WTCC - Rounds 1 and 2 - Curitiba - Race
BMW celebrates two triple-victories at WTCC kick-off
in Curitiba.
Curitiba (Brazil), 11th March 2007. The 2007 FIA World Touring
Car Championship (WTCC) started exactly in the same way as
last year's season ended: Jörg Müller (GER) of BMW
Team Germany claimed victory in the first race of the year.
In front of 33,000 spectators at the "Autódromo
Internacional de Curitiba" he made perfect use of his
pole position, thus repeating his triumph in the 2006 season
finale in Macau (CHN).
Reigning World Champion, Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK, GBR)
and Müller's team-mate Augusto Farfus (BRA) in second
and third place respectively, made for a perfect start to
the season for the BMW national teams. In the second race
at the 3.695-kilometre track, it was another BMW driver who
stepped into the spotlight: Farfus made the Brazilian crowd
cheer by taking the win. Priaulx finished second once again,
with Müller finishing third. For the first time in the
WTCC history, BMW took all six available podium places.
With 16 points each under their belts, Müller, Farfus
and Priaulx share the lead in the Drivers' Championship after
the first two rounds. In the Manufacturers' Championship,
BMW has 36 points to its tally, leading second-placed SEAT
by 15 points. The first race started with something new: For
the first time in WTCC history, it was kicked-off by a "rolling"
start. While a first-corner incident happened further back
in the field and eliminated four drivers from the race, the
BMW drivers coped well with the new challenge. Having started
from second place, Farfus took the lead from Müller.
However, even before entering turn 1, the 37-year-old successfully
launched a counter attack and passed the local hero. Zanardi
made an impressive start, too. He improved from tenth to seventh
place. On the other hand, his team-mate Félix Porteiro
(ESP) lost four positions and headed out of the first corner
in eighth place. In order to salvage all the cars that were
involved in the collision at the start, the Safety Car took
control of the race until the end of lap 5.
Following the re-start, the leading BMW trio took part in
an exciting fight for the win. At first, Müller succeeded
in building up a gap on Priaulx. Over the course of the race,
however, Priaulx turned the tables. The double World Champion
closed in on him lap by lap, while Farfus lost contact to
his brand-mates. Nevertheless, the running order remained
unchanged until the chequered flag, and Müller celebrated
his eight WTCC victory. Rookie Porteiro was stuck in the gravel
following a braking mistake and retired on lap 12. Zanardi
defended seventh place until the very end, thus securing a
front-row grid position for race two.
However, the 40-year-old was unlucky at the standing start.
When entering the first corner, Zanardi was pushed by Chevrolet's
Robert Huff (GBR), losing valuable positions. He dropped back
into fifth place, rejoining just ahead of Priaulx and Müller,
who had both gained one place. Farfus had an even better start:
From sixth place, the 23-year-old moved up into second position.
On lap 3 he launched an attack on leading driver, Yvan Muller
(SEAT, FRA), and captured the lead.
Behind Farfus, the Priaulx/Müller pairing impressively
chased through the field. First, both drivers passed Zanardi
on lap 2, then followed Tom Coronel (SEAT, NLD), Gabriele
Tarquini (SEAT, ITA) and Muller. In the final stage of the
race the two BMW drivers had another exciting duel. Priaulx
kept the upper hand this time and crossed the line in second
place. Müller took third place. At the front, Farfus
clocked one quick lap after the next. After 14 laps, he took
the chequered flag with a gap of 4.378 seconds over Priaulx.
Despite his bad luck at the start, Zanardi's fighting spirit
was rewarded with sixth place and three points. His team-mate
Porteiro, however, left Curitiba empty-handed. After the formation
lap he had to return to the pits due to a gearbox problem,
which was a result of his off-track moment in race one. Porteiro
couldn't take part in the race.
Reactions:
Augusto Farfus (BMW Team Germany):
"My goal was to score points during my first race appearance
with BMW. I achieved just that in race one with the podium
finish. But now I'm standing here as the winner of the second
race. That is unbelievable. We did a lot of testing over the
winter. But what you can't simulate is a proper race situation.
Therefore, it was important for me to get to know the car
in race conditions. I keep on learning more about the car.
The enthusiastic support of the Brazilian fans really gave
me a push. You don't see a La Ola wave before the start of
a WTCC race too often. This was a great start for us."
Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"Last year I struggled a bit at the beginning of the
season and lost many points in the fight for the title. This
time I managed to do better. Over the course of the opening
laps in race one I was able to build up a gap on Andy. Towards
the end, however, he came closer and closer and put me under
pressure. That's why I was really happy when I crossed the
line as winner. This is a fantastic result for BMW Team Germany.
In the second race I was in the middle of another great and
fair fight with Andy. For him, Augusto and me the season will
start again in Zandvoort, as we are all on 16 points."
Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK):
"At the beginning of race one my car was not as fast
as Jörg's. But then I was able to gain ground, and we
had an interesting fight. In the second race it was just the
same. I'm satisfied with this result, as we suffered some
problems over the course of the weekend. I really got the
most out of my car during the races. Competition in the 2007
season will be extremely fierce. I'm ready to take the challenge."
Drivers' Championship:
1st Müller (16 points), 1st Farfus (16), 3rd Priaulx
(16), 4th Tarquini (9), 5th Muller (6), 6th Zanardi (5), 7th
Huff (4), 8th Coronel (4), Rangoni (1).
Manufacturers' Championship:
1st BMW (36), 2nd SEAT (21), 3rd Chevrolet (9), 4th Alfa Romeo(5).
Race Calendar:
11th March - Curitiba (BRA), 6th May - Zandvoort (NLD), 20th
May - Valencia (ESP), 3rd June - Pau (FRA), 17th June - Brno
(CZE), 8th July - Porto (POR), 29th July - Anderstorp (SWE),
26th August - Oschersleben (GER), 23rd September - Brands
Hatch (GBR), 7th October - Monza (ITA), 18th November - Macau
(CHN).
|
