Zonta takes a Brazilian double

The first race was broken up by two accidents. On lap three Roberto Gonzalez forced a safety car period when he went off into the gravel. Then at the restart young Brazilian Tuka Rocha slammed his Gabord Competicion car into a tyre wall.

Zonta led all the way to take his eighth win of the year in front of an estimated crowd of 25,000 fans. Andre Couto beat Briton Justin Wilson to second place.

Heavy rain fell just before race two, making conditions tricky in the early going. Poleman Narain Karthikeyan led away from the start, but Zonta got past on the second lap and went on to victory on the drying track. Karthikeyan's race was ruined by two trips into gravel traps.

Couto also crashed out, while Franck Montagny claimed second place. Bas Leinders, who suffered gearbox problems over the weekend, managed to take third place ahead of Wilson.

Zonta was delighted with his weekend's work. "I wanted to make a good performance in front of my supporters, I'm very proud of them," he said.

The second part of the series' ground-breaking Brazilian double-header takes place next weekend at Interlagos in Sao Paulo.

Ricardo Zonta (BR) Gabord Competición
Andre Couto (MAC) Vergani Racing
Justin Wilson (GB) Racing Engineering
Narain Karthikeyan (IND) Tata RC Motorsport
Antonio García (ESP) Adrián Campos Motorport
Franck Montagny (F) Racing Engineering

Ricardo Zonta (BR) Gabord Competición
Franck Montagny (F) Racing Engineering
Bas Leinders (B) KTR
Justin Wilson (GB) Racing Engineering
Polo Villaamil (ESP) Adrián Campos Motorsport
Antonio García (ESP) Adrián Campos Motorsport