Photo: WTCC Media

José María López would welcome a chance to join the WTCC

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The World Touring Car Championship’s most recent race winner José María ‘Pechito’ López would love the opportunity to race in the WTCC in 2014 should an opportunity arise, after stunning the field with victory in the ageing BMW at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit last weekend.

The 30-year-old Argentinian, whose one-race deal to race for the German Wiechers-Sport was only finalised late the week before the race, was quick throughout the weekend, topping the morning warm up on Sunday and made full use of the Championship’s reverse grid qualifying system to win on his first weekend in the WTCC.

“I always want to go back to race in Europe, and I’m happy for this opportunity to race for Wiechers-Sport,” said López to TouringCarTimes.

“It’s great to work with them and to learn about the car and the series…you can feel a great atmosphere from everyone, you can talk with the other drivers and teams and it’s something I’m not used to in Argentina because of the rivalry and the competition here.

“It’s really hard and you fight for the sponsors. I think it’s because this group travel around the world together, so there’s a good friendship. When you’re in the car you’re racing but when you’re not in the car there’s a good spirit.”

López, who competes in the Argentinian Super TC 2000 Championship for Fiat and in the country’s Turismo Carretera in a General TC-run Dodge, would relish the opportunity to compete in the WTCC next year if there was a programme available.

“I would love an opportunity, he said.

“Of course for me it’s not easy because I’m Argentinian and the sponsors are really difficult to find, so for me the only opportunity is if a team comes and asks me to race. I’m a professional, it’s the only thing I’ve been doing for 22 years, but I’d love to do it and I’d do for much less than I win here in Argentina, but I’m 30 years old and racing is my profession.”