WTCC (1/12) : Curitiba

The first meeting of the Touring Car World Championship held this weekend at the Brazilian racetrack in Curitiba, witnessed a total success for the SEAT team, with two victories in two races. In race one, Yvan Muller and Rickard Rydell claimed a one-two finish for the team and Gabriele Tarquini took his SEAT León TDI to victory with an advantage of less than one second over Andy Priaulx.

In the first of two races, SEAT drivers Yvan Muller and Rickard Rydell made the most out of their grid positions to lead the race from the start. Any attack started by Augusto Farfus Jr. was useless and the Spanish make claimed the one-two finish in addition to the sixth place for Tarquini and Gené’s seventh place, although he was later penalised after touching Huff (Chevrolet). Tiago Monteiro crashed right after the start destroying one of his wheels and loosing three laps repairing it.

Gabriele Tarquini made a fantastic start to the second race and moved up from third to first in the first lap. From then on his race consisted in defending the attacks launched by the BMWs, first Porteiro and then Andy Priaulx, who crossed the finish line stuck to the Italian but without being able to pass him. Tarquini celebrated his 46th birthday in the best possible way, with a victory.

Behind him, Yvan Muller, Rickard Rydell and Jordi Gené managed to take their SEAT León TDI machines to the points, which, for Muller meant the leadership of the drivers’ championship, for Gené, his first points, and, for SEAT the leadership of the Constructors’ Championship. The teams will meet again in Puebla (Mexico) on April 5th and 6th.

Yvan Muller : (SEAT León TDI no. 12), 1st/5th : "Both races were very hard today, as the smallest mistake could be decisive. I had to give 200 percent, but we made good teamwork in the first race with Rydell. It was not only us ; it was the work of the whole team. It is important to start the championship with a victory."

The photo gallery

Results :
Test
Free Practice 1
Free Practice 2
Qualifying
Warm Up
Race 1
Race 2