The 19th and 20th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place next week at Monza, the Italian temple of speed, home of the Italian Grand Prix since 1922. The track, located inside the Royal Park some 15 km North of Milan, is also a traditional venue for the FIA Touring Cars as it hosted the opening rounds of both, the first ever World Touring Car Championship in 1987 and the current one in 2005. Since 2003 Alfa Romeo and BMW have equally shared the glory at Monza, winning four races apiece (in 2003 and 2004 counting towards the European Touring Car Championship). James Thompson and Jörg Müller have claimed two victories each.
The two races in Monza will mark the end of WTCC''s European season before the long trip to Macau for the grand finale.