What: 1996 Campeonato de España de Turismos
Series: Campeonato de España de Turismos
Model Family: A4
Model / Generation Code(s): type 8D, R7
Chassis / Matrix: B5
Racecar Generation: R7
Class: FIA Class 2 / Super Touring
Rounds: 8 meetings / 16 races
Season: 1996
Circuits: Jarama, Albacete, Barcelona, Estoril, Calafat, Jerez
Countries: Spain, Portugal
Manufacturer Champion: Audi
Driver Champion: Jordi Gené
Winning Entrant: Audi Racing Team España
Winning Car: A4 quattro Super Touring #4
Winning Chassis: ST10
OVERVIEW
Jordi Gené won the 1996 Campeonato de España de Turismos in an Audi A4 quattro, while Audi secured the manufacturers’ trophy. The championship comprised eight meetings and 16 races, beginning at Jarama on May 19 and concluding at Barcelona on November 24. Estoril provided the calendar’s Portuguese round.
Audi’s participation extended beyond its champion. Joan Vinyes contested the full season alongside Gené, while Tamara Vidali, Yvan Muller and Ralf Kalaschek made guest appearances. Together, these five drivers represented the marque in both quattro and two-wheel-drive A4 entries.
AUDI’S FULL-SEASON LINEUP
Audi Racing Team España entered Gené in number 4 and Andorran driver Joan Vinyes in number 44. The Super Touring Register identifies their cars as ST10 and ST09 respectively, both built by Audi Sport in 1995.
ST10 arrived with an established international record: Frank Biela had driven it to victory in the 1995 FIA Touring Car World Cup. Gené subsequently used it to win the Spanish championship. Vinyes finished fourth in the drivers’ standings, contributing a second competitive A4 to Audi’s manufacturers’ campaign.
VIDALI, MULLER AND KALASCHEK
Tamara Vidali joined the final two meetings, driving number 104 at Jarama and Barcelona. Her guest results included fifth and fourth at Jarama, followed by a disqualification and seventh at Barcelona. She was ineligible for championship points.
Muller and Kalaschek appeared at Jerez on October 27 in numbers 114 and 144. The register identifies both cars as two-wheel-drive A4s and specifically assigns Muller’s entry to ST22, previously raced by Emanuele Pirro in Germany. Both drivers retired from the opening race and did not start the second. The supplied records do not establish chassis numbers for Vidali’s or Kalaschek’s cars.
AUDI TEAMS & DRIVERS
| Team / Entrant | Car | No. | Driver | Participation | Chassis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audi Racing Team España | A4 quattro | 4 | 🇪🇸 Jordi Gené | Full season | ST10 |
| Audi Racing Team España | A4 quattro | 44 | 🇦🇩 Joan Vinyes | Full season | ST09 |
| Audi Racing Team España | A4 quattro* | 104 | 🇮🇹 Tamara Vidali | Jarama and Barcelona finales | Unconfirmed |
| Audi Racing Team España | A4 2WD | 114 | 🇫🇷 Yvan Muller | Jerez | ST22 |
| Audi Racing Team España | A4 2WD | 144 | 🇦🇹 Ralf Kalaschek | Jerez | Unconfirmed |
Wikipedia identifies Vidali’s entry as an A4 quattro; the register’s season entry list labels it simply Audi A4. The three guest drivers were ineligible for championship points.
RACE CALENDAR & RESULTS
| Date | Event | Circuit | Race 1 Winner | Race 2 Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 1996 | 1 | 🇪🇸 Jarama | Jordi Gené — Audi* | Eric van de Poele — Nissan |
| June 9, 1996 | 2 | 🇪🇸 Albacete | Jordi Gené — Audi | Jordi Gené — Audi |
| June 30, 1996 | 3 | 🇪🇸 Barcelona | Jordi Gené — Audi | Fabrizio Giovanardi — Alfa Romeo |
| September 8, 1996 | 4 | 🇵🇹 Estoril | Jordi Gené — Audi | Pedro Chaves — BMW |
| September 22, 1996 | 5 | 🇪🇸 Calafat | Luis Pérez-Sala — Nissan | Luis Pérez-Sala — Nissan |
| October 27, 1996 | 6 | 🇪🇸 Jerez | Pedro Chaves — BMW | Fabrizio Giovanardi — Alfa Romeo |
| November 10, 1996 | 7 | 🇪🇸 Jarama | Pedro Chaves — BMW | Pedro Chaves — BMW |
| November 24, 1996 | 8 | 🇪🇸 Barcelona | Fabrizio Giovanardi — Alfa Romeo | Eric van de Poele — Nissan |
The opening Jarama winner differs between the references: Wikipedia credits Gené, while the register places Vinyes first and Gené second. The table follows Wikipedia’s season account.
AUDI FULL-SEASON DRIVER RESULTS
Each result pair lists Race 1 followed by Race 2. This table follows Wikipedia’s championship results.
| Date | Circuit | Gené #4 | Vinyes #44 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 1996 | Jarama | 1st / 2nd* | 2nd / 3rd* |
| June 9, 1996 | Albacete | 1st / 1st | 9th / 9th |
| June 30, 1996 | Barcelona | 1st / 4th | 5th / 2nd |
| September 8, 1996 | Estoril | 1st / 4th | 3rd / 3rd |
| September 22, 1996 | Calafat | 2nd / 2nd | 8th / 3rd |
| October 27, 1996 | Jerez | 6th / 5th | 7th / 6th |
| November 10, 1996 | Jarama | 2nd / Ret | 7th / 5th |
| November 24, 1996 | Barcelona | 4th / 2nd | 2nd / 5th |
See the opening Jarama classification discrepancy in Sources and Notes.
AUDI GUEST DRIVER RESULTS
| Date | Circuit | Driver | No. | Race 1 | Race 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 27, 1996 | Jerez | Yvan Muller | 114 | Ret | DNS |
| October 27, 1996 | Jerez | Ralf Kalaschek | 144 | Ret | DNS |
| November 10, 1996 | Jarama | Tamara Vidali | 104 | 5th | 4th |
| November 24, 1996 | Barcelona | Tamara Vidali | 104 | DSQ | 7th |
DRIVER STANDINGS (TOP 10)
| Pos. | Driver | Marque | Counted Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordi Gené | Audi | 213 |
| 2 | Pedro Chaves | BMW | 160 |
| 3 | Luis Pérez-Sala | Nissan | 153 |
| 4 | Joan Vinyes | Audi | 142 |
| 5 | Eric van de Poele | Nissan | 139 |
| 6 | Fabrizio Giovanardi | Alfa Romeo | 122 |
| 7 | Luis Villamil | Opel | 116 |
| 8 | Ni Amorim | Opel | 59 |
| 9 | Iñaki Goiburu | Alfa Romeo | 42 |
| 10 | Roberto Colciago | Opel | 27 |
Vidali, Muller and Kalaschek participated as guests and scored no championship points.
MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Pts. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audi | 260 |
| 2 | Nissan | 222 |
| 3 | Opel | 177 |
| 4 | BMW | 163 |
Alfa Romeo’s Nordauto entries were ineligible for manufacturers’ points.
PHOTO GALLERY
SOURCES AND NOTES
- Season information: 1996 Campeonato de España de Turismos — Wikipedia, including the calendar, championship classifications and guest-driver eligibility.
- Audi participation: 1996 Campeonato de España de Turismos — Super Touring Register, listing all five Audi drivers.
- Gené’s chassis: Audi A4 ST10 — Super Touring Register.
- Vinyes’s chassis: Audi A4 ST09 — Super Touring Register.
- Muller’s Jerez chassis: Audi A4 ST22 — Super Touring Register.
- Opening Jarama discrepancy: Wikipedia’s race report and championship table place Gené first and Vinyes second in Race 1. The chassis register places Vinyes first and Gené second. This entry follows Wikipedia for the season results and points, while retaining the discrepancy for further verification.
- Drive configuration: The register explicitly identifies Muller’s and Kalaschek’s Jerez entries as two-wheel-drive A4s. They should not automatically be described as quattro entries.
- Championship scoring: Drivers counted their best 14 results from 16 races. Gené’s 219 gross points became 213 counted points; Vinyes’s 146 became 142.
- Albacete penalties: Wikipedia records one-minute excessive-noise penalties for Vinyes in both races, leaving him ninth in each classification.
- Team classification: The reference provides a manufacturers’ trophy rather than a separate teams’ championship. Audi Racing Team España is identified above as the champion driver’s entrant.