Rob Huff wins the first race at Pau
Rob Huff has one race one at the Grand Prix of Pau. The Chevrolet driver started from fourth on the grid, but already moved up to second at the start of the race. On lap two he took over first position, after Augusto Farfus out braked himself at Pont Oscar. Although Huff would be under pressure from the BMW’s for the rest of the race, he managed to stay ahead.
His team mate Alain Menu took fifth at the start after starting from sixth, and took another place on lap three by overtaking Franz Engstler at the Hairpin, as Andy Priaulx followed him through. The other Chevrolet driver Nicola Larini failed to finish after he parked his car in the pits on lap three.
On lap 5 Sergio Hernandez overtakes Coronel to take sixth, as his team mate Alessandro set the fastest lap, only to retire in the pits a lap later. Three laps later Hernandez takes another place by overtaking Engstler.
The German privateer driver lost another spot a lap later, when Tom Coronel overtook him round the outside at the hairpin.
On lap 12 Andy Priaulx overtook Alain Menu under the bridge, albeit with a little bit of contact. In the corner after that Hernandez follows Priaulx through passed Menu, making it a 2-3-4-5 for BMW.
A lap later Moroccan driver Bennani is put into a spin by Felix Porteiro and stops on the middle of the track. Jaap van Lagen only just manages to stop his car to prevent t-boning the SEAT driver.
Lap 14 was the end of the race for Wiechers driver Stefano D’Aste, when he crashes into the barriers sideways and loses a wheel.
After overtaking Engstler on lap 16, Felix Porteiro starts to hunt down the leader in the independents category Tom Coronel. On the last lap he has done so, and Porteiro pushes Coronel out wide at the hair pin to take the lead. Coronel drops back to third in the independents standings, as Engstler gets passed too.
Immediately after the race the stewards announce they are investigating Porteiro’s actions during the race.
Alain Menu lets himself drop back from sixth to eighth, so he will take pole position for race two. However, if Porteiro is to get a penalty for his actions during race one, Menu will start from second and Tom Coronel will have pole position.
