Old is gold - just ask world touring car champion Tarquini

Age is no barrier. Just ask Gabriele Tarquini, who is living proof you don't have to be young to be the best.

Last year, the 48-year-old wrapped up the overall title at the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). He achieved the feat in Macau after collecting enough points in the last two rounds of the series to climb to the pinnacle of the sport - 40 years after first racing in karts.

His WTCC title made him the oldest FIA world champion at the age of 47 years and 266 days, breaking the previous record held by Juan Manuel Fangio, whose record of 46 years and 41 days had stood since the legendary Argentine won his fifth FIA Formula One drivers' championship in 1957.

Before Tarquini started racing in touring cars, he endured seven miserable years in Formula One, starting in 1987. He scored just one championship point from 78 races and holds the record for the most failed attempts - 25 - to qualify for the F1 starting grid.

But that didn't stop the Italian from chasing his dream. He subsequently switched to touring cars where he found his niche, winning the British Touring Car Championship in 1994 and then last year's WTCC title.

Tarquini feels he's on top of the world now. He spent the summer in Europe last year on a boat he had bought as a reward for his WTCC title victory. The boat is named Juma after his two children, Julia (5) and Matteo (4).

'After winning last year's title, I didn't know what else I could do. At my age, it's not going to be Formula One, so I thought how about taking another shot at the world title again in the WTCC,' said Tarquini, who is lying third overall in the championship table with two rounds to go in Macau.