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Rydell wins race one in Mexico

Rickard Rydell soaked up late pressure from polesitter Augusto Farfus to claim victory for SEAT in today's first World Touring Car race at Puebla

Rydell jumped from fourth on the grid to first on the opening lap when he made the best job of the rolling start from the second row and drove around the outside of Andy Priaulx's BMW on the way to the first corner. He then eased alongside Farfus on the back straight and took the lead into Turn 12.

"Looking at the warm up, I knew I had to pass in the first or second lap othewise I wouldn't stand a chance," Rydell said. "I saw my chance when Augusto ran a little wide and I was able to take it."

The SEATs looked as though they would have the beating of the BMWs as Gabriele Tarquini and Yvan Muller pushed Priaulx down to fifth, but as the race wore on it was the BMW drivers that had the greater pace.

Priaulx repassed Muller into the first corner just two laps after losing the place, and then regained third from Tarquini with seven laps to go.

The BMWs then started to set fastest laps and Farfus ate into Rydell's lead, just as Jorg Muller took fifth from Tarquini. Farfus put Rydell under constant pressure in the last five laps but was unable to find a way through, while Priaulx - lapping a second faster than the leaders - closed up to the pair and even ran Farfus close for second on the final lap.

Chevrolet's new Cruze will start from the front for the first time in this afternoon's second race after Nicola Larini's quiet run to eighth. He will share the front row with SEAT's Jordi Gene, who had an equally eventless run to seventh.

Felix Porteiro was again the first independent runner home in 10th place, but it was far from an easy race. The Proteam Motorsport driver had qualified eighth and was challenging Jorg Muller for seventh into the first corner when the pair made contact and Porteiro spun.

He dropped several places and was as low as fourth of the independent runners before making his charge back to the class lead in just 10 laps.

Pos Driver               Car                Time
 1. Rickard Rydell       SEAT          26:40.728
 2. Augusto Farfus       BMW              +1.508
 3. Andy Priaulx         BMW              +1.986
 4. Yvan Muller          SEAT             +4.620
 5. Jorg Muller          BMW              +5.717
 6. Gabriele Tarquini    SEAT             +9.473
 7. Jordi Gene           SEAT            +19.399
 8. Nicola Larini        Chevrolet       +22.794
 9. Sergio Hernandez     BMW             +24.725
10. Felix Porteiro       BMW             +25.990
11. Tiago Monteiro       SEAT            +28.400
12. Stefano D'Aste       BMW             +30.289
13. Alex Zanardi         BMW             +33.765
14. Franz Engstler       BMW             +33.952
15. Tom Coronel          SEAT            +34.302
16. Tom Boardman         SEAT            +45.954
17. Jaap van Lagen       Lada            +46.557
18. Kirill Ladygin       Lada            +57.945
19. Viktor Shapovalov    Lada            +3 laps

Retirements

    Alain Menu           Chevrolet       11 laps
    Robert Huff          Chevrolet        6 laps
    George Tanev         BMW              0 laps
    Kristian Poulsen     BMW              0 laps
    Marin Colak          SEAT             0 laps


Fastest lap, Priaulx 1:38.076

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