As negotiations continue to secure an Alfa Romeo presence on the 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship grid when the series kicks off at Monza on 2nd April next year, the Italian brand has just taken part in a two day control tyre test at Kyalami in South Africa.

Much effort has recently been expended to try to secure the participation of the 'SuperTouring' Alfa Romeo 156 in next year's FIA-sanctioned World Touring Car Championship, which will be the second consecutive edition of what is now the première touring car category. Last year the Alfa 156, in the hands of long-time factory pilot Fabrizio Giovanardi, firmly took the title fight to BMW, the veteran Italian staying in contention right down to the final races, held on the tight and twisty streets of Macau. Alfa Romeo's late autumn decision not to officially take part next year has led to a flurry of activity centered on trying to keep the Milanese marque's name firmly flying in the burgeoning series. While a number of leading private teams have expressed an interest, the most likely candidate would be a reborn Team Nordauto. Mauro and Monica Spiz's Team Nordauto previously ran the N.Technology developed-and-built Alfa 156 in the FIA European Touring Car Championship before the operation was merged with Fiat's own competition department, and the cars run under the famous Autodelta name. For 2005 the Autodelta tag was dropped in favour of the 'Alfa Romeo Racing Team'.

Of Alfa Romeo's four factory drivers this year, Italian Gabriele Tarquini and Briton James Thompson have been drafted into the factory SEAT outfit for next year's FIA World Touring Car Championship, while Fabrizio Giovanardi will be contesting the 2006 British Touring Car Championship for General Motor's UK brand, Vauxhall. The fourth Alfa Romeo factory driver, highly rated Brazilian youngster Augusto Farfus, who won one of the FIA WTCC's closing races in Macau, remains available, and rumour suggests that he could spearhead a two car team next year. Autosport magazine has also recently quoted Fabrizio Giovanardi as stating that he will be available to Alfa Romeo for any rounds that do not clash with his British Championship commitments next year, as his contract apparently allows for this.
 

Adding further fuel to the fire that reckons Alfa Romeo will line up on the FIA WTCC grid next year is the fact that they took part in two days of testing which were organised by Yokohama at Kyalami, the former home circuit of the South African Grand Prix, during the week prior to the Christmas holidays. The sessions were to continue development of the Advan control tyre which will be used during the 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship and were reported to have proved to be very positive. Despite some unexpected showers, on Monday and Tuesday, Alfa Romeo, who were joined by reigning champions BMW and Spanish carmaker SEAT, tested four different tyre solutions with Fabrizio Giovanardi, Jörg Müller and Rickard Rydell respectively undertaking the driving. “The tyres we tested were based for the construction on those we had previously tested in Vallelunga, but the compounds were new. We are happy because we have found in Kyalami the kind of weather conditions we needed,” Yokohama’s marketing manager Kazuyoshi Sekiguchi commented.

The 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship will begin at Monza on 2nd April. It will then visit Magny-Cours, France on 30th April, Brands Hatch, England (21st May), and Oschersleben, Germany (4th June) before a new round takes place at Curitiba in Brazil (2nd July) subject to the FIA homologating the circuit. The series will stay in South American and visit Puebla, Mexico (30th July), before it travels back to Europe and takes a break before visiting the historic Brno circuit in the Czech Republic (3rd September). Istanbul in Turkey (24th September) and Valencia in Spain (8th October), are dates on the calendar before the series comes to a close in Macau, China (19th November).