John Cleland appointed as adviser to the WTCC stewards

Two-time British Touring Car champion John Cleland will be assisting the stewards at selected rounds of the WTCC this season, including the opening round this weekend at Monza in a new role created in order to guide the stewards and offer a racing driver’s perspective.

This role is new for 2012, with the FIA having added the position as a non-voting member of the stewards panel under Article 29. 2) of the Sporting Regulations, which states:

“The Adviser to the Stewards is an experienced touring car racing driver, with no connection of dependency with any manufacturer or make of car entered in the Championship. His role is to assist and advise the Panel and/or the Race Director on all questions pertaining to motor sport in general and to the behaviour of the drivers and competitors on the track in particular. The Adviser must attend the meetings of the Panel but without the right to vote.”

John Cleland won the British Touring Car Championship in 1989 and 1995 for Vauxhall, the manufacturer with which he spent his entire BTCC career. Cleland retired from touring car racing at the end of 1999, where he raced alongside three-time WTCC champion Yvan Muller.

Cleland has since raced in the V8 Supercars Championship at the Bathurst 1000km, where he has competed on 12 occasions, and in recent years has also worked on the Eurosport commentary team for the WTCC.