Theissen: '07 title was hardest yet

Priaulx sealed the title with victory in the final race of the season at Macau, but he had been off the pace for most of the weekend, while SEAT's Yvan Muller was setting the pace in his diesel-powered Leon.

Muller was on course to head into the final race with a 10-point lead over Priaulx, before his SEAT slowed on the penultimate lap with a fuel pump problem.

"It has certainly been the most competitive season," Theissen told autosport.com. "Four brands won races, which wasn't the case in the years before.

"It was also the most difficult situation for us, when we came here we knew we were in a rather defensive position and this was confirmed by qualifying (where Priaulx was 12th).

"It was quite tough and we knew that if nothing unexpected happened we wouldn't be able to win the championship here."

Theissen added that Priaulx deserved a lot of the credit for his win against the odds this weekend.

"The difference with Andy is that when it gets good and close and tough, then he makes the difference. He never gives up," he said.

"Macau has always been special and you have to push until the chequered flag, and it was again the case today. We could not expect what happened during the races but our drivers took the chances they got."