Priaulx ready for tough challenge

Date published : 30 Apr 2010 - 14:38:49

Britain's Andy Priaulx concedes it is unlikely he will be challenging at the sharp end of the grid when the World Touring Car Championship resumes in Morocco this weekend.

A seven-week break followed the season opener in Brazil owing to the cancellation of the second round in Mexico, during which time Priaulx and his BMW team have taken to the track to undergo an extensive round of testing. Nevertheless, three-time champion Priaulx does not expect his 320si to pose a serious threat to their rivals at SEAT and Chevrolet this weekend.

"That was a long break as far as the WTCC is concerned. Despite this, I have still spent a lot of time in the car and done a lot of testing," he said. "Last year the event in Marrakech was a great show. I like the country and the city's special flair. From a sporting point of view it will not be easy, but we are 100% motivated."

Priaulx's team principal Bart Mampaey shed a little more light on the reasons for BMW's pessimism ahead of this weekend's races in Marrakech.

"We have taken advantage of the break after the season opener in Brazil and spent a lot of time on the track testing the BMW 320si WTCC," he said.

"However, our car is now in its fifth season. Furthermore, the regulations only allow very limited development. For this reason, major development breakthroughs are rarely possible now.

"In addition, the layout of the circuit in Marrakech does not really play into our hands."