of Calafat. The most imporant change we made were related to the ride height. I wanted the car a bit higher on the rear so that I had some more pressure on the front. My intention was to reduce the understeer with this. In the end this resulted in a better balanced car and that was what we were aiming for. In free practice the result was there with a 12th and a 14th place. However in qualifying we were way behind, 23rd! Soon we found the cause of our problems. There had been a small explosion in the airbox, which gave a loss in engine power. I did just one lap to prevent further dammage. In the warm up the car was up to speed again and I could do the laptimes I wanted to do. The rest of the warm up story is known. I was standing trackside looking at the car when it was smashed from behind. I thought OK that's it pack the suitcase and go home, but none of it was true. People from SEAT Sport came running in and it was like watching a movie on fast forward speed. In no time I saw my race car again as if it was new. Ready to go for the first race. It was really amazing what they did. I never saw something like it before in my career.
foto: FIA WTCC
Of course I wanted to pay back the crew with a fine result in the first race, but it was difficult. I heard some undefined noise and I could not go on the throttle as early as I wanted. The crew was able to changed it for the second race which partly explains why I could overtake four cars before the first corner. After that I moved up spot by spot. When I overtook Carl Rosenblad I realised that I was leading the privateers battle. A perfect result and a worthy reward for the people of SEAT Sport who did a perfect job today." Coronel concluded
foto: FIA WTCC
11 April 2005: Sneak preview of Coronel's Toledo
As the SEAT Holland team started only days before the first race of the season, the team hardly had a chance to give the SEAT Toledo Cupra a decent livery. Of course the team focussed on the technical preparation of the car, that was only delivered on the Friday before the race . Meanwhile the team has already made a proposal of the new looks of the car. From Magny Cours on Tom Coronel's Toledo Cupra will probably look like this:
10 April 2005: Tom Coronel and Seat Holland team score first points in WTCC
The famous racetrack of Monza was the stage for the first round of the brand new FIA World Touringcar Championship. The WTCC in which six car manufacturers take part, succeeds the European Championship. Dutchman Tom Coronel will race for the SEAT Holland Team this year. The SEAT Toledo Cupra he will have at his disposal for the ten rounds of the WTCC will be prepared by the GR Asia team. For Tom it is the first time since long that he will race a front wheel driven car on a regular basis. After a hectic practice session the Dutchman had to be satisfied with 20th place in qualifying. His first race brought him up to 15th place overall, while the second ended prematurely due to a broken driveshaft. In the Michelin Independents Trophy the SEAT Holland Team driver took third place in the first race and scored his first World Championship points with this.
foto: FIA WTCC
Exactly ten days before the start of the WTCC Tom Coronel, the Dutch SEAT organisation and the British team of Paul Ridgeway clinched the deal. "Of course it is a bite late, but I am really happy with it", Tom said. "The Friday before the race I actually saw the Toledo for the first time. I was immediately impressed with the way the car was built up. It looked great straight out of the box. You can really see that some experienced people had been at work here. Now it was my turn to get used to the car as soon as I could. It was raining quite heavily during free practice so I had to come in to the pits quite frequently anyway to have my windscreen cleaned. Inbetween I had enough time to learn the car. Of course it is the most important thing for a driver to feel every tiny bit of the car. Second practice was amazing. I took fourth and was the fastest SEAT driver on my first day as a SEAT driver. Really great! Also it was good to see people from SEAT Sport popping in and out of our pitbox to help us out when needed. Qualifying was dry which was another thing to get used to as I had never driven the car on a dry track, so I had to get used again to the car's behaviour". Tom managed to set the 20th time in qualifying. According to himself it was about 7 to 8 places down on the position where he should have qualified. "When I went out on new tyres there was a red flag on my first lap so I had to come back in and the best of my tyres was gone. I thing 12th or 13th was realistic if you look at our practise results", Tom said. "I had a reasonable start in the first race. It could certainly be better, but I managed to keep my position. After the first lap I slowly worked my way up through the field. In the end I was 15th and third of the privateers. It could even have been one place higher. I was looking at the guy in front of me and I was sure to overtake him on the next lap. However I was surprised by the finish flag which I expected a lap later!"
picture: FIA WTCC
The Dutch driver was in full swing for the second race, in which he had a far better start. "It was going well. I was second in the privateers battle, but then the drive shaft broke. That was the end of the race for me, unfortunately for us but it is also a part of racing", Tom said. "All in all I am quite impressed with the Toledo Cupra. "It is a car with a lot op potential. I really want to show some nice things with it this year. I am extremely grateful to SEAT in the Netherlands for giving me this opportunity!"
The next race of the WTCC will take place at Magny Cours on 1 May. Dutch TV viewers can watch Tom Coronel in the SBS6 program RaceXperience in which he presents the Auto Emocion part.
31 March 2005: Tom Coronel with Seat in WTCC
A regular competitor in the FIA European Touring Car Championship, Tom Coronel will follow the championship in its new World Championship Status. The Dutch driver, who claimed last year the FIA ETCC Michelin Independents Trophy, will drive a SEAT Toledo Cupra car entered by SEAT Sport Holland.
Two cars are currently being prepared at SEAT Sport’s workshop in Spain; they will be delivered on Thursday, 7th April in Monza to the UK-based GR Asia team, that will run the programme on behalf of SEAT Sport Holland.
“I’m so relieved, because this deal came at the last minute to save me from a dull season. I knew that I had done a good job last year, but it seemed that nobody cared. This is a great opportunity for me, and I do not want to waste it,” commented Coronel.
Coronel's teammate in the Seat Sport Holland team will be the young Finnish driver Valle Mäkelä. At the age of 19 the Fin will be the youngest driver in the WTCC this year.
26 March 2005: Tom Coronel stand in for Dutch Prince
Today Tom Coronel was a stand in for Dutch royalty. The Dutch driver took the place of Prince Pieter Christiaan van Oranje in the Shell Helix Seat Cupra Cup. Tom rewarded the Royal family with a convincing pole position. He also took the first stint in the two hour endurance race. Coronel led comfortably ever since the lights changed to green and also set the fastest lap of the race. After 31 laps he handed the car over to Prince Bernhard van Oranje who had a tough job ahead of him in maintaining his lead position. He did a fine job, although the car finished in sixth position in the end. The sprintrace of next Monday will also be done by Prince Bernhard jr.
20 March 2005: No finish for Coronel / Goosens / Crevels at Sebring
The 12 hours of Sebring were just a few hours to long for the brand new Spyker C8 Spyder. The lead C8 Spyder, driven by Tom Coronel, Marc Goossens and Donny Crevels was gathering mileage on a steady pace but after seven hours of racing an engine problem made an end to the car's first competition outting. The sister car of Peter van Merkensteijn, Frans Munsterhuis and Marino Franchitti stopped after just 18 laps with engine problems. Finishing the race was the ultimate goal for the Spyker Squadron, although the team was well aware that it would be a long shot after running short on preparation time. "We arrived at Sebring with exactly zero miles of testing. The cars are that new that we finished building up the second chassis only here at Sebring. Our only possibility to test was cancelled due to snow on the track", Spyker CEO Victor Müller said. Everyone at Spyker is assured that there is much more to come from the new C8. "We were just 3.5 seconds slower than the Porsches with a car that was not even finished a week ago. The engine still has 45 bHp extra available and with the right tyres we can also gain some more time.Our next goal will be the Le Mans 24 hours. With some decent preparation I think we can surprise a few people there", Müller concluded.
19 March 2005: Update after five hours of racing, Coronel / Goosens / Crevels in 32nd place
The 12 hours of Sebring is in full swing now. We near the halfway mark now and the Spyder Squadron has still one car in the race. Unfortunately the nr. 47 C8 Spyder dropped out after just 18 laps with mechanical problems. The nr. 48 Spyker with Coronel / Goossens / Crevels started off well. Tom Coronel started the race and immediately moved up to 32nd place. After his two hour stint he handed the car over to Marc Goossens. Now Donny Crevels is busy with his first race outting in the Spyker. Crevels is still in 32nd place over all and 13th in the GT2 class. The battle for the over all lead is very hot with the top three cars within one lap. The Champion Audis still lead the Dyson Lola, but there is no margin for errors.
18 March 2005: 36th place on the grid for Coronel at Sebring
The nr. 48 Spyker C8 Spyder of Tom Coronel, Marc Goossens and Donny Crevels will start from 36th place in tomorrows 12 hour race of Sebring (USA) After the rain washed out much of the qualifying sessions the organisers decided to set up the startgrid using the times from the first qualifying session and the two free practice sessions on Wednesday. The second Spyker, driven by Peter van Merkensteijn, Frans Munsterhuis and Marino Franchitti will start from 38th place.
foto: Robbert Maas
15 March 2005: Tom Coronel gets short taste of new Spyker
Tom Coronel has arrived in the USA where he will compete in this weekend's 12 hours of Sebring endurance race. Coronel will share a brand new Spyker C8 Spyder together with Donny Crevels and Marc Goossens. The car is that new that Tom did the first shake down test yesterday at Sebring. Of course we wanted to hear his first comments.
"Unfortunately I cannot tell too much about the car just yet. After two laps a small part in the engine broke. No big deal, but it had to be fixed first. These are the common things you find during a first shake down. We wanted to have a shake down at Zandvoort in The Netherlands, but the circuit was covered with snow, so testing there was not a good idea. Meanwhile the team fixed the engine for the second car that drove 12 laps today without too much problems. As I did only two laps with the car I really cannot make a comparison between the two cars. The first impression is good however. The car feels stable and solid. Tomorrow we will go back out on the circuit in order to learn the car a bit better", Tom said.
5 March 2005: Tom Coronel makes Spyker retyrn
Tom Coronel will return this year to the Spyker Squadron. The Dutch driver will at least drive the 12 hours of Sebring for the Dutch team, and possibly also the Le Mans 24 hour race. The latter is still dependent on an invitation from the french organising body, the ACO. After the race at Sebring the ACO will finalize the list of invited teams. So for sure we will see Coronel at Sebring. "I am really looking forward to it. The 12 hour race at Sebring is one of the three endurance classics (together with Daytona and Le Mans, red.), so I definitively want to have this race on my CV. We will race the new C8 Spyder this year, which is a novity as it is the only open car in the race. The main advantage of racing this model is that we do not have to bother with handicap weights and restrictions like we had to do with the closed version two years ago at Le Mans", Coronel said. Tom's teammates will be Donny Crevels and Marc Goossens. The second Spyker will be driven by Peter van Merkenstijn and Frans Munsterhuis.
1 March 2005: Tom Coronel expands TV career
It seems that Tom Coronel got the hung of making TV programs. Besides the program AutoXperience, which he is presenting together with his twin brother Tim, he will make a program called Racing SEAT this year. On top of that Tom will also analyse all the Grand Prix for Dutch Formula 1 broadcaster SBS6.
As the name suggests Racing SEAT is all about the motorsport activities of Seat. The main part of the show will consist of the Dutch Seat Cupra Cup, added with reports on the FIA WTCC, in which SEAT will race with three cars this year. The ten episodes of Racing SEAT will be broadcasted just before the Formula 1 races on SBS6.
31 January 2005: Go for a new racing season!
After a successful racing season in 2004 in which Tom Coronel won the Michelin Independents Trophy in the FIA European Touringcar Championship the Dutchman takes a brief look over his shoulder to reflect on the past season and looks ahead on the things to come. "2004 was a very busy year for me", Tom said. "Besides racing I did a lot of other things. Together with Rob Engeringh I made the book 'Racing driver in 30 steps'. It was good fun to do and after the pleasure we had making the first edition we are already thinking of a part two. Furthermore I started a company called www.plasmadiscounter.nl together with my good friend and felow racer Marc Koster. We can offer the latest LCD and plasma screens for expremely low prices. The shop is doing well now, so it consumes quite a lot of my time now. On top of that Tim and I have the motoring programme AutoXperience on SBS6 for whom I also analysed most of the Formula 1 races that did not clinch with my ETCC program.
Also on the racing front there was more than enough action. The highlight of the season was of course winning the Michelin Independents Trophy with Carly Motors in the ETCC. At Le Mans we had a great team with a realistic chance of a podium finish. Unfortunately technical problems made an end to our aspirations. In any case it was a great experience to share the LMP Dome-Judd with Ralph Firman and Justin Wilson. Apart from my personal racing affairs I try to coach Jaap van Lagen as much as I can. He drove the Eurocup Formula Renault V6 last year. Despite a long string of bad luck Jaap managed to impress and win two races in his debut season. Jaap is of course not the only driver I am trying to help. My girlfriend Paulien Zwart is also part of the 'Coronel driver program'. She was my teammate in the ETCC this year. Paulien made a brave jump into the deep from the Dutch Alfa Challenge to the ETCC. Unfortunately her season ended prematurely after breaking her pelvis in a crash at Magny Cours halfway into the season. Without doubt this is my low of the season", Tom said.
After all the highs and lows of 2004 we asked Tom about his plans for the new season. Tom however could not reveal too much as not all has been confirmed. "As for me nothing has been signed yet. The only thing I know for sure is that I will race this year, but the people that know me a bit better know that this is one of my primary things in life. With Jaap van Lagen we are working hard on a deal to put him in a top team in the European Formula Renault Championship. The deal for Paulien still has to be made. Last year we drove the ETCC together, but the ETCC has been changed to the WTCC. The big change is that the championship now goes all around the world in stead of all over Europe. As a privateer team Carly Motors have to pay a price for this and I am afraid that the price will be a bit too high for a small privateer team. So I think we have to find something different", Tom conluded.