WTCC Oschersleben 2: Farfus leads the train

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It was another case of follow-my-leader in the second WTCC race at Oschersleben, with Augusto Farfus easily converting his front row start into a victory.

He was pushed every millimetre of the way by team mate Andy Priaulx. But the two looked happy to accept their positions especially as their team mate and principal rival Jorg Muller failed to score.

Farfus and Priaulx didn’t even seem to make the best of starts though their rear wheel drive BMWs easily propelled thim into first and second from second and fourth on the grid respectively.

Jorg Muller got away better but found himself boxed in behind Priaulx, with Jordi Gene and Roberto Colciago either side of him. Gene went too deep into the first corner and dumped Muller and Colciago into the barriers. Muller resumed last and eventually limped into the pits where he watched his championship lead fall into Farfus’s hands.

It nearly didn’t however, as Priaulx and Farfus were swapping paint with tremendous vigour. Priaulx was hugely faster than Farfus through the fast sweeps and tried a bold lunge at the final corner on lap four. Farfus slammed the door hard and the two made brief contact – allowing the Gene-James Thompson battle for eighth to catch them up.

Priaulx made a number of attempts to pass Farfus at turn one but the Brazilian was able to keep ahead – the tyre walls on the outside of the corner threatening to punish any overly exuberant move to take the lead.

By the final laps Farfus seemed to making more than the regulation single move to defend his position but he clung on to beat Priaulx across the line and take the lead of the championship.

There was little change of position behind them as well. Gene took third despite his dubious move at the first turn. Thompson was fourth ahead of race one winner Yvan Muller, Rob Huff giving Chevrolet their only points of the weekend, Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro.

Photo: BMW

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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