Chevrolet Optra to race in FIA WTCC event

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

American carmaker PT General Motors Indonesia (GMI) announced on Nov. 4 that Chevrolet would, for the first time, participate in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) as a full factory team.

Three Chevrolet Optras will be developed, built and entered into the 2005 championship series by the British racing team Ray Mallock Limited.

"We are excited to be announcing GM's first FIA world championship with Chevrolet," PT GMI president director Harold Koh said in media statement.

"A strong motorsports presence provides the perfect stage for a strong brand to showcase its core values to a global audience."

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Touring Car project officer Eric Neve said that participating in the FIA event would allow the company to "compete against the same brands we compete against in the marketplace".

The rollout of the first prototype is slated for December. The first racing Chevrolet Touring Car will be tested on the track for an extensive test program throughout Europe. Drivers have yet to be announced.

The 2005 series tentative schedule will be in Monza, Italy; Magny-Cours, France; Silverstone, UK; Brno, Czech Republic; Mexico; Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium; Oschersleben, Germany; Istanbul, Turkey; Valencia, Spain; and Macau.

In Indonesia, the Chevrolet Optra is powered by a 1,799 cc, four-cylinder inline, double-overhead camshaft (DOHC) D-TEC engine unleashing maximum power of 119 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 160 Newton-meters at 4,000 rpm.

There are two variants, the Chevrolet Optra LS and LT. Each is available with either automatic or manual transmission and are priced from Rp 164.8 million to Rp 201.5 million (US$18,300 to $22,400).