WTCC. 2nd round. Puebla (Mexico)
 JORDI
GENÉ AND TIAGO MONTEIRO TAKE THE VICTORY IN MEXICO
Puebla was host to SEAT's best ever performance in
the WTCC
The second WTCC challenge, which took place this weekend on
the Puebla Circuit, Mexico, was an historical event for SEAT,
after taking two victories and occupying the first six positions
in the second race. Jordi Gené won the first leg, followed
by Rickard Rydell, while Tiago Monteiro won the second race
followed by every one of his Repsol teammates: the five SEAT
León TDI drivers. What is more, by the end of the two
races disputed in Puebla, the Repsol drivers occupy the top
positions in the general classification.
1st Race
Gené took off from the pole position he managed last
Saturday, and right from the start led the race, ahead of
the Chevrolets. With Gené dominating the race, the
excitement concentrated on the struggle for the intermediate
places, as Rydell climbed to second position after overtaking
two Chevrolets and Coronel, securing a second podium position
for the Spanish team.
Further back, Tarquini, Muller and Monteiro struggled with
Menu and Huff's Chevrolets, and with Farfus' BMW, which was
gradually left behind by its competitors. The Repsol drivers
finally prevailed over their rivals, helped by a mistake by
Menu during the last laps.
2nd Race
Tiago Monteiro got off to an excellent start from his first
position on the grid, taking the lead by the first curve.
Alain Menu endured the persecution by the SEAT drivers until
halfway through the race, when they started overtaking him:
first Tarquini, then Rydell, and finally, after the Chevrolet
driver skidded off the track, the rest of the Repsol drivers.
Halfway through the race, a small error by Tarquini paved
the way for Rydell's second position, and until the end the
Repsol drivers tried not to make any mistakes that might compromise
an historical result, which ended in a victory for Monteiro
in the WTCC, and with all his SEAT Sport teammates right up
behind him.
The next WTCC event will take place in Valencia, on 17th
and 18th May.
Quotes
Jordi Gené
“It was a very positive weekend, starting with the
free sessions on Friday, followed by the pole position, and
finishing with an unbeatable result in the race. I won the
first race very comfortably, and in the second race I started
in eighth position and finished fifth. It's a success and
the car has given a fantastic performance”.
Yvan Muller
“The overall result isn't that bad if we bear in mind
that I didn't get off to a good start at the weekend. The
first race went OK, and the second one could have been better,
but I made a mistake at the start which was difficult to recover
from. It could have gone better for me, but the most important
thing is that it was very good for SEAT”.
Gabriele Tarquini
“I'm very satisfied because the team has had some extraordinary
results this weekend. This is important, as we couldn't have
imagined it just a few days ago. As to my own race, I made
it to the podium with a very heavy car, so that is also quite
a positive aspect”.
Rickard Rydell
“Making it to the podium twice in the same day is fantastic.
I was slightly faster than Gabriele and managed an excellent
second position with which I'm very satisfied. Things went
well during the race for the SEAT cars, and the team has scored
some very valuable points”.
Tiago Monteiro
“I'm very happy. Today I won my first victory thanks
to a car that adapted to the track beautifully, and also thanks
to some great team work. We've scored a good few points for
SEAT and I feel very satisfied”.
Official results
>> Results 1st race
1. J.Gené (SEAT León TDI)
2. R.Rydell, (SEAT León TDI), + 0”415
3. N.Larini (Chevrolet), + 3”285
4. T.Coronel (SEAT León WTCC), + 5”674
5. G.Tarquini (SEAT León TDI), + 8”963
6. Y.Muller (SEAT León TDI), + 10”129
7. T.Monteiro (SEAT León TDI), + 10”349
8. A.Menu (Chevrolet) + 13”603
>> Results 2nd race
1. T.Monteiro (SEAT León TDI)
2. R.Rydell, (SEAT León TDI), + 4”425
3. G.Tarquini (SEAT León TDI), + 5”275
4. Y.Muller (SEAT León TDI), + 6”013
5. J.Gené (SEAT León TDI), + 8”915
>> General Classification
Drivers
1. R.Rydell (SEAT), 26
2. G.Tarquini (SEAT), 24
3. Y.Muller (SEAT), 21
4. J.Gené (SEAT), 15
5. Andy Priaulx (BMW), 14
6.T.Monteiro (SEAT), 11
Manufacturers
1. SEAT, 69
2. BMW, 40
3. Chevrolet, 28
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