World Touring Car Championship kicks off in Brazil

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The new FIA World Touring Car Championship season starts this Sunday with Britain�s back-to-back WTCC champion, Andy Priaulx, looking to rewrite motorsport history. The 32-year-old racer, who was crowned European Touring Car Champion in 2004 and World Touring Car Champion in 2005 and 2006, is hoping to become the first ever British racing driver to win three consecutive FIA world titles.

The WTCC sits alongside Formula One and the World Rally Championship as one of only three world titles awarded by the FIA, the governing body of world motorsport. This year�s WTCC season begins in Curitiba, Brazil, on 11 March with the season now consisting of 22 rounds. Priaulx will race the latest version of the BMW 320si WTCC car prepared by Team RBM under the management of Bart Mampaey. He will have to contend with a change in race regulations including the introduction of a rolling start for Race 1 and a reduction of the maximum ballast weights from 80kg to 60kg this season.

Priaulx said: �To win a third world title would be incredible. The team has been working incredibly hard ahead of the season opener and the car feels fantastic. I�m really looking forward to going out and competing again. It�s great to see the introduction of two extra races and some new circuits this season. I�ve always performed well on the streets of Macau so I�m especially excited about the added street circuits in Pau and Porto.�

The 2007 WTCC season takes in four new circuits to challenge the drivers; Zandvoort, Netherlands; Anderstorp, Sweden; the street circuits of Pau, France, and Porto, Portugal. Brands Hatch will play host to Rounds 17 and 18 on 23 September. The first two rounds of the season at Curitiba will be screened on Eurosport with the first race starting at 15.20GMT and the second at 18.20GMT.

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Race 1

J�rg M�ller turned his pole into a win in the first race of the season. After the rolling start
Priaulx promoted himself above Farfus and the top three remained the same. The first corner
proved catastrophic for Alfa Romeo as both drivers - Thompson and Tielemans - were
caught up in a collision also claiming Larini, Menu and Rangoni as casualties. The only car
involved that continued was Corthals', which went on to win the independent category.

1. J�rg M�ller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 25mins 35.308secs 16 laps
2. Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si 0.421secs
3. Augusto Farfus Jr. BMW Team Germany BMW 320si +1.234secs
4. Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT Leon +8.876secs
5. Rob Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Lacetti +9.701secs

6. Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si +10.324secs
7. Tom Coronel GR Asia SEAT Leon +11.008secs
8. Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT Leon +13.280secs
9. Jordi Gene SEAT Sport SEAT Leon +13.549secs
10. Pierre-Yves Corthals Exagon SEAT Leon +23.751secs I

11. Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si +24.158secs I
12. Michel Jourdain SEAT Sport SEAT Leon +30.194secs
13. Emmet O'Brien GR Asia SEAT Leon +33.721secs I
14. Sergio Hernandez Proteam BMW 320si +36.433secs I

Did Not Finish

15. Felix Porteiro BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si 10 laps completed
16. James Thompson N.Technology Alfa Romeo 156 0 laps completed
17. Luca Rangoni Proteam BMW 320si 0 laps completed I
18. Olivier Tielemans N.technology Alfa Romeo 156 0 laps completed
19. Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Lacetti 0 laps completed
20. Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Lacetti 0 laps completed

Fastest lap:

J�rg M�ller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 1min 25.469secs

Race 2

Augusto Farfus was victorious in Race two, crossing the line as his home crowd roared.
Priaulx and J�rg M�ller worked their way through the field from 7th and 8th on the grid to
complete the second all-BMW podium of the day. All three drivers now lead the
championship with 16 points a piece.
Yvan Muller got a fantastic start from pole position and headed the field into the first corner.
Moments later Robert Huff tried to make the turn on the inside of Zanardi but there was no
room and his Chevrolet skidded across the track, narrowly avoiding several cars.
Consequently Zanardi fell from 2nd to 5th; he eventually crossed the line 6th.

1. Augusto Farfus Jr. BMW Team Germany BMW 320si 20mins 20.148secs 14 laps
2. Andy Priaulx BMW Team UK BMW 320si +4.378secs
3. J�rg M�ller BMW Team Germany BMW 320si +5.691secs
4. Yvan Muller SEAT Sport SEAT Leon +6.693secs
5. Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Sport SEAT Leon +7.479secs

6. Alessandro Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si +10.306secs
7. Luca Rangoni Proteam BMW 320si +10.494secs I
8. Tom Coronel GR Asia SEAT Leon +12.073secs
9. Pierre-Yves Corthals Exagon SEAT Leon +17.344secs I
10. Nicola Larini Chevrolet Chevrolet Lacetti +18.425secs

11. James Thompson N.Technology Alfa Romeo 156 +28.200secs
12. Jordi Gene SEAT Sport SEAT Leon +28.379secs
13. Stefano D'Aste Wiechers-Sport BMW 320si +28.898secs I
14. Olivier Tielemans N.technology Alfa Romeo 156 +30.039secs
15. Michel Jourdain SEAT Sport SEAT Leon +33.202secs

Did Not Finish

16. Sergio Hernandez Proteam BMW 320si 9 laps completed I
17. Alain Menu Chevrolet Chevrolet Lacetti 3 laps completed
18. Emmet O'Brien GR Asia SEAT Leon 1 lap completed I
19. Rob Huff Chevrolet Chevrolet Lacetti 0 laps completed

Did Not Start

Felix Porteiro BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si

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[3stagevtec]

WTCC might be a higher ranked sport but i'm more familiar with the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Series... and from reading the above review, it seems that the Speed Touring car series might be more exciting (due to it having a greater range of manufacturers, and manufacturers that we are more familiar with e.g. Madza, Acura, Audi, BMW, Mercedes etc...)
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