Brno: Zanardi wins race 1
Zanardi and Porteiro began the race from the front and remained there throughout, ahead of Menu. However, mid way through Porteiro was struggling with understeer and handed the lead to his team-mate who had more speed in his car. The top three drivers edged out a seven second lead over the rest of the field by the checkered flag. Farfus and Jörg Müller who made their way through the field from eighth and fifteenth to finish fourth and fifth demonstrated the potential of the BMW cars.
Yvan Muller who was eighth in race 1 will start from pole, with Thompson alongside him after finishing seventh; while Gabriele Tarquini saved a sixth place that enabled him to stretch his championship lead to 11 points.
The Independents' class was fiercely fought. Pierre-Yves Corthals led them through the first lap but was overtaken by Franz Engstler and Sergio Hernandez, who went on to fight for the win. Hernandez eventually crossed the line ahead, but only just as he had to weave across the line to keep the German behind him. Stefano D'Aste crashed into the barriers on the final lap.
Results
Pos |
Driver | Car | Time |
1. | Alessandro Zanardi | BMW 320si | 21:55.769 |
2. | Felix Porteiro | BMW 320si | + 0.825 |
3. | Alain Menu | Chevrolet Lacetti | + 1.707 |
4. | Augusto Farfus | BMW 320si | + 9.476 |
5. | Jorg Muller | BMW 320si | + 12.184 |
6. | Gabriele Tarquini | SEAT Leon TDI | + 15.840 |
7. | James Thompson | Honda Accord Euro R | + 16.738 |
8. | Yvan Muller | SEAT Leon TDI | + 17.577 |
9. | Robert Huff | Chevrolet Lacetti | + 17.842 |
10. | Rickard Rydell | SEAT Leon TDI | + 19.573 |
11. | Nicola Larini | Chevrolet Lacetti | + 25.390 |
12. | Tiago Monteiro | SEAT Leon TDI | + 30.246 |
13. | Jordi Gene | SEAT Leon TDI | + 31.226 |
14. | Andy Priaulx | BMW 320si | + 31.537 |
15. | Sergio Hernandez | BMW 320si | + 32.234 |
16. | Franz Engstler | BMW 320si | + 32.351 |
17. | Pierre-Yves Corthals | SEAT Leon | + 36.882 |
18. | Tom Coronel | SEAT Leon | + 37.448 |
19. | Oliver Tielemans | BMW 320si | + 37.576 |
20. | Andrei Romanov | BMW 320si | + 41.514 |
21. | Jaap Van Lagen | Lada 110 | + 42.026 |
22. | Michal Matejovsky | SEAT Leon | + 52.935 |
23. | Alexander Lvov | Honda Accord Euro R | + 55.257 |
24. | Andrey Smetsky | Honda Accord Euro R | +1:56.836 |
25. | Stefano D'Aste | BMW 320si | +1 lap |
Retirements: | |||
Driver | Car | Laps | |
Viktor Shapovalov | Lada 110 | 4 | |
Ibrahim Okyay | BMW 320si | 3 | |
Fastest lap: Porteiro, 2:10.108, on lap 10 |