WTCC summary after Brno

Jörg Müller of BMW Team Germany and Robert Huff of Chevrolet shared victories in the seventh meeting of the 2006 FIA WTCC at Brno. Huff’s result makes it nine different winners so far this season. However Andy Priaulx of BMW Team UK emerged as the actual winner of the weekend.

The reigning world champion collected a 5th and a 2nd that, due to the fact that James Thompson did not score, resulted in Priaulx reclaiming the championship lead with a 9-point margin ahead of Thompson.

But the title fight is still wide open, with three meetings to go and 60 points to be awarded. Eight drivers are covered by only 17 points, from Priaulx (58) down to the Rydell-Tarquini duo (41). In the Manufacturers’ Championship the battle is even closer, with BMW edging SEAT by one.

In front of a record crowd of 46,000 – the largest for a car race since the new Masaryk circuit was inaugurated in 1987 – the WTCC drivers staged in a great show, plenty of overtaking and clashes.

The investigation regarding the collision between Priaulx and Tarquini during the first race resulted in no further actions and so did those for the Race 2 tangles between Y. Muller and Zanardi and between J. Müller and Menu.

The Stewards judged all these three cases as normal race incidents.

On the contrary Luca Rangoni was considered guilty of colliding with Ryan Sharp during Race 2 and was therefore given a penalty of 5 positions on the starting grid for the next race; however this penalty is suspended for the next two race meetings.

The FIA WTCC will resume in Istanbul, Turkey, on September 23rd and 24th.