2006 World Touring Car Championship

The 2006 World Touring Car Championship season was the third season of FIA World Touring Car Championship motor racing. It featured a ten event, twenty race series which commenced on 2 April 2006 and ended on 19 November. The series was open to Super 2000, Diesel 2000 and Super Production Cars, with two titles awarded, the FIA World Touring Car Champion for Drivers and the FIA World Touring  Car Champion for Manufacturers. Andy Priaulx won the Drivers title and BMW won the Manufacturers award.

Teams and drivers
The following drivers and teams contested the 2006 World Touring Car Championship.

Drivers changes
Changed Teams
 * Gabriele Tarquini: Alfa Romeo Racing Team → SEAT Sport
 * James Thompson: Alfa Romeo Racing Team → SEAT Sport

Entering WTCC including those who entered one-off rounds in 2005
 * Yvan Muller: British Touring Car Championship → SEAT Sport
 * Marcel Costa: No full-time drive → BMW Team Italy-Spain
 * Gianni Morbidelli: FIA GT Championship → N-Technology
 * Salvatore Tavano: Italian Superturismo Championship → N-Technology
 * Maurizio Ceresoli: Italian Formula Three Championship → GR Asia
 * Pierre-Yves Corthals: No full-time drive → Jas Motorsport
 * Ryan Sharp: Formula Renault 3.5 Series → Jas Motorsport
 * Luca Rangoni: No full-time drive → Proteam Motorsport
 * Emmet O'Brien: European Alfa Romeo 147 Challenge → Wiechers-Sport
 * Diego Romanini: FIA GT Championship → Wiechers-Sport

Leaving WTCC
 * Fabrizio Giovanardi: Alfa Romeo Racing Team → British Touring Car Championship
 * Antonio García: BMW Team Italy-Spain → No full-time drive
 * Thomas Klenke: Ford Hotfiel Sport → No full-time drive
 * Michael Funke: Ford Hotfiel Sport → ADAC GT Masters
 * Roberto Colciago: Jas Motorsport → Italian Superturismo Championship
 * Adriano de Micheli: Jas Motorsport → No full-time drive
 * Giuseppe Cirò: Proteam Motorsport → Ferrari Challenge
 * Marc Hennerici: Wiechers-Sport → Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring

Calendar
Each event comprised two races of 50 kilometres distance. The starting grid for the first race was determined by the results of the qualifying session and the grid for the second race by the provisional results of the first race, with the top eight positions reversed.

Drivers' Championship
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.

Manufacturers' Championship
Championship points were awarded on a 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1 basis for the first eight positions in each race. However, only the two best placed cars per manufacturer were eligible to score points and all other cars from that manufacturer were considered invisible as far as point scoring was concerned.

Yokohama Independents' Trophy
Points were awarded on a 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1 basis for the first eight finishers of those entries which were classified as Independents.


 * Dead-heat
 * 10p: 14th Edman (4th x 2), 15th A. Chi Hong (4th x 1)
 * 5p: 17th L. Molo (4th x 1), 18th O. Hidalgo (5th x 1)
 * 2p: 21st M. De Villota (7th x 1), 22nd P. Geipel (7th x 1), 23rd D. Roda (7th x 1), 24th S. Valli (8th x 2)

Yokohama Teams' Trophy
Points were awarded on a 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1 basis for the first eight finishers of those entries which were classified as Independents.