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World champion Priaulx scores podium finish for BMW in Valencia. |
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Monday, 19 May 2008 |
Andy Priaulx (GB) of BMW Team UK claimed his second podium result in
this year’s FIA World Touring Car Championship. At Valencia’s “Circuit
de la Comunitat” he finished third in the sixth round of the season. In
the first race of the day the reigning World Champion finished seventh.
BMW Team Germany driver Jörg Müller (DE) also collected points at what
was the series’ maiden event on European soil in 2008. His team-mate
Augusto Farfus (BR) and BMW Team Italy-Spain’s Alessandro Zanardi (IT)
and Félix Porteiro (ES), however, failed to make it into the top-eight
in either race. Victory in the two sprint races at the 4.005-kilometre
track went to Chevrolet’s Robert Huff (GB) and Alain Menu (CH).
In the Drivers’ Championship, Priaulx now has 22 points under his belt
and ranks fifth as the best-placed BMW driver. Müller follows in sixth
with 20 points. With a points tally of 59, BMW currently lies in third
place in the manufacturers’ classification.
Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK):
“All in all a good weekend for me. The whole of race one was a
really big scrap for me. But I come here to win races and championships
and I think I got the best out of the weekend I could possibly expect.
My target was seven points, so to get one more than I thought I was
able to get was great.”
Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
“My fastest lap in race one shows how competitive my car was today.
Probably I could have gone even faster, but it’s just really difficult
to overtake these SEAT diesels. In the second race I made a good start,
but later had to let Robert Huff pass. But the most important fact is I
scored solid points after the Puebla wash-out.”
Augusto Farfus (BMW Team Germany):
“I just want to leave this weekend behind me as quickly as
possible. We had a fantastic package, the performance was great, but
I’m still leaving Valencia empty-handed. My chase in race two turned
out to be in vain.”
Félix Porteiro (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
“I certainly had different hopes for my home event in Spain. At the
beginning of the first race I was hit by another car and a wheel-rim
broke. Pit stops cost a lot of time in WTCC, so I had to bid farewell
to my ambition to score points. At least I was able to entertain the
fans with lots of overtaking manoeuvres in race two.”
Alessandro Zanardi (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
“I might leave Valencia without any points under my belt, but I go
home with some positive feedback. We have a good race performance, and
I only need to be more consistent in qualifying. Today I just suffered
another dose of bad luck.”
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