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Top-3 positions for BMW drivers at WTCC season opener. |
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Monday, 03 March 2008 |
Curitiba, 2nd March 2008. BMW experienced a successful start to the
2008 FIA World Touring Car Championship. In race two at Curitiba (BR),
both Andy Priaulx (GB) of BMW Team UK and BMW Team Italy-Spain’s Félix
Porteiro made it onto the podium by finishing second and third
respectively. Jörg Müller (DE) and Augusto Farfus (BR) of BMW Team
Germany completed the excellent team result by finishing fourth and
sixth.
In the first round of the new season, Farfus had crossed the finish
line third. However, the 24-year-old was later excluded from race one
due to a breach of the technical regulations. The “V” support for
fixing the engine protection did not comply with the regulations. But
the Stewards considered that there was no fraudulent intent within the
team. Thus Müller moved up into third place, and Priaulx was classified
fourth. Porteiro came sixth, while Alessandro Zanardi (IT) was 15th and
11th at the “Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba“.
Following the two races in Brazil, Priaulx ranks third in the
Drivers’ Championship with 13 points. Müller has got 11 points under
his belt, and is fourth, Porteiro follows in sixth position, while
Farfus is in seventh place. In the manufacturers’ classification, BMW
lies in second place with 25 points.
Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK):
“It’s not easy to gain ground from 12th on the grid. However, today
I had the dose of luck that is needed for that. My car was very
competitive. On Saturday we had been off the pace. But it tells you a
lot about our team that we were able to deal with that.”
Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
“It was my goal to score points in both races, and I made it
happen. My start in race one was good so I was able to go at high
speed. In race two I could overtake quite a few cars. Eleven points is
a very positive overall result.”
Augusto Farfus (BMW Team Germany):
“It’s disappointing to lose six points that I fought so hard for on
the track. The speed of our car was very good, but we are still lacking
outright speed so we can attack the diesel cars on the straight. We
made a lot of progress over the winter.”
Félix Porteiro (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
“Never had I expected to score a podium finish right at the
beginning of the season. Prior to race two we made some modifications
to the car. This move turned out to be successful. I’m really happy
with this weekend.”
Alessandro Zanardi (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
“In race one I was hit by another car in turn 1. It was just a
slight touch, but a tyre valve was pushed in. Following my pit stop I
was able to match the pace of the front-runners – but by this time I
was one lap down. I had nothing to lose in race two. In Mexico I will
launch my next attack to finish in the points.”
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