The first round of the World Touring Car Championship is now on live on Eurosport

Andy Priaulx will have a lot of work to do from 12th on the grid

SEAT have locked out the front row with Yvan Muller and Rickard Rydell faster then Augusto Farfus in his BMW

The grid (courtesy of Autosport):

Pos Driver Car Time
1. Yvan Muller SEAT Leon TDI 1:24.295
2. Rickard Rydell SEAT Leon TDI 1:24.404 + 0.109
3. Augusto Farfus BMW 320si 1:24.482 + 0.187
4. Gabriele Tarquini SEAT Leon TDI 1:24.527 + 0.232
5. Nicola Larini Chevrolet Lacetti 1:24.579 + 0.284
6. Jorg Muller BMW 320si 1:24.659 + 0.364
7. Tiago Monteiro SEAT Leon TDI 1:24.730 + 0.435
8. Robert Huff Chevrolet Lacetti 1:24.738 + 0.443
9. Jordi Gene SEAT Leon TDI 1:24.785 + 0.490
10. Tom Coronel SEAT Leon 1:24.987 + 0.692
11. Alain Menu Chevrolet Lacetti 1:24.993 + 0.698
12. Andy Priaulx BMW 320si 1:25.046 + 0.751
13. Felix Porteiro BMW 320si 1:25.166 + 0.871
14. Alessandro Zanardi BMW 320si 1:25.175 + 0.880
15. Pierre-Yves Corthals SEAT Leon 1:25.363 + 1.068
16. Sergio Hernandez BMW 320si 1:25.721 + 1.426
17. Stefano D'Aste BMW 320si 1:25.806 + 1.511
18. Olivier Tielemans BMW 320si 1:26.003 + 1.708
19. Franz Engstler BMW 320si 1:26.437 + 2.142
20. Andrey Romanov BMW 320si 1:27.813 + 3.518
21. Ibrahim Okyay BMW 320si 1:28.412 + 4.117

Apparently Priaulx was one of a number of drivers to struggle with grip problems in qualifying, which explains why he is so far off the pace.

SEAT dominating the beamers at the moment

1-2-3

Chevrolet not excatly helping their chances here

But helping Andy Priaulx. Thanks guys!

BMW finally get into the top 3, Farfus and Muller get past an out of shape Tarquni to get into 3rd and 4th

Fair play to Seat 1-2.


I think BMW need to race their diesel... <doh> lets see how they fare in Race 2

SEAT dominate the opening race of the WTCC with a 1-2 finish for Yvan Muller and
Rickard Rydell

The front two were never seriously challenged by an under par BWM effort which saw Farfus come in 3rd, J Muller in 4th and Priaulx in 5th

race 2 is on Eurosport at 7pm so be looking forward to that

My internet stream was a bit choppy in the second half of the race, but Farfus was hassling Rydell at the end as far as I could see.

The BMW's were stronger in the second half, but as the commentators said Dr Thiessen will be down to the FIA to protest SEAT's straightline speed advantage.

Indeed, Rydell was claiming that the BMW was 0.5 a lap faster.

Also the Seats started from the front... Farfus dropped down to 6th at one point and recovered back to 3rd, indeed both Muller in 4th and Priaulx in 5th made up place from the start so I would say BMW are looking strong considering this is race 1 of the season.

Also this was the first time Diesels ran at this circuit and the altitude gave an advantage Seat will not enjoy everywhere this season... although the next round in Mexico will also be a challange for the BMW's.

let's see how race 2 goes.


:)

I have just found out that between Warm-Up (BMW dominant) and Race 1 (Seat dominant) it was decided by the technical FIA staff at the circuit to reduce load pressure for the Diesel powered cars.

Helps explain why the Sets pulled away so strongly on the straights.... It will be interesting to see if BMW protest the changes and if anything will be done...

I see also that the fastest lap was Priaulx in the BMW. I feel a lot better now than I did at the start of race 1.

ready for race 2

delayed by an entire 5 minutes

Pole sitter removed everyone moves up the order

SEAT out front again but this time it's Tarquini

Gabrielle Tarquini wins the 2nd race as SEAT sweep the day

Andy Priaulx comes home 2nd to rescue a poor weekend

Well done Seat.... for now.

It's all nice and tight at the top. SEAT are under real pressure to win something this year from their board. I wonder if this year could get really political.

All teams are under pressure.... however that dose not mean there is any justification in asking for some rivals to be handicapped so others can look good....

still good solid points haul all round today...

it's a fair point...

Farfus is excluded from race 1... helps Andy and Muller... a bit of a disaster for the Chevy's

No, but of course SEAT are in the unfortunate postion of having spent the most money in pursuit of World Championship success (across the WRC and WTCC) with no discernable results.

They are under far more pressure than BMW in terms of their board because BMW have won every title since the WTCC started. You can say that's SEAT's tough luck, but if SEAT pulled the plug like they did on the WRC programme, that's the end of the WTCC.

I am not saying that SEAT should be handed the title or anything like that, but if they lose again this year that could be it. That is likely to lead to some political rubbish this season.

And BMW have invested in WTCC and F1... hardly chump change

I think BMW will see how it goes...

for now they did not win a race in Brazil but showed they are far form being blasted... they managed a nice point's haul, and achieved fastest laps in both races.

They also have their own diesel to switch to if that is necessary...


No, I say well done SEAT... first blood but we have many more races yet to come...


<thumbsup>

No, but BMW have results to show for their investments wheras SEAT don't.

That is no reason to penalise them surly...

they have through out their whole history always made rear wheel drive cars, why should they change and why should they be handicapped because of it...

I hate the artificial leveling in the WTCC, but have had been fortunate that BMW have overcome it year after year... I trust they will again

You talk about no Seat no WTCC... I say what would the value be of the WTCC if BMW was forced out... Yes, maybe those who couldn't cope with BMW will return and you will get more manufacturers returning.... a bit of a hollow victory

I am not saying that BMW should be penalised for their success, I am just trying to get across the fact that SEAT are being leaned on, and I feel this may lead to politics playing a role in this years championship.

If BMW left, same result, the end of the WTCC. That's the problem of trying to keep both manufacturers on side. They both need each other to be honest. BMW vs. Chevrolet or SEAT vs. Chevrolet is pretty worthless.

If only Alfa could be persuaded to return....

don't forget there is also Honda................












and Lada... <peek> <peek>











well SEAT can relax, it has FIA backing this season.... <sarcasm>

See DTM, with Audi and Mercedes. An interesting series, with good racing, but too much politicking spilling over onto the racetrack. The battle between several manufacturers is what keeps the WTCC running smoothly, and we can't afford to lose that. It's just a shame that the FIA have decided to go about it in such a transparent way....