2007 WTCC Victory Gives Priaulx his Third Title

November 18’s Macau WTCC races saw the UK’s Andy Priaulx claim his third FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) title, the second since the championship adopted Yokohama’s Advan as control tyre. Priaulx drove to eighth in the first race, having started in 12th place, which placed him on pole position for this season’s last round. Race two saw Priaulx’s title rivals wither down to just one, fellow Briton James Thompson, whose Alfa Romeo began the race strongly before falling behind Priaulx’s BMW during the nine laps.

“I’m speechless!” exclaimed Priaulx following his victory. “Both races were challenging, by now we all know how good the Advans are and that you can push for the whole race without them suffering, so the objective was to stay on track, keep calm and not clip any of the barriers. As they say, you have to finish the race first to have a chance at winning it and we did just that. I’d like to thank everyone, including Yokohama, for this third world title… It’s an unbelievable feeling to have!”

The 2007 Drivers Championship ended with Priaulx on 92 points, followed by France’s Yvan Miller on 81 and James Thompson close behind on 79 points. BMW narrowly squeezed out Seat in the Manufacturers Championship with its 255 to 249 point lead. Next year’s season kicks off at Curitiba, Brazil on February 29.