2009 WTCC : Sergio Hernández claimed first victory

Race 2 Winner - Sergio Hernández - BMW Team Italy-Spain

BRNO, Czech Republic : June 21, 2009 - Sergio Hernández brought home victory in Race 2. SEAT Sport took second and third with Yvan Muller and Tiago Monteiro.

Race 1 Winner - Alessandro Zanardi - BMW Team Italy-Spain

RACE1 - ZANARDI WINS RACE 1 FOR BMW

Alessandro Zanardi took victory, for the second consecutive year in Brno, in an event-filled first race. Starting from third on the grid, the Italian managed to avoid a massive accident involving some of his BMW fellow drivers at the start. Jörg Müller stormed through the field to take second ahead of Gabriele Tarquini.

On paper it was Farfus’ race, however after the start he veered left and collected Andy Priaulx, Robert Huff, Nicola Larini and Jordi Gené on his way to the gravel trap. The safety car was out for two laps at which point Zanardi was lying second. Moments after the restart, the BMW man took the lead and soon pulled away. Jörg

Müller ensured his podium place coming from eleventh at the restart – he did so with some fantastic and fair driving.
Félix Porteiro had a strong race to take the Independent win and seventh overall. Yvan Muller crossed the line eighth and therefore took pole for Race 2.

Men of the race
BMW Team UK achieved the seemingly impossible during the course of the race. The incident at the start had left Priaulx’s car in a bad way. It crawled back to the pits with an absence of a front bumper, engine damage, sparks flying from the broken suspension and a puncture. However, half way into the race the car was back on the track. If that wasn’t an achievement enough for the skilled RBM team, Priaulx went on to set the fastest lap of the race in his mended car.

Key moment
The start of the race was the pivotal moment. Pole-man Farfus mysteriously turned left on the straight which sent him into Priaulx before collecting the Chevrolets of Huff, Larini and SEAT Sport’s Jordi Gené. It spelt the end for all concerned.
“It was my own mistake. I am very sorry to the others who were taken out of the race. There is not much more to say," a shattered Farfus commented.

Withdrawals
A. Farfus: race incident; A. Priaulx: race incident; J. Gené: race incident; N. Larini: race incident; R. Huff: race incident; A. Menu: race incident; K. Poulsen: engine problems; M. Čolak: pierced radiator.

Race 2 Winner - Sergio Hernández - BMW Team Italy-Spain - BMW 320si

RACE 2 – HERNÁNDEZ CLAIMS FIRST VICTORY

After Zanardi’s win in Race 1, BMW Team Italy-Spain were cheering again as Sergio Hernández brought home victory in Race 2. SEAT Sport took second and third with Yvan Muller and Tiago Monteiro.

Independent driver Féix Porteiro got a good start off the line, as did Hernández who overtook Muller for second. The Spanish rivals battled until lap three when Hernández went ahead. On the next lap Muller and Monteiro passed Porteiro who crossed the line, Independents’ winner and fourth overall.

A nail biting duel for fifth place involved Jörg Müller, Gabriele Tarquini, Rickard Rydell and Andy Priaulx (who worked his way up from 16th on the grid). After bumper-to-bumper action the SEATs eventually led the BMWs with Tarquini taking fifth, Rydell sixth, Müller seventh and Priaulx eighth.

Man of the race
Sergio Hernández took his first WTCC victory to make it double-success for his team. He got a good start but had to wait for the right time in lap three to overtake tricky competitor Porteiro, while all the while being pressured by Muller. Great work from Hernández and BMW Team Italy-Spain who stole the Brno show.

Key moment
On lap five the battle between BMW men Andy Priaulx and Jörg Müller came to a peak. Priaulx was piling the pressure on the German but behind them were two SEATs in waiting. As the BMW cars fought between themselves for fifth, Tarquini and Rydell capitalised on the situation and overtook the pair. The battle ensued and the BMWs had the better pace but the SEATs worked together to defend successfully to the end.

Withdrawals
A. Farfus: race incident; A. Zanardi: race incident.

Driver's Championship
P.	Driver - Nationality	R1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Yvan MULLER (FRA)	10	5	5	10	5	8	0	2	10	2	1	8	66
2	Gabriele TARQUINI (ITA)	5	10	3	1	8	4	0	3	6	6	6	4	56
3	Augusto FARFUS (BRA)	4	3	8	5	0	3	8	8	5	10	0	0	54
4	J๖rg MLLER (GER)	0	4	4	0	1	5	6	0	3	8	8	2	41
5	Rickard RYDELL (SWE)	6	8	10	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	3	38
6	Andy PRIAULX (GBR)	2	0	6	8	0	0	5	5	4	5	0	1	36
7	Robert HUFF (GBR)	0	0	0	0	10	6	10	6	0	0	0	0	32
8	Sergio HERNมNDEZ (ESP)	3	0	0	4	0	0	4	0	1	3	4	10	29
9	Jordi GENษ (ESP)	8	6	2	2	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24
10	Tiago MONTEIRO (POR)	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	8	1	3	6	22
11	Alessandro ZANARDI (ITA)	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	4	0	4	10	0	21
12	Nicola LARINI (ITA)	0	0	1	0	3	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	14
13	Alain MENU (SUI)	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	10	0	0	0	0	14
14	F้lix PORTEIRO (ESP)	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	10
15	Franz ENGSTLER (GER)	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	5
16	Tom CORONEL (NED)	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	5
17	Eric CAYROLLE (FRA)	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	1	-	-	-	-	1