Fredy Barth secured his best result of the 2013 World Touring Car Championship as he secured a sixth place finish in the opening race at the Salzburgring.
Having originally qualified 15th fastest, the Swiss driver was promoted to 5th after a number of drivers ahead of him received penalties after driving too slow during the second part of qualifying.
From the rolling start, Barth held his position for the first half of the race before having to concede his position to the Chevrolet of Yvan Muller. He brought the BMW 320TC home sixth overall and fifth in the Yokohama Independents’.
Having started 15th for the second race, Barth was able to bring the car home 13th overall and 4th in the Yokohama Independents, having run as high as 11th during the 12 lap encounter.
“With these two races, I’m satisfied,” said Barth. “It just shows how the grid position is critical in the short sprint races of the World Touring Car Championship. Since we have a handicap with the BMW 320 TC, I sat in the slipstream of a rival on the fast straights.
“Due to the numerous grid position penalties I could start driving for the first race from the third row. There I never had problems to go with the pace of our rivals. If anything, our BMW 320 TC had an excellent balance. I was able to attack over the entire race distance and in the end even push. So it’s fun,” he concluded.
Wiechers-Sport Team Manager Dominik Greiner is pleased with how the team performed in Austria and is excited for the challenges which the team will face next time out in Russia, at the Moscow Raceway.
“I am very excited about these two good results in Austria,” he said. “The Salzburgring has brought us happiness yet again with positions 6 and 13, the best results of the season.
“Kudos to Fredy. He reacted greatly and with a savvy response, and showed that he can keep with the pace of our rivals in both races. Now we must still improve in qualifying. More top positions should then definitely be possible.
“Further praise must also go to our great mechanics. They have again prepared a perfect car for Fredy. Soon we will travel to Russia and we enter uncharted territory – I’m very excited for what awaits us there!” he concluded.