Motorsport

Priaulx closing on title treble

Britain's reigning WTCC title holder Andy Priaulx delighted a huge home crowd by taking his first win in a tin-top at Brands Hatch.

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BMW ace thrilled home fans and now tops table

By James Foxall

01st October 2007

And it was a superb weekend for patriotic fans, with fellow Brits James Thompson, Rob Huff and WTCC rookie Colin Turkington all excelling at the Kent circuit.

Guernseyman Priaulx, desperate to make amends for last year when he slid off the track while in the lead, won the second race at Brands.

He had finished seventh in the opening event, which put him on the front row of the grid for the second race. After overtaking fellow BMW star Felix Porteiro, he crossed the line comfortably in front of the Spaniard. Chevrolet driver Huff finished third.Priaulx, who now leads the championship by 12 points from Augusto Farfus of BMW, admitted it was an emotional win. “I had dreamt of this and to achieve it is amazing,” he said, before dedicating his success to rally star Colin McRae and his family.

It was also two out of three home drivers on the podium in the opening event. Chevy’s Alain Menu was chased all the way to the chequered flag by James Thompson in the Alfa Romeo. Turkington, who was making his WTCC debut, ran most of the race in fourth place, withstanding fierce pressure from SEAT star Yvan Muller.

Both eventually passed Muller’s team-mate Jordi Gene, letting Turking- ton score a memorable result for the RAC-sponsored BMW BTCC team. “It was tough, but pleasing,” he said.