Race 1 – Yvan Muller secures the first victory of 2008

Yvan Muller in a Seat Leon TDi won the first race of the year in WTCC at Curitiba in Brazil. He finished ahead of his teammate Rickard Rydell and Augusto Farfus (BMW), while no Chevrolet finished the race…

The spectacle was indeed present during this first race on the Curitiba circuit. Yvan Muller thus broke the BMW series and won despite a grueling end of the race under pressure from them. The SEAT team started the race off at a brisk pace and took several lengths ahead of Jörg Müller and Augusto Farfus. The German took advantage of the rather messy start by Nicola Larini and his Brazilian counterpart. The leading trio composed of Muller, Rickard Rydell, and Tarquini did not give in. Only the Italian was pressured by Farfus, who was very agile in the winding part of the track.

On the other hand, Tiago Monteiro, although well positioned on the grid, had to abandon all hope of a strong finish after being hit during a braking maneuver that was more abrupt than planned. The former F1 driver lost 10 positions in the incident and finished 18th and last among the classified. Behind him, tension was rising with Jordi Gené being challenged by Andy Priaulx. Then it was Rob Huff who cracked by colliding with his teammate Nicola Larini. The Italian was fiercely competitive after an average start. The Chevrolet team hit rock bottom when Menu had to retire due to a mechanical issue. The safety car was deployed as early as the 3rd lap to restore order on the track.

At mid-race, a pack of five formed, still led by Yvan Muller. The Alsatian attempted to escape from this lead group, comprised of the three SEATs and the BMWs from Team Germany. Farfus, who initially subdued his teammate, then got past Larini, who was struggling. This was a sign that the SEATs were beginning to suffer. Despite Farfus’s relentless overtaking attempts and Rydell’s constant defense, Muller held on and eventually won ahead of his Swedish counterpart and the Brazilian, on home ground.

The season started ideally for the Spanish manufacturer and the French driver, a former winner in BTCC (sub-category). It was probably one of the toughest races of my career. It was very hot and we had to be at 200% to win, stated Muller at the finish.

BMW, for their part, limited the damage with Farfus on the podium, Jörg Müller in fourth place, and the wily Andy Priaulx in fifth. The British titleholder capitalized on early race incidents and a struggling Tarquini to secure fifth place.

Brazil – Race 1

According to the WTCC