Monteiro claims maiden win in Mexico
| By Edd Straw |
Sunday, April 6th 2008, 22:08 GMT |
Former Formula One driver Tiago Monteiro led a SEAT whitewash in the second race of Mexico's round of the World Touring Car Championship at Puebla to earn his first victory.
The Portuguese started from second on the grid after finishing seventh in the first race of the day, leaving the Chevrolet Lacetti of pole-sitter Alain Menu for dead. While Menu held off the rest of the SEAT diesels, Monteiro pulled out an advantage he would never lose.
"It was obviously my goal and one of the reasons to come to WTCC to be in a competitive car, but of course until you win your first one you never know," said Monteiro.
"Today was the day. But it was a whole team job - we've done a great job since the beginning of the season."
First Gabriele Tarquini and then Rickard Rydell found their way past Menu, but it was the Swede who took runner-up spot, and the lead in the championship, when Tarquini put a wheel off the track with two laps to go.
"I was settling for third place and was pleased to finish on the podium twice," said Rydell. "I felt that I was a bit quicker than Gabriele but I couldn't get past. He made a bit of a mistake and I got through.
"The key was my start, got past both Larini and Coronel, then I was really lucky with things. If we were here with six or seven petrol cars I think we could have finished in the same positions."
Yvan Muller claimed fourth ahead of teammate Jordi Gene, while SUNRED Engineering's Tom Coronel made it a remarkable day for the marque with sixth place in his petrol-powered SEAT Leon TFSI.
Menu survived a big off-track moment while running third on lap 11 to take seventh ahead of Andy Priaulx, the only BMW driver to score points during the weekend. Pos Driver Make Time
1. Tiago Monteiro SEAT 27:40.930
2. Rickard Rydell SEAT + 4.425
3. G.Tarquini SEAT + 5.275
4. Yvan Muller SEAT + 6.013
5. Jordi Gene SEAT + 8.914
6. Tom Coronel SEAT + 11.218
7. Alain Menu Chevrolet + 13.597
8. Andy Priaulx BMW + 14.246
9. Robert Huff Chevrolet + 14.556
10. Augusto Farfus BMW + 15.029
11. A.Zanardi BMW + 19.129
12. Jorg Muller BMW + 20.726
13. P-Y.Corthals SEAT + 27.261
14. Stefano D'Aste BMW + 32.740
15. Sergio Hernandez BMW + 33.862
16. Franz Engstler BMW + 54.137
17. O.Tielemans BMW +1:04.142
18. Andrey Romanov BMW +1:08.489
19. Ibrahim Okyay BMW + 1 Lap
20. Felix Porteiro BMW + 3 Laps
21. Nicola Larini Chevrolet Retirement
Fastest lap: Yvan Muller, 1:42.418 on lap 14
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