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[WTCC] Seat 1-2-3 And Chevrolet Victory In Brands Hatch Wet Wtcc Races |
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Sunday, 21 May 2006 |
SEAT 1-2-3 AND CHEVROLET VICTORY IN BRANDS HATCH WET WTCC RACES
The rain continued to fall at the Brands Hatch circuit for the final day of the FIA World Touring Car Championship third round. Yvan Muller took a fantastic start and, despite pressure from fellow SEAT driver Peter Terting, Muller led to the line. It was a SEAT race with the yellow and blue cars dominating the front of the pack and Rob Huff providing the biggest challenge in his Chevrolet, finishing in fourth behind James Thompson being third of a SEAT 1-2-3. Further back the race excitement was provided by home-boy Andy Priaulx and Dirk Muller in BMWs fighting for eighth place – a valued slot given the reverse grid rule. Priaulx took eighth which meant a pole position start for race two which would be critical to regain Championship lead from race winner Yvan Muller.
Tom Coronel completed an all yellow SEAT line-up as highest independent finisher and new leader of the Yokohama Independent Trophy. Coronel was driving a new SEAT Leon having been at the wheel of a Toledo Cupra for the first two rounds.
Race two proved just as tough for BMW, with heavy rain making conditions difficult for the whole field . A safety car was deployed to retrieve Rob Huff (Chevrolet) from the gravel after he’d slid off the track. On the restart Priaulx, who had led from the start, ran out of track on the first corner and made a major detour. That handed the lead to Alain Menu who wasn’t challenged to the end and, despite the torrential rain, was putting in faster and faster times with each lap.
A home win may have eluded the Manufacturer runners but Scottish Ryan Sharp took a victory for the UK in the Yokohama Independent Trophy. Tom Coronel lost the race lead mid-way through the race in the monsoon mayhem but holds onto the lead in the title battle after finishing second in the Yokohama Independent Trophy points.
Yvan Muller:
“It was very tough with the rain. The car balance was good but the tyre was fantastic – the pace of the tyre was very good.”
Alain Menu:
“The ADVANs performed well with no problems from the first lap to the last. There was no drop-off at all.”
Mark Busfield, Chevrolet Team Manager:
“We more than exceeded our ambitions for the weekend. All the drivers were on the pace and when the World Champion goes off in front you have to just take his place. We knew that we had a good car, chassis and tyre combination in the wet after the testing we did over the winter. We pre-empted a wet weekend here and it paid off. We’re delighted.”
Kazuyoshi Sekiguchi, Yokohama:
“The drivers all had a great deal to cope with here today. The rain was so heavy at times that there were rivers down the track. For the drivers still to be happy with the tyre grip in these conditions is a real testament to the Yokohama ADVAN wet that we have for the WTCC so I’m very pleased.”
Drivers’ Championship:
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Points | | 1 | Yvan Muller | SEAT | 32 | | 2 | James Thompson | SEAT | 25 | | 3 | Gabriele Tarquini | SEAT | 24 | | 4 | Andy Priaulx | BMW | 23 | | 5 | Rickard Rydell | SEAT | 21 | | 6 | Alain Menu | Chevrolet | 18 |
Manufacturers’ Championship:
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points | | 1 | SEAT | 80 | | 2 | BMW | 69 | | 3 | Chevrolet | 48 | | 4 | Alfa Romeo | 37 |
Yokohama Independents’ Trophy:
| Pos. | Driver | Points | | 1 | Tom Coronel | 40 | | 2 | Alessandro Balzan | 25 | | 3 | Ryan Sharp | 25 | | 4 | Stefano D’Aste | 24 | | 5 | Luca Rangoni | 23 | | 6 | Maurizio Ceresoli | 15 |
Yokohama Teams’ Trophy:
| Pos. | Team | Points | | 1 | GR Asia | 55 | | 2 | Proteam Motorsport | 46 | | 3 | JAS Motorsport | 33 | | 4 | DB Motorsport | 25 | | 5 | Wiechers-Sport | 18 | | 6 | SEAT Sport Italia | 16 |
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