Andy Priaulx has mixed fortunes in opening WTCC races in Brazil
Andy Priaulx had mixed fortunes in Brazil for the first two races of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. In race one at the Curitiba track he finished fifth in his BMW Team RBM car, but after the start of race two he was in a collision with Gabriele Tarquini’s SEAT and ended up back in the pits with a broken front right wheel.
“Of course I am disappointed by the outcome of race two. But that’s motor racing. The car was strong and I felt confident of a podium position in race two, but these sort of collisions happen in close racing. The first races of the season are always educational as we find out what we can do and also what the opposition has achieved over the winter. I may not be leaving Brazil with as many points as I wanted, but I know we can fight with the others,” said Priaulx.
Race one on the 3.695 kilometre track started with two laps behind the safety car due to torrential rain, but by the end of the 16 laps the track was dry and the drivers were looking for a wet line to cool down their wet tyres. By the start of race two the track was dry so all the cars were out on slicks.
Results Race 1
- Yvan Muller (Chevrolet)
- Rob Huff (Chevrolet)
- Alain Menu (Chevrolet)
- Gabriele Tarquini (SEAT)
- Andy Priaulx (BMW)
- Augusto Farfus (BMW)
- Tom Coronel (SEAT)
- Jordi Gene (SEAT)
Results Race 2
- Gabriele Tarquini (SEAT)
- Jordi Gene (SEAT)
- Alain Menu (Chevrolet)
- Yvan Muller (Chevrolet)
- Rob Huff (Chevrolet)
- Augusto Farfus (BMW)
- Tiago Monteiro (SEAT)
- Michel Nykjaer (SEAT)
Drivers Championship:
- Gabriele Tarquini 37
- Yvan Muller 37
- Alain Menu 30
- Rob Huff 28
- Jordi Gene 24
- Augusto Farfus 16
- Andy Priaulx 10
- Tiago Monteiro 6
2010 FIA World Touring Car Championship Calendar
- 7th March - Curitiba - Brazil
- 11th April - Puebla - Mexico
- 2nd May - Marrakech - Morocco
- 23rd May - Monza - Italy
- 20th June - Zolder - Belgium
- 4th July - Algarve - Portugal
- 18th July - Brands Hatch - United Kingdom
- 1st August - Brno - Czech Republic
- 5th September - Oschersleben - Germany
- 19th September - Valencia - Spain
- 31st October - Okayama - Japan
- 21st November - Macau - China