A glimpse of the future from 2006 SEAT Leon WTCC contender
23 Nov 2005
SEAT has pulled the wraps off its finalised 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship Leon - a model whose 'DNA' will feature in forthcoming high performance road-going Leons.
A developmental version of the vehicle - driven by Spaniard Jordi Gene - won the Valencia WTCC race in October, signalling a bright 2006 season. Six world class drivers will drive for the SEAT team comprising, in addition to Gene, Yvan Muller, Rickard Rydell, Peter Terting, Gabriele Tarquini and previous BTC Champion, Brit James Thompson.
The racing version of the new Leon is built at SEAT Sport's facility in Martorell, Spain, and is one of the most advanced vehicles the division has produced to date. It is based on the
185 PS 2.0 TFSI road-going model - recently launched in the UK at £15,995 RRP on the road - and is tuned to produce around 280 PS.
Elements of its aerodynamic body kit will be used on high performance production versions of the new Leon, set for launch in 2006, such as the FR (which stands for 'Formula Racing'). The WTCC Leon features the revolutionary automated DSG gearbox, which combines the strengths of both manual and automatic transmission, and in this case is operated through controls on the steering wheel.
James Thompson is very excited about next year's season: 'SEAT is very ambitious and wants to win, and that fits in perfectly with my mentality to life and racing. The new Leon looks fantastic. It's already won a World Touring Car race and I think we have a good chance of winning both the Drivers' and Manufacturers' titles.'
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