Independents flock to WTCC
A host of independent teams will join the World Touring Car Championship this season, led by German national touring car champion Franz Engstler
Engstler Motorsport entered BMWs in the WTCC round at Macau last season for team owner Franz and Russian Andrey Romanov, who will drive the second car this season.
The team tested their new E90 320si for the first time at Hockenheim last week and the car is now due to be shipped to Brazil for the opening round at Curitiba on March 2.
Engstler has won three touring car titles in the last three years, adding last season's ADAC Pro Car title to his Asian touring car crowns in 2005 and '06.
Italian team Promoter Sport also plan to contest the full WTCC this season. They have also acquired a BMW E90 and hope to add a second car for round two at Puebla in early April.
The team will receive help from Turkish outfit Kosifler Motorsport and Ibrahim Okyay is in the frame to drive one of the cars. The Turk has appeared in the WTCC once before, at Istanbul in 2006.
Estonian team Artman Racing, who run cars in the Swedish Touring Car Championship, also plan to take in some WTCC rounds this season.
Drivers Andrey Smetsky and Alexander Lvov will campaign a pair of Honda Accord Euro Rs as they did last season when both appeared in the WTCC at Anderstorp.
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