Andy Priaulx: number one but above all quite a character!

Crowned triple world champion on Sunday in Macau, Andy Priaulx for BMW has always managed to shine in the decisive moments of the championship.

The English driver began to become one of the most effective Touring drivers by clinching the 2004 FIA ETCC title at the final meeting in Dubai. He arrived in the United Arab Emirates 12 points behind his BMW teammate, Dirk Müller, and finished 2nd in each race, tying Müller’s total (111 points) but with more victories (5 compared to 3).

The following season, the first of the new World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Müller and Priaulx arrived in Macau for the final round, separated by one point, with Fabrizio Giovanardi (Alfa Romeo) in 3rd, just 5 points behind. Once again, two second-place finishes allowed Priaulx to turn the situation around.

No fewer than nine drivers arrived in Macau in 2006 with the hope of winning the title. Augusto Farfus (Alfa Romeo) was leading, with a one-point advantage over the Priaulx-Jörg Müller duo. This time, Priaulx took pole position and won Race 1, with Müller in 6th; the German won Race 2 but Priaulx managed to finish 5th and clinch the title by one point.

The rest is recent history. For the first time, Priaulx arrived at the season finale as the leaderboard leader, although tied on points with Yvan Muller. But this did not affect the final result as Priaulx was champion once again.

« I never gave up, but I knew I needed something special this season. Yes, you need luck to win the championship, but you also have to be there to seize it. »

« Sunday was my lucky day, but I’ve also had bad days this season, like in Brno and Monza. Now, I look ahead and not behind to find the motivation to win again next year. Sometimes, you have to dig deep to find the motivation, but I hope I’ll have the same feelings and win races », commented the now three-time world champion.

Andy Priaulx was born in Towcester 33 years ago. During his three seasons in WTCC with BMW UK and Bart Mampaey’s RBM Team, he finished 55 out of 62 races, with 47 of them in the points, securing 9 victories, 25 podiums, 4 pole positions, and 4 fastest laps.

According to the WTCC