Priaulx: this title would mean more

Priaulx made up a 12-point deficit in the final two races of last year's European series to beat fellow BMW driver Dirk Muller to the crown but believes this year's crown will carry greater prestige.

Organisers expanded and renamed the championship to the World Touring Car Championship this season, and Priaulx heads into the final round in Macau only one point behind Muller.

The 2002 ETCC champion, Fabrizio Giovanardi is also in with a shot of the title, lying only five points behind Muller.

As per all WTCC rounds, there are 20 points to fight for from the meeting's two races this weekend.

"Winning this year would mean so much more to me than last year," Priaulx told autosport.com. "It is the same drivers but it is now the World Championship, not a European championship. It is a bigger title. And when you've done it once you have to prove it to everyone again because there is only one way to go when you've been on top.

"I'm guaranteed a top three finish and I will have been in the top three in the championship for the past three years, and no-one else has done that. And I have only been in the championship for three years."

It has been seven weeks since the last round of the championship in Valencia that set up the title-shootout round the streets of Macau. In that time, the pressure has grown on all three title-contenders, however Priaulx reckons he will be able to cope because he has had worse.

"Last year I thought I had no real title chance going into the final race of the season," he said. "I just wanted to prove I was the quickest guy in the championship having won the most races that season. I didn't feel any pressure - I was a free spirit.

"That was last year, obviously I'm only one point behind this year and there is a lot of pressure. I go into the final round this year knowing I have a serious chance of winning the championship.

"It makes you think things through. I've been looking at all the possible outcomes of what could happen and working the scenarios over in my head. What to do if the car is good, what to do if the car is bad and I don't qualify well. What do I do if there is safety car. All the possible outcomes.

"But I've dealt with this kind of pressure before, and it is not as bad as other situations. There are situations when maybe you've been given some money to do a one-off race and a season drive depends on how well you do. That is way more pressure. I've just got let this bounce off me and relax about it all."

All three title contenders start on maximum amount of success ballast - 60kg - however Priaulx believes that the trio won't be fighting for the title at the front of the field.

He reckons that drivers taking part in this round of the series only will be up the front, because they don't have the success ballast that the title runners do.

"The problem is that the championship will probably be decided over the small points, because there are so many ringers in Macau," added the 31 year-old. "People like Simon Harrison and Andre Couto know the place and have no ballast and will probably be in front.

"They will respect the championship battle however, I've spoke with Simon about it and Couto is a sensible driver. He doesn't want to be a fool. But they have something to prove.

"All three of us can win the championship and Giovanardi isn't as far back as I was last year, so he has a very real chance of winning it too. Nothing would surprise me this weekend.

"I have had 10 points lost at Silverstone with a puncture and a safety car came out at Spa and suddenly everyone was able to slipstream me. Dirk has finished every race this season so he has been walking on water. He could crash, go six foot in the air and still finish.

"I just hope this weekend is decided fairly. If I don't win, I'll be gutted. But I hope I'm not pointing fingers at anybody and I've just lost because the other guys were faster. That it was just fate and it will be easier to take. I'll be able to live with myself."