Yvan Muller

Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller
	Muller at the2014 FIA WTCC Race of Japan
Nationality	French
Born	16 August 1969(age 54); Altkirch,France
Related to	Cathy Muller(sister); Yann Ehrlacher(nephew); Yves Ehrlacher(brother-in-law)
World Touring Car Championshipand; World Touring Car Cupcareer
Debut season	2006
Car number	48
Former teams	SEAT Sport,Chevrolet,RML,Citroën Racing,Polestar Cyan Racing
Starts	328
Wins	56
Poles	33
Fastest laps	40
Best finish	1st in2008,10–11,13
Previous series
2010, 2012; 2010–11; 2006-17; 2003; 2001; 2000–05; 1998–2005; 1997; 1996; 1995; 1994; 1993; 1992; 1989–91; 1988;	V8 Supercars; World Rally Championship; WTCC; ETCC; ESTC; V8 Supercars; BTCC; STW; Italian Superturismo; French Supertouring; French Supertouring; International F3000; British F2; French F3; French Formula Renault
Championship titles
2013; 2011; 2010; 2008; 2003; 1995; 1992	WTCC; WTCC; WTCC; WTCC; BTCC; French Supertouring; British F2
BTCCrecord
Teams	Audi; Vauxhall;
Drivers'; championships	1
Wins	36
Podium finishes	79
Poles	17
Fastest laps	30
Debut season	1998
First win	1999
Best championship position	1st (2003)
Final season (2005) position	2nd (273 points)

Yvan Muller(born 16 August 1969)^[1]is a Frenchauto racingdriver most noted for success intouring car racing.He is a four-timeWorld Touring Car Champion,winning the title in 2008 with SEAT, in 2010 and 2011 with Chevrolet and in 2013 with RML. He wasBritish Touring Car Championin 2003 with Vauxhall.

Racing career

Single-seaters

After competing inFrench Formula Renaultand FrenchFormula Three,he won the BritishFormula Twochampionship title in 1992 and competed in theFIA Formula 3000 Championshipin 1993. His sisterCathy Mullerhad previously contested four races in this category between 1986 and 1988.^[2]^[3]

French Supertouring Championship, Italian Superturismo and Super Tourenwagen Cup

1994 Yvan Muller made his debut inFrench Supertouring ChampionshipwithTeam BMW Finafinishing third while the following year he became Champion. In 1996 due to lack of manufacturers involved he decide to pass toAudi Sport Italiaand to compete inItalian Superturismo Championshipfinishing fourth overall. After one season he moved toSTWin order to develop the new Audi A4 front wheel. He ended seventh and in 1998 he passed toBTCC.

Three years later Muller was called byN.Technologyto run withAlfa Romeo 156to help Alfa Romeo and Giovanardi to win theEuropean Super Touring Championship 2001.

British Touring Car championship

Yvan Muller started hisBTCCcareer in 1998 replacing Audi Vice ChampionFrank Bielathat in the while came back inSTW.Muller thanks to his major experience with front wheel Audi A4 got three podium and finished 7th in the 1998 championship while his teammateJohn Bintcliffefinished just 15th. After Audi withdraw at the end of 1998 BTCC, Yvan moved to the Vauxhall Motorsport team run byTriple Eight Race Engineeringfor 1999 alongsideJohn Clelandusing theVauxhall Vectra.He would win his first BTCC race at round 7 Brands Hatch, he would eventually finish 6th in the championship while teammateJohn Clelandfinished 13th. 2000 was the last year for the Super Tourers in the BTCC. Muller drove for Vauxhall again whileJason PlatoandVincent Radermeckerjoined after leavingRenaultandVolvowho pulled out at the end of 1999. The Frenchman finished as the top driver for Vauxhall in 4th in the championship behind all three Ford drivers (Alain Menu,Anthony ReidandRickard Rydell).

In 2001 the regulations changed to the new Touring Cars. Vauxhall debuted itsBTC-T Vauxhall Astra Coupefor both the Vauxhall Motorsport team and Egg Sport both run by Triple Eight Race Engineering. The Astra was the car to beat against its competitors. Muller and teammate Plato fought for the championship the whole season. Muller finished 2nd in the championship after his car caught fire in the final race leaving Plato as the champion. 2002 BTCC would be much of the same. The Astra was the best car againstHonda,Peugeot,MGandProtondespite some reliability problems throughout the season.James Thompsonmoved up to Vauxhall Motorsport after 2001 champion Jason Plato left to drive in NASCAR. Yvan finished 2nd in the championship again behind teammate James Thompson after more bad luck during the season and last few races caused him to again miss out on the title. He would again drive in 2003 for Vauxhall. The team now called VX Racing continued racing the Astra Coupe and also streached to a three car works Vauxhall/VXR team after Egg Sport was dropped. The Astra Coupe was again the car to beat and Yvan Muller and James Thompson again fought for the championship. Muller won his first title from teammate Thompson after a very strong season. 2004 would be the last year for the Astra Coupe. The Astra was challenged very hard in 2004 by Honda, MG and Seat making its debut with former Vauxhall driver and 2001 champion Jason Plato, but consistency lead both the VX Racing teammates of Yvan Muller and James Thompson to fight for the championship. Thompson won his second championship from Muller by one point. 2005 saw the newBTC-T Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatchreplace the extremely successful Astra Coupe for Vauxhall. The Astra Sport Hatch was out classed by the new Honda Integra and prevented Muller from winning a second title. He finished second in the championship for the 4th time in 5 years, making a decision at the end of 2005, Muller left the BTCC to drive for Seat in theWTCC.

V8 Supercar

Muller competed in the two AustralianV8 Supercarendurance races each year for a number of years, taking victory at the 2005Sandown 500with local driverCraig Lowndesin their Betta ElectricalTriple Eight BA Falcon.In the same year, he was also involved in one of the most memorable incidents at the Mount Panorama for theBathurst 1000,where in the lead, Craig Lowndes clipped the wall at Reid Park, and after a watts link change, another incident saw a wheel part company fromPaul Dumbrell's car and hit the windscreen of Lowndes. In 2006 and 2007, Muller has been unable to race in the two annual enduros due to a clash with WTCC.

World Touring Car championship

SEAT (2006–2009)

On 12 November 2005 it was officially announced that he would be switching to the 2006World Touring Car Championship(WTCC), driving for SEAT Sport. A pair of 2nd places in the opening meeting in Monza showed that he was a likely frontrunner, his first win then coming in round 5 atBrands Hatch.He was classified 4th at the end of the season with 62pts.

He finished 2nd in the2007 WTCCwith 81pts, and he lost the title toGuernseydriverAndy Priaulx(BMW 320si) during the last race in Macau where hisSEAT León TDIsuffered afuel pumpfailure when he was leading the first race with one lap to go, which put him out of race 2 at Macau.^[4]^[5]

He opened 2008 with a victory atCuritiba,Brazil.^[6]Yvan Muller was battling for the championship, primarily with teammateGabriele Tarquiniduring the season, and finally won the championship at the final round inMacau.^[7]

In 2009, Yvan was beaten to the title by teammate Tarquini, taking four victories.

Chevrolet (2010–2012)

He moved to rival teamChevroletin 2010.^[8]He scored pole position and won his first race for the team inBrazil.He took further wins inItalyand theUnited Kingdomto become the 2010 World Touring Car Champion and the first driver to win the title for two teams.

Muller stayed with the team in 2011. At the end of the year he was champion once again after a close battle with teammateRob Huff,matchingAndy Priaulx's record of three WTCC titles.^[9]Muller stayed with Chevrolet in 2012.

RML (2013)

Muller stayed with the RML team for2013 season,now racing as an independent entry after the withdrawal of Chevrolet from the World Touring Car Championship. He drove aChevrolet Cruze 1.6Talongside formerTeam AondriverTom Chilton.^[10]He won both races at the season openingRace of Italyin wet conditions to score his first victories as an independent touring car driver.^[11]

Citroën (2014–2016)

In August 2013 it was announced that Muller would join Citroën Racing for the2014 World Touring Car Championship seasonalongside nine–timeWorld Rally Champion Sébastien Loebin a two–year deal.^[12]

Muller is founder and team principal of Yvan Muller Racing, which enters cars in various motorsport disciplines including sports car racing, and also helps to train young drivers.^[13]

Muller announced that the 2016 season would be his last in the WTCC, as he was retiring from the sport to concentrate on his family and race team.^[14]

Volvo (2017)

During 2017 he took on a role as test- and development-driver forPolestar Cyan Racing.He returned to the championship to replaceNestor Girolamifor the season finale in Qatar.

M Racing-YMR (2018)

In2018returned to full-time racing with a couple self-ownedHyundai i30 N TCRsfor himself andThed Björk.He finished runner-up in the drivers championship and M Racing-YMR was the teams champions.

Cyan Racing Lynk & Co (2019-2020)

For2019he returned toCyan Racingdriving one of fourLynk & Co 03 TCR.

Other racing categories

He primarily races intouring cars,but also participates in other categories. In particular, he has won theAndros Trophy Ice RacingChampionship 10 times (a record), with 46 race victories (also a record).

During the early years of his career, he competed in the24 Hours of Le Mansin1993and1996,but did not finish. He was originally entered to take part in the1999race in anAudi R8Cbut withdrew from the squad before any official running.^[15]

In 2007, he participated in theDakar Rally.In2009(following the 2008 cancellation) he also participated in the Dakar Rally in South America, but he withdrew during the 5th stage.^[16]He represented France in the 2007 Race of Champions, alongsideSébastien Bourdais.He participated in theRallye de France–Alsacein aCitroën Xsara WRC,a round of the2010 World Rally Championship.