DATA KIT 2019 SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, 12-15 DECEMBER 2019 CONTENTS 2 Essential information 91 Fastest laps 2019 3 Key timings 92 TAG Heuer Best Laps 2019 5 Sepang Circuit facts and stats 93 TAG Heuer MVDs 2019 6 WTCR title battle explained 94 Driver statistics breakdown 2019 10 Races of Malaysia explained 97 Second-place finishes 2019 11 Entry list 98 Third-place finishes 2019 12 Gabriele Tarquini facts/stats 99 Second-place breakdown 2019 15 Norbert Michelisz facts/stats 100 Third-place breakdown 2019 18 Augusto Farfus facts/stats 101 Title leaders (drivers) 2019 21 Attila Tassi facts/stats 102 Team statistics at a glance 2019 23 Niels Langeveld facts/stats 104 Team statistics breakdown 2019 25 Thed Björk facts/stats 105 Title leaders (teams) 2019 28 Rob Huff facts/stats 106 Wildcards 2019 31 Johan Kristoffersson facts/stats 107 Race-by-race 2019 33 Tiago Monteiro facts/stats 111 Season in numbers 36 Aurélien Panis facts/stats 112 Lap record holders (qualifying) 38 Frédéric Vervisch facts/stats 113 Lap record holders (race) 41 Mehdi Bennani facts/stats 114 Calendar 2019 43 Néstor Girolami facts/stats 115 Race distances 2019 46 Kevin Ceccon facts/stats 116 WTCR explained 49 Benjamin Leuchter facts/stats 118 WTCR points and awards 52 Daniel Haglöf facts/stats 119 Malaysia qualifying/grids 55 Tom Coronel facts/stats 121 Final standings 2018 (drivers) 58 Gordon Shedden facts/stats 122 Final standings 2018 (teams) 61 Ma Qinghua facts/stats 123 Race winners/DHL poles 2018 64 Yann Ehrlacher facts/stats 124 Race 2 poles/fastest laps 2018 66 Jean-Karl Vernay facts/stats 125 TAG Heuer Best Laps/MVD 2018 69 Esteban Guerrieri facts/stats 126 Team statistics at a glance 2018 72 Nicky Catsburg facts/stats 127 Team statistics at a glance 2018 75 Mikel Azcona facts/stats 128 Driver statistics breakdown 2018 77 Yvan Muller facts/stats 130 Team statistics breakdown 2018 80 Andy Priaulx facts/stats 132 Race-by-race 2018 83 Meet the Malaysia wildcards 136 Second-place finishes 2018 85 Drivers’ standings after 27/30 137 Third-place finishes 2018 86 Teams’ standings after 27/30 138 Second/third breakdown 2018 87 Driver statistics at a glance 2019 139 Title leaders (drivers) 2018 88 Race winners 2019 140 Wildcards 2018 89 DHL Pole Position Award 2019 141 Contacts 90 Reverse-grid poles 2019 1 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW THE ESSENTIALS Rounds: 28, 29 and 30 of 30 Venue: Sepang International Circuit Date: 12-15 December 2019 Location: Jalan Pekeliling, 64000 KLIA, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Length: 5.543 kilometres Time zone: GMT +8 hours Race 1 distance: 9 laps (49.887 kilometres) Race 2 distance: 9 laps (49.887 kilometres) Race 3 distance: 12 laps (66.516 kilometres) WTCR qualifying lap record: To be established (TCR category record: Roberto Colciago, Honda Civic Type R TCR, 2m15.021s, 30/09/16) WTCR race lap record: To be established (TCR category record: Diego Moran, Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, 2m16.672s, 07/04/19) THE CHALLENGE Home of the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix from 1999-2017, the Sepang International Circuit hosts the 2019 WTCR / OSCARO super-finale as part of the Races of Malaysia double-header with the FIM Endurance World Championship for motorbikes. The event will run to a unique format with all three races taking place on the same day in late afternoon, at dusk and at night under floodlights. Sepang’s 5.543-kilometre lap features two long straights to aid overtaking, plus a variety of medium and high-speed corners. And with the track untried by the bulk of the drivers an exciting spectacle is in store. FROM BEHIND THE WHEEL WITH GABRIELE TARQUINI Ahead of his final race as WTCR / OSCARO title holder, this is what the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse driver has had to say about the Sepang International Circuit. “We had a short run at the beginning of the season just to discover the track and I’m very pleased with what I experienced. The track size and the design are very nice and the race will be very exciting because it’s very wide with long straights. For sure there will be big fights, big overtaking places and the races will be very nice to see.” 2 PROVISIONAL KEY TIMINGS* Monday 9 December Wildcard testing: 19h00-22h00 Tuesday 10 December Wildcard testing: 09h00-11h00 Kuala Lumpur driving parade and promotional activities (W Hotel and surrounding area): 17h00-21h00 Thursday 12 December Pre-event press conference: 17h00 (Media Centre, Sepang International Circuit), Mitchell Cheah, Norbert Michelisz and Hafizh Syahrin in attendance Friday 13 December Free Practice 1: 10h00-10h45 Free Practice 2: 12h45-13h15 First Qualifying: 15h15-15h45 First Qualifying DHL Media Zone: 15h45 estimated (South Paddock pitlane) Hafizh Syahrin international media group interviews (Media Centre): 17h00-17h30 Second Qualifying Q1: 19h30-19h50 Second Qualifying Q2: 20h00-20h10 Second Qualifying Q3: 20h20 (first car starts top five DHL Pole Position shootout) Second Qualifying DHL Media Zone: 20h20 estimated (South Paddock pitlane) Post-Qualifying press conference: 20h45 estimated (Media Centre) Saturday 14 December Title contenders group interview session (Media Centre): 10h45-11h15 FIM EWC 8 Hours of Sepang: 13h00-21h00 Autograph session (Fan Village stage): 14h00-1500 Esports WTCR OSCARO live final (The RIFT, Third Floor, Mid Valley Megamall): 16h00-21h00 Sunday 15 December Autograph session (Fan Village stage): 12h00-13h00 Race 1: 15h15 (9 laps) Race 1 podium: 15h55 estimated Race 1 press conference: 16h10 estimated (Media Centre) Race 2: 18h15 (9 laps) Race 2 podium: 18h55 estimated Race 3: 20h10 (12 laps) Race 3 podium: 20h50 estimated 3 Race 3 press conference: 21h05 estimated (Media Centre) followed by WTCR / OSCARO title winner group interview session Official WTCR / OSCARO title winner pictures (starting grid): 22h00 *All timings are local (GMT +8 hours) and subject to change 4 SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT FACTS AND STATS 1: The Sepang International Circuit opened for business in 1999 after 14 months under construction. 2: It’s located some 45 kilometres from the capital Kuala Lumpur but a mere 11 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 3: The 5.543-kilometre layout, which was resurfaced in 2016, features 15 turns and eight straights. There are also separate North and South circuits, which can be used simultaneously. 4: Sepang was home to the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix from 1999-2017. Eddie Irvine won the inaugural race for Ferrari with Max Verstappen taking victory in the final event driving a Red Bull. 5: KCMG WTCR / OSCARO driver Tiago Monteiro took part in two Malaysian Grands Prix, placing P12 in 2005 and P13 the following season. 6: Monteiro’s KCMG colleague Attila Tassi is no stranger to Sepang having placed seventh and ninth when the TCR International Series visited in 2016. 7: Kevin Ceccon and Team Mulsanne WTCR team-mate Ma Qinghua were in action when Sepang hosted GP2 in 2013. Ceccon scored a weekend high of P17 in the Feature Race although illness ruled out Ma from the Sprint Race. 8: Sepang was the setting of the inaugural TCR International Series event in 2015. When TCR International returned in 2016, Jean-Karl Vernay took a pair of fifth-place finishes. Douglas Khoo, one of the wildcards competing in the inaugural WTCR Race of Malaysia finished P15 and P17 in the two counters. 9: Rob Huff was quick out of the blocks when he raced in the opening TCR Malaysia round in January of this year with the Briton claiming pole for the first race. 10: Mitchell Cheah, a wildcard at WTCR Race of Malaysia, joined the TCR Malaysia entry for the final round and won on his debut from pole position. 5 WTCR / OSCARO TITLE BATTLE EXPLAINED With four drivers locked in an epic battle for the 2019 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO, Serbia-based mathematician and statistician Dragoslav Jankovic has assessed the quartet’s form so far this season and offered his expert insight into who needs to do what to win big at the Sepang super-finale in Malaysia next week. Supported by journalist and broadcaster Aleksandar Babic, Jankovic has listed some of the possible outcomes but stressed that “there are too many variables and outcomes, so to describe them all would take an analysis 200 pages long”, adding: “The number of outcomes will be drastically reduced after First and Second Qualifying and Race 1 but it should still remain tight and unpredictable”. Michelisz wins the WTCR / OSCARO title if he… *Wins all three races *Scores 66 points in total (65 points leaves him vulnerable) *Wins two races, takes one DHL Pole Position and one sixth place. That would give him 65 points. In that case, Guerrieri can score no more than 74 points. That would make them tied on 381 points, but Michelisz would become champion on countback based on the number of races won *Wins twice, finishes fourth once and scores at least three qualifying points *Wins one race, finishes second in the other two and scores seven qualifying points *If he tops First Qualifying and wins two races, he needs at least at least sixth position in the other race. Alternatively, he'll be safe from a Guerrieri attack if he finishes lower (seventh, eighth, etc) in the races, but if his Second Qualifying position is better (fifth, fourth, third, second, first) *If he’s second in First Qualifying and wins twice, he needs at least fourth in the other race. Just like in the previous case, he can allow himself a lower finish in the other race – fifth, sixth, etc.