Priaulx on max penalty weight

SEAT and BMW won a race apiece on the first visit paid by the FIA World Touring Car Championship to Brazil. A successful event that gathered 34,000 spectators on the grandstands of the Curitiba racetrack.

The first race was enlivened by the fight between Alfa Romeo local boy Augusto Farfus and SEAT Sport men Jordi Gené and Peter Terting. Starting from the pole, Farfus managed to maintain the lead for half of the distance in front of his home crowd, but finally Gené and Terting succeded in overtaking him, giving SEAT a 1-2 finish.

Race 2 was full of drama. Andy Priaulx led all the way from the green light to the chequered flag, but he was forced to re-build his lead twice after two safety car periods. Behind him there was a breathtaking fight for the second position, with a number of clashes that involved Rydell, Gené and Farfus. Finally Gianni Morbidelli and his Alfa Romeo managed to claim second place beating Alessandro Zanardi by inches.

With these results, Andy Priaulx re-gained a solo lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with a 3-point margin ahead of James Thompson, while Gabriele Tarquini is third, one further point adrift.

The SEAT vs BMW fight is also very close in the Manufacuters’ Championshp, with the Spanish make leading by one mere point.

Weights

Andy Priaulx is the first driver to reach the maximum handicap weight this season, following his victory in the second race at Curitiba. The Briton will carry 80 kg on board his BMW 320si in Mexico.

His closest rivals in the championship points will drive much lighter cars: Thompson’s SEAT will be loaded with 60 extra kilograms and Tarquini’s with 45. A new entry in the handicap chart is Gianni Morbidelli whose brilliant second place in Curitiba Race 2 has resulted in 25 kg of ballast.

The FIA WTCC will resume in Puebla-Amozoc, Mexico on July 29th and 30th.