The World Touring Car Championship grid guide

This weekend Monza plays host to the opening round of the 2012 World Touring Car Championship, with a healthy crop of rookies joining the established tin-top veterans in what looks set to be a year in which the category rejuvinates itself.

Yvan Muller starts as favourite to win a fourth title and with it break the record he currently shares with Andy Priaulx, but his Chevrolet team-mates Rob Huff and Alain Menu won't give him an easy ride. Nor, for that matter, will the likes of Gabriele Tarquini, especially as the 2009 title winner now has extra SEAT resources behind him.

How the 2012 WTCC grid looks

#1. Yvan Muller (F)
Team: Chevrolet (RML)
Car: Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
WTCC debut: Monza, 2006
Starts: 134
Wins: 21
Poles: 11
Fastest laps: 15

The man the opposition is gunning for looks as formidable as ever. But there are signs that Muller's adversaries are closing in, given his narrow three-point winning margin over his Chevrolet team-mate Rob Huff in 2011. Muller returns to the championship aiming for a third straight title and, after a relatively quiet winter, the Frenchman ominously claims he's in much better shape than a year ago. Huff made a strong challenge out of the blocks in 2011, but as the Cruze starts with an additional 40kg of compensation weight for the opening two rounds at Monza and Valencia, (taking the car's total weight to 50kg more than the rival SEAT Leons), there could be more than just in-house opposition in 2012.

#2. Rob Huff (GB)
Team: Chevrolet (RML)
Car: Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
WTCC debut: Monza, 2005
Starts: 154
Wins: 18
Poles: 9
Fastest laps: 17

Should 42-year old Muller suffer an unlikely sudden decline, Huff is the man most likely to steal the glory. On the evidence of last year, the British racer doesn't need to rely on Muller being afflicted by early dementia. Huff staged a blinding early-season campaign, and was pipped for the title by just three points. The RML-run team's trio of stars will have to contend with an extra 40kg of ballast in their Cruze mounts at the start of the season. The weight is applied to the Cruze as it's the reigning championship-winning car.

#3. Gabriele Tarquini (I)
Team: Lukoil Racing (SEAT Sport)
Car: SEAT Leon WTCC
WTCC debut: Monza, 2005
Starts: 153
Wins: 16
Poles: 13
Fastest laps: 16

Tarquini's hopes of the title rest largely on the competitiveness of SEAT's new 1.6 turbocharged engine, which replaces the SUNRED-tuned unit he used for the latter part of last year. The 2009 champion summoned plenty of fight during the last campaign, winning at Zolder and frequently being at the centre of incident. The 50-year-old Italian talked up his chances pre-season by saying he expected to take the fight to Chevrolet, now that the Lukoil Racing outfit is a works team in all but name. Initial testing of the new engine suggests it has a wider range of power, but that fine-tuning of the engine management needs to be addressed.

#4. Aleksei Dudukalo (RU)
Team: Lukoil Racing (SEAT Sport)
Car: SEAT Leon WTCC
WTCC debut: Curitiba, 2011
Starts: 23
Best finish: 9th
Best qualifying: 13th
Fastest laps: 15

Dudukalo had a middling maiden season in the WTCC last year, but demonstrated some versatility by last month claiming this year's Russian Ice Racing title. Tarquini's team-mate will be aiming for more success when he trades his Lada Kalina for his refettled Leon. The 35-year-old Russian has a first-rate mentor in his team leader and, like the Italian, will be aiming to harness SEAT's new 1.6 Turbo engine to maximise results.

#5. Norbert Michelisz (H)
Team: Zengo Motorsport
Car: BMW 320TC
WTCC debut: Okayama, 2008
Starts: 48
Wins: 1
Best qualifying: 4th
Fastest laps: 2

Michelisz was a competitive force at Monza in 2011, finishing fourth in race one. The Hungarian is again competing with his native Zengo Motorsport team, which fields an additional car this year for Gabor Weber. Michelisz and Weber are former team-mates and it's hoped the pairing can drive the team forward.

#6. Franz Engstler (D)
Team: Team Engstler
Car: BMW 320TC
WTCC debut: Macau, 2007
Starts: 95
Wins: 1
Best qualifying: 3rd
Fastest laps: 0

German-based Team Engstler will defend its independent teams' and drivers' titles. Its owner/driver Franz Engstler scored his and the team's maiden outright WTCC victory at Oschersleben last year, while former driver Kristian Poulsen claimed the independents' title. At 50, Engstler appears as enthusiastic as ever, and entered this year's Daytona 24 Hours in a Porsche as a winter warm-up.

#7. Charles Ng (HK)
Team: Team Engstler
Car: BMW 320TC
WTCC debut: Suzuka, 2011
Starts: 6
Best finish: 10th
Best qualifying: 17th
Fastest laps: 0

Drift ace Ng joined the Engstler squad for the last three events of the 2011 WTCC and scored his first championship point at Tianma. The 27-year-old Hong Kong racer has demonstrated his commitment to the series by moving close to the Engstler factory. Team manager Kurt Treml is already impressed with Ng's integration in the team.

#8. Alain Menu (CH)
Team: Chevrolet (RML)
Car: Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
WTCC debut: Monza, 2005
Starts: 153
Wins: 17
Poles: 11
Fastest laps: 12

Third in the championship last year was Menu's best WTCC championship placing. Despite recording several strong victories, the result was slightly tempered by trailing his Chevrolet team-mates Muller and Huff. The 48-year-old Swiss, who won a pair of titles in his British Touring Car days, is likely to remain a key figure in Chevrolet's WTCC success. Menu tested at Valencia in January - when RML had just a single car available - and has also completed preparation work at Donington and MIRA. Experienced engineer Phil Barker moves to Menu's car for the season ahead.

#11. Alex MacDowall (GB)

Team: bamboo-engineering
Car: Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
WTCC debut: Monza, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

MacDowall takes to the world stage after establishing himself as a driver with regular podium potential in the BTCC. Aged just 21, the former Renault Clio Cup runner-up has room to develop. MacDowall brings experience of the Cruze to bamboo from his time with the RML-run Chevy works team in the BTCC. The outfit completed a shakedown at Rockingham with both MacDowall and Pasquale di Sabatino shortly before leaving for Monza. As with the other Chevrolet runners, bamboo will start the season with an additional 40kg of ballast and may suffer from increased front-tyre wear as a result.

#12. Pasquale di Sabatino (I)
Team: bamboo-engineering
Car: Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
WTCC debut: Monza, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

Di Sabatino - a self-confessed Tarquini fan - has no touring-car experience, but was a solid single-seater driver. A Formula Junior 1600 champion, he arguably made a premature move into Formula Renault 3.5 after less than a year in Formula Renault. After a learning season, results rapidly improved. Standout moments included a podium with Comtec at Monza in 2008, and a slightly fortuitous victory at the Hungaroring the following year. The result was reward for a number of strong drives in battling RC Motorsport's often lone entry. Last year di Sabatino participated in Auto GP with Ombra, finishing 12th in the standings. The 24-year-old Italian's transition to tin-tops will be intriguing.

#14. James Nash (GB)
Team: Arena Motorsport
Car: Ford Focus S2000 TC
WTCC debut: Monza, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

Nash ended his three-year BTCC tenure (although only one of those campaigns was a full one) on a high by lifting the independent's crown in 2011. The 26-year-old Briton will face learning a new car during his maiden world campaign, although some of the circuits will be familiar to him from his days in the WTCC-supporting SEAT Leon Eurocup in 2008. Nash has bonded with his new team during intensive winter testing at Valencia, Guadix and Estoril. Arena has completed almost 1000 miles of running with its Ford Focus - an evolution of the team's BTCC car - and the Mountune-built 1.6-litre turbo doesn't appear to have provided any dramas. Car and driver should improve as the season progresses.

#15. Tom Coronel (NL)
Team: ROAL Mototsport
Car: BMW 320TC
WTCC debut: Monza, 2005
Starts: 152
Wins: 2
Best qualifying: 3rd
Fastest laps: 1

The effervescent - and evergreen - Dutchman continues to flourish. Last year provided Coronel's highest finish in the WTCC standings to date. The ROAL Motorsport man took a sterling victory on the Suzuka short circuit and ended the season as top non-Chevrolet driver. Admittedly, the opposition in the WTCC last year did not feature the depth of manufacturer involvement of the late noughties, but that shouldn't diminish Coronel's achievements unduly. BMW and Chevrolet have both been handed 1160kg of base weight this season (10kg more than the SEATs). At the start of the season the Cruzes will be saddled with an extra 40kg, offering Coronel another strong opportunity to add to his win tally.

#16. Alberto Cerqui (I)
Team: ROAL Motorsport
Car: BMW 320 TC
WTCC debut: Monza, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

After a singleton entry for Tom Coronel last year, ROAL Motorsport has expanded to a second car for Italian Superstars champion Alberto Cerqui. At Monza this weekend, the 19 year-old will become the youngest Italian to start a WTCC event. The team claims that testing times have been promising. Cerqui appears to have made a smooth transition from his Superstars mount: a 4-litre V8 BMW M3, and has ambitiously stated that he is hoping track knowledge at Monza could assist him in achieving a podium on his debut weekend.

#18. Tiago Monteiro (P)
Team: SUNRED Engineering
Car: SEAT Leon TDI
WTCC debut: Zandvoort, 2007
Starts: 113
Wins: 4
Poles: 2
Fastest laps: 4

Accomplished pro Monteiro has extended his relationship with SUNRED Engineering into a sixth season. The grand prix podium finisher's Leon will run under the Tuenti Racing banner. Monteiro claimed race wins in the WTCC in 2008 and 2010 and has 15 podiums to his credit. But some seasoned observers, perhaps unfairly, feel he hasn't quite lived up to his F1 credentials; fifth in the 2010 standings is his best effort to date. The 35-year-old Portuguese is bullish about his 2012 prospects and points to a new engine and significant developments as evidence of SEAT's increased commitment to the championship.

#20. Darryl O'Young (HK)
Team: Special Tuning Racing
Car: SEAT Leon WTCC
WTCC debut: Curitiba, 2010
Starts: 46
Best finish: 4th
Best qualifying: 4th
Fastest laps: 0

O'Young has already enjoyed a successful start to his 2012 season. Last month the Hong Kong resident shared driving duties at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS to take a second straight victory at the Bathurst 12 Hours. For his main programme, he continues in the WTCC for a third season. O'Young, 32, moves across from a bamboo-engineering - at which he drove Lacetti and Cruze machinery over the past two years - to Special Tuning's SEAT Leon. The two-time Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion is again set to be among the stronger independent runners, but like many SEAT pedallers his hopes largely rest on the competitiveness of the new SEAT Sport-developed engine.

#22. Tom Boardman (GB)
Team: Special Tuning Racing
Car: SEAT Leon WTCC
WTCC debut: Estoril, 2008
Starts: 26
Best finish: 9th
Best qualifying: 15th
Fastest laps: 0

SEAT specialist Boardman returns to the WTCC after a two-year spell in the British Touring Cars. He steps back up with his family Special Tuning team, with which he claimed a maiden BTCC victory at Knockhill last year. A former British and Spanish champion in one-make SEAT racing, he has ability; but opposition in this year's Independents' Trophy is set to be fierce. Boardman's previous WTCC campaign, with a Leon run jointly by Special Tuning and SUNRED in 2009, yielded an independents' victory at Brands Hatch. He'll have to wait until Valencia to make his return though, a delay in the supply of parts keeping him out of the Monza opener.

#23. Tom Chilton (GB)
Team: Arena Motorsport
Car: Ford Focus S2000 TC
WTCC debut: Monza, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

The Brit is just 26, but has a decade of BTCC experience to call on. Arena has tested extensively ahead of its, and Chilton's, maiden WTCC season. Chilton has expressed a desire to be within the top 10 at Monza this weekend, and the top six throughout the remaining races, despite some 80 per cent of the circuits being unfamiliar to him. Team and driver have been buoyed by testing performances, where even small changes to the car have reportedly brought beneficial changes in lap time. In Chilton and James Nash, Arena has the two most recent BTCC independent champions on its books.

#24. Isaac Tutumlu (E)
Team: Proteam Racing
Car: BMW 320 TC
WTCC debut: Monza, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

Tutumlu is another WTCC newcomer who will be unfamiliar to many. The 27-year-old Spaniard, of Kurdish origins, has an unusual racing pedigree in a diverse range of cars. A relatively late starter, his formative racing years were spent in the short wheelbase MitJet series and the Catalunya Touring Car Championship. Recent forays into the Porsche Supercup and Superstars have laid the foundation for his move into the WTCC with Proteam. Sensibly, Tutumlu is not setting himself any targets in what will be a learning year.

#25. Mehdi Bennani (MOR)
Team: Proteam Racing
Car: BMW 320TC
WTCC debut: Marrakech, 2009
Starts: 55
Best finish: 6th
Best qualifying: 6th
Fastest laps: 0

An established midfielder in the WTCC, finishing 16th in last year's drivers' standings. Occasional points finishes from the 28-year-old Moroccan can be anticipated, but entering his fourth WTCC campaign there is little to suggest any sudden performance breakthrough is imminent. Italian squad Proteam expressed its contentment in extending its relationship with Bennani for a second season. Team principal Marco Guiducci confirmed that the technical staff will be headed by engineer Marco Calovolo.

#26. Stefano D'Aste (I)
Team: Wiechers-Sport
Car: BMW 320TC
WTCC debut: Monza, 2005
Starts: 129
Best finish: 2nd
Best qualifying: 6th
Fastest laps: 1

The championship wouldn't be complete without a 3 Series for Stefano D'Aste. The late nature of the WTCC stalwart's deal has prevented him from testing, but approaching his seventh full season in the category, D'Aste does not want for experience. The 38-year-old Italian is in his third spell with Wiechers-Sport. Last year, he started the season driving a Lotus Evora in the GT4 Cup, but took in three WTCC rounds and emerged victorious in the independents' at Oschersleben. Wiechers-Sport team manager Dominik Greiner is confident D'Aste will again feature as an Independent title contender.

#27. Gabor Weber (H)
Team: Zengo Motorsport
Car: BMW 320TC
WTCC debut: Monza, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

Hungarian-based Zengo Motorsport steps up to two cars with the signing of 40-year-old Weber to partner Norbert Michelisz. The drivers are reunited after being teamed in one-make SEAT racing; Weber succeeding Michelisz by winning the Leon Eurocup in 2010. Weber enjoys a longstanding and successful relationship with Zengo, dating back to the 2002 Hungarian Opel Astra championship. After finally achieving his WTCC call-up, Weber could spring the occasional surprise in the independents' class.

#40. Andrea Barlesi (B)
Team: SUNRED Engineering
Car: SEAT Leon TDI
WTCC debut: Monza, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

Sportscar convert Barlesi is a relative unknown quantity in touring cars. Parisian, but with dual Belgian and Italian nationalities, he began his competition career in Renault Clios in 2009. A switch to Formula Le Mans brought the title at his first attempt. Suitably encouraged, Barlesi continued in sportcars last season, recording a podium finish in the LMP2 division of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Barlesi, 20, has experienced team-mates to hasten his acclimatisation to the WTCC, and forged a working relationship with Tiago Monteiro at OAK Racing during the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours.

#74. Pepe Oriola (E)
Team: SUNRED Engineering
Car: SEAT Leon WTCC
WTCC debut: Curitiba, 2011
Starts: 24
Best finish: 8th
Best qualifying: 9th
Fastest laps: 0

Oriola gained attention last year when, aged just 17, he became the youngest driver to race in the WTCC (his then team-mate Tarquini lamented that he was older than Oriola's father). Oriola finished 18th in the drivers' standings, but acquitted himself with some respectable performances along the way. Ahead of his second season with SUNRED, the Leon Eurocup race winner is aiming to fight for the Independents' Trophy. Oriola was convinced of remaining with SUNRED, under the Tuenti Racing banner, by the possibility of a full factory SEAT return in 2013.

#88. Fernando Monje (E)
Team: SUNRED Engineering
Car: SEAT Leon WTCC
WTCC debut: Valencia, 2012
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest laps: 0

Monje turns 19 in the week prior to Monza's WTCC season opener. The Spaniard has limited front-wheel-drive experience, but in his maiden season of car racing in 2009 dovetailed a Formul' Academy Euroseries campaign with six outings in the SEAT Leon Supercopa Spain. The teenager will be reunited with his Supercopa team SUNRED Engineering for his maiden season in the WTCC. He competed in European F3 Open for the past two years. Promising results with the de Villota team in 2010, including a surprise debut pole, were not matched after switching to Drivex in 2011. Monje is entered in the ETCC for the Monza weekend, but is scheduled to race in the WTCC rounds from Valencia onwards.

*Lada and Honda due to run works entries later in the year.
**Rickard Rydell entered for Monza as a one-off in a Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden Cruze