Yesterday, Alfa Romeo launched its bid to win the inaugural World Touring Car Championship at the spiritual home of Italian motorsport, the Monza race track near Milan, which will also host the first race in the 2005 WTCC on 10th April 2005.

The World Touring Car Championship takes over from the highly successful European Touring Car Championship, which has provided some of the most exciting motorsport in the world over the last eight years, and lifts touring racing up to the same level as the World Formula One Championship and the World Rally Championship.

Alfa Romeo, with the 156, has been a dominant force in the ETCC, competing alongside teams from BMW, Ford, Peugeot, SEAT and Honda, with 17 teams and 32 drivers listed for the new world series. The new WTCC adds teams from Chevrolet and a yet to be confirmed Chinese car maker.

Alfa Romeo will run four cars in the 2005 WTCC for Gabriele Tarquini (European champion in 2003), Fabrizio Giovanardi (European champion in 2001 and 2002), Brazilian Augusto Farfus and Englishman James Thompson.

The first WTCC round is at Monza on 10th April. The Championship continues in France at Magny Cours (1st May), in England at Silverstone (15th May), then back to Italy and Imola (29th May). The first excursion outside Europe will be on 26th June at the new track at Puebla, in Mexico, before the teams return to Europe to tackle Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium, 30th July), Oschersleben (Germany, 28th August), Istanbul (Turkey, 18th September) and Valencia (Spain, 2nd October). The season's final round will take place on the city circuit of Macau, on 20th November.

The first race in the European Alfa Challenge, a one make championship for the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA, consists of events of two races each will also take place on 10th April at Monza. This first event will be followed by races on 1st May at Magny-Cours (France), 29th May at Imola, 30th July at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), 28th August at Oschersleben (Germany) and 2nd October at Valencia (Spain).