WTCC:Chevrolet take their first ever 1-2

[Plex]

Alain Menu claimed Chevrolet's first World Touring Car Championship win of the season, and their first ever 1-2 in the series, with an inch-perfect lights-to-flag victory in the third round of the year at Zandvoort.

Menu, who yesterday took Chevy's first genuine WTCC pole position, held the lead off the rolling start and survived a late-race safety car period caused when teammate Rob Huff crashed exiting the Audi S after suffering a steering failure following an earlier clash with Andy Priaulx.

Former Ferrari Grand Prix driver Nicola Larini completed the Chevrolet one-two after tracking Menu throughout the race.

While Chevrolet dominated, BMW struggled with independent runner Luca Rangoni the best of them with a stunning third place.

Augusto Farfus, who now leads the championship, ended up fifth after spending most of the race scrapping with Formula One refugee Tiago Monteiro. Monteiro claimed an impressive fourth on his touring car debut after proving the fastest of the SEATs throughout the weekend.

Roberto Colciago, returning from injury after a massive practice shunt ahead of the opening round of the championship at Curitiba in March, was sixth overall and second best independent. The SEAT Italia driver spent much of the race with a queue of cars scrapping over the prized eighth place bottled up behind him.

Huff seemed to have eighth place sewn up in the first half of the race, but the charging Priaulx was soon on his tail after losing time in the first corner traffic jam.

Ultimately, the battle was decided when Huff lost steering and clattered the wall. The SEAT of Gabriele Tarquini slipped ahead of Priaulx, who was forced to take avoiding action, for seventh, while Priaulx secured pole for race two with eighth ahead of SEAT's Jordi Gene.

Both Mullers endured disappointing races. Jorg Muller, who won the season opener at Curitiba, ended up tenth after struggling with understeer in his Schnitzer Motorsport BMW 320si throughout the weekend, while near namesake Yvan Muller retired his SEAT with significant front-right damage after a clash with Stefano d'Aste's independent BMW on the first lap.

While d'Aste continued to take fourth in class, Muller could only limp round to retire in the pits.

The incident also wrecked Felix Porteiro's race. The Spaniard, who had qualified a promising sixth, was shuffled back at the start and was pushed into the gravel by d'Aste after he had clashed with Muller. He was able to rejoin, but could finish only 11th after dropping as low as 21st.

View the results: Autosport