The FIA World Touring Car Championship began on March 2nd under the heat of the Brazilian sun and poker fans can be in the thick of the action with free tournaments from fun.PokerRoom.com and the FIA WTCC - poker at the most exciting racetracks in the world!

The start of the FIA WTCC season in Curitiba, Brazil, was also the location for the first semi-final race of the spectacular Poker Race Trophy.

This involves playing poker trackside during the race. Besides the fun.PokerRoom.com, qualifiers who are fighting for entry to the final in Vienna with a prize pool of $500,000, there is also the possibility for everyone to experience stirring action at the tables through the poker school in the Entertainment Area.

Here's how it works. To take part in the trackside semi-final races, register for free on fun.PokerRoom.com and qualify in the freeroll tournaments. If you master the online qualification, you will go directly to the online final.

The best players in the online finals will then be flown to one of the six semi-final races at the best-known circuits in the world, and will play poker there for a ticket to the big $500,000 gala finale on November 29th 2008 in Vienna.

The online finalists for the racing weekend in Brazil have already prevailed but the next qualification phase for the poker event in Valencia (May 17th) will continue until April 30th. Qualification for the other fast-paced dates will still be possible on fun.PokerRoom.com until September 19th.

So, once again, strap yourself in, play poker and secure an entry to the next semi-final race at the best-known racetracks in the world. Brno (Czech Republic), Brands Hatch (Great Britain), Oschersleben (Germany), and the world-renowned Monza (Italy) circuit await their poker fans.

A freeroll poker tournament to be held at selected FIA WTCC circuits - a one-off highlight for all poker fans and motorsport enthusiasts! If you can't be there live, you can still catch the action on your TV as Eurosport will broadcast a 52-minute summary of the first tournament in Brazil on March 14th. Further Poker Race Trophy shows will be broadcast regularly after the semi-final races.

Eurosport