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Raajiv Tripathi
Doha
When the 2016 World Tour Car Championship season draws to a close under the dazzling floodlights of the Losail Circuit Sports Club on Friday night, the series will bid adieu to two great Citroen great drivers and teammates Yvan Muller and Jose Maria Lopez.
Citroen had declared that it would wind up last year but an official announcement was made in April this year.
While 47-year-old French Muller, who has won the WTCC title four times and posted 50 race wins, will stop racing, three-time reigning WTCC champion Lopez is switching to Formula E and has reportedly signed up with Toyota for a full WEC season next year.
On the eve of the 2016 WTCC season finale, Muller got emotional and said,"It's a special moment and special week for me. First time when I jumped into the racing car, I said to myself 'Oh, It's the last time I'm driving this car.
"But after the race, I felt good and continued for 11 years!"
Talking about the decision to retire, the French, who emerged the winner in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013, revealed,"There are some teams that want me to continue but I decided to stop. I'm happy with my decision and I don't want to do any more racing."
Lopez said,"I'm going to look back at my three best years in motorsport and see with a smile why I became the world champion. I really enjoyed with my team. It adopted me as a member. It's a bit sad (to leave). But for sure, I'm going to look back at the good times for me and my team.
"When we were racing in Qatar last year, we came to know about the team's decision. Normally, it doesn't happen like a year before but then we started to look for the opportunities. And by April this year, it became official."
Lopez, who became the first Argentine motorsport world champion in 2014 after Juan Manuel Fangio achieved the feat in 1957, said,"There are many series and many nice cars as options for me. Being in Citroen put me in a good place to choose my opportunities carefully. Besides, I want to do other things in my life like Formula E and Le Mans racing. But sometimes your decision depends on what kind of opportunities you've.
"Citroen has been like my family. When they decided to leave, it was like I also decided to leave. But for me, racing is my job...it's my life and passion. I kept my doors open. Thanks to God, I got new offers and I decided to go with FE.
"At the moment, I feel that if I don't leave it now, I won't be able to do what I really wish to do in the future. I'm not a young guy anymore and time flies really. I know that the doors will remain open for me in the WTCC. It's not goodbye. I'll come back but it depends on various things like how is the future of the series, my physical condition and the teams that offer me to race again," added Lopez, the former Renault Formula 1 test driver.
Talking about the most unforgettable moment in the WTCC, Muller promptly said,"It was in Macau in 2008 when I won the first world title of my career." Three more titles followed and he collected 50 race wins and 29 pole positions.
