WTCC - Rounds 17 and 18 - Valencia - Race

Jörg Müller wins for BMW in Spain - title to be decided in Macau.

Valencia (Spain), 2nd October 2005. After races 17 and 18 of the FIA World
Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Valencia, Dirk Müller (GER) of BMW Team
Deutschland snatched back the World Championship lead from his fellow BMW
driver Andy Priaulx (GBR). The 29-year-old runner-up stepped onto the podium
after the first race along with winner Jordi Gené (ESP) and his SEAT team-mate
Peter Terting (GER). In the second race Dirk Müller failed to make the podium
after finishing fourth, but BMW Team Deutschland nevertheless had cause for
celebration: Jörg Müller (GER) took his third win of the season before a crowd
of 52,000. Alfa Romeo driver Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA) and Priaulx of BMW Team
UK came second and third.

In the second race, the drivers of the BMW national teams swept up five of the
top six places. Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) of BMW Team Italy-Spain finished
fifth. He had previously made sensational progress in the first race, advancing
from 20th to eight place and thus securing pole position for the race two. His
team-mate Antonio Garcia (ESP) also picked up three points by finishing sixth.

Dirk Müller leads the Drivers' World Championship with 86 points, just one
championship point more than Priaulx. Ahead of the final race of the season in
Macau, Giovanardi with his tally of 81 can also entertain hopes of winning the
first World Championship title since 1987. In Valencia the threesome already
delivered some gripping duels and the competition for the title before the
season's final in the former Portuguese crown colony could hardly be closer. In
the Manufacturers' Championship, BMW has extended its lead over Alfa Romeo. The
Munich carmaker has 244 points after 18 out of 20 races. Alfa is second with
219 points and SEAT follows in third place (170).

Reactions:
Jörg Müller (BMW Team Deutschland): "I'm really happy about my third win of the
season. I have to admit that Giovanardi made things very easy for me in the
second race. There was some fighting going on behind him and I was able to
leave them behind. In the first race I had an exciting duel with him. It was a
fair contest, as we like to see in the WTCC. In Macau I now have to take a lot
of ballast on board. The street circuit is a constant up and down, which means
it will have a negative impact. But still, I won there in 2004 - and that's my
aim again this year."

Dirk Müller (BMW Team Deutschland): "Of course I'm really pleased to have
regained the lead in the World Championship. Now I will be heading for Macau
with an added incentive and plenty of self-confidence. Last year I had a
twelve-point lead before the final race of the season and didn't make it. This
time I'm ahead by one point - and I will make it."

Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK): "It isn't easy winning a World Championship. That
was made clear again today. Out on the track there were some tough battles. It
was great fun. Both races were clean affairs. With last year's European title
behind me, I feel relatively little pressure before the final. Now it's a
matter of finishing both races and collecting as many points as possible. Then
we'll see who ultimately makes it. It will be exciting, that's for sure."

Race 1

Weather: Sunny - 27 degrees Celsius

Start: Dirk Müller gets off to a good start and passes Terting. The BMW works
driver also launches an attack on Gené, who forces Müller onto the kerbs in the
ensuing duel and defends his lead. Jörg Müller gains three places at the outset
to launch into the first lap in fourth place. The other drivers in the BMW
national teams are also able to improve their positions: Priaulx moves from
14th into eighth place while Zanardi advances to 14th. Garcia benefits from a
collision at the start between Augusto Farfus jr. (BRA) and Nicola Larini (ITA)
to take fifth place.

Lap 1: Terting snatches third place back from Dirk Müller while Priaulx slips
past Jörg Müller. Garcia loses a place to Giovanardi, who also launches an
attack on Jörg Müller at the close of the lap. Following the scrap between
these two cars, the BMW driver drops back to ninth place.

Lap 2: Priaulx passes Garcia to take sixth place.

Lap 3: Jörg Müller gets past Larini. Zanardi has already moved up to twelfth.

Lap 4: Zanardi first passes Stéphane Ortelli (MON) and a little later also
overtakes Rickard Rydell (SWE). He is now in tenth place immediately behind his
team-mate Garcia. Dirk Müller is closing the gap to Terting.

Lap 5: Jörg Müller passes Garcia, Priaulx overtakes Gabriele Tarquini (ITA).

Lap 6: Dirk Müller enters into a duel with Terting. The BMW driver maintains
the upper hand and secures second place. Jörg Müller takes sixth place away
from Tarquini.

Lap 9: First Priaulx passes his World Championship rival Giovanardi, then Jörg
Müller likewise squeezes past the Alfa Romeo driver. He manages to fight back,
however, and takes fifth place back from Müller.

Lap 10: Garcia drops back into tenth place and, as well as Larini, he has to
let Zanardi through, who is now in ninth position.

Lap 11: After an exciting duel, Jörg Müller gets past Giovanardi once again.
Zanardi attacks Tarquini and takes eighth place from his compatriot. Garcia is
also poised to take his chance, but in the battle with Tarquini he leaves the
track and slips back to 17th place.

Finish: Dirk Müller is second past the chequered flag to take the World
Championship lead back from Priaulx, who finishes fourth and for his part
increases his lead over Giovanardi in the drivers' rankings. Behind Priaulx,
Jörg Müller crosses the line in fifth place, while Garcia finishes 14th.
Zanardi accomplishes the greatest catching-up feat and finishes eighth to claim
pole position in the second race. The 38-year-old had started from 20th on the
grid.

Race 2

Weather: Sunny - 27 degrees Celsius

Start: Zanardi gets a clean start and initially defends his lead. Behind him
Jörg Müller passes Giovanardi and Larini to move into second place. Priaulx is
behind him in third place, with Dirk Müller in fifth. Garcia advances from 14th
into tenth place.

Lap 1: Priaulx loses third place to Giovanardi. At the end of the lap both Jörg
Müller and Giovanardi overtake Zanardi.

Lap 2: Dirk Müller passes Priaulx, who drops back into seventh place, and
shortly afterwards Zanardi as well. That puts the World Championship leader
into third place. Priaulx slips past Larini on the start/finish straight to
move into sixth place.

Lap 3: Terting loses several positions, to the benefit of Priaulx and Garcia.

Lap 5: Dirk Müller turns up the heat on Giovanardi driving ahead of him in
second place. A nailbiting duel is in the offing between the World Championship
rivals.

Lap 6: Garcia gains further places and is now driving in sixth. Priaulx passes
Zanardi and now has Dirk Müller and Giovanardi in front of him.

Lap 8: Garcia snatches fifth place from Zanardi, Priaulx passes Dirk Müller.

Lap 9: A gripping duel ensues: Dirk Müller counters and plucks third place back
from Priaulx. Now he is snapping at Giovanardi's heels.

Lap 10: Priaulx demonstrates his fighting spirit and edges past Dirk Müller
again. During the manoeuvre the two BMW 320i models make contact and Dirk
Müller drops back into fifth place behind Garcia.

Lap 11: Dirk Müller fights his way back past Garcia into fourth place.

Lap 13: Shortly before the end of the race Zanardi passes his team-mate Garcia.

Finish: Jörg Müller celebrates a supreme third win of the season with a lead
of 7.760 seconds over Giovanardi. Priaulx drives into third place on the podium
and Dirk Müller finishes fourth. Zanardi and Garcia follow in fifth and sixth
place. All five drivers of the BMW national teams thus end the race in the top
six.

Results

BMW Team Deutschland - Schnitzer Motorsport
No. 42 - Jörg Müller (GER) Grid: 7th - Races: 5th and 1st
No. 43 - Dirk Müller (GER) Grid: 3rd - Races: 2nd and 4th

BMW Team UK - RBM
No. 1 - Andy Priaulx (GBR) Grid: 14th - Races: 4th and 3rd

BMW Team Italy-Spain - ROAL Motorsport
No. 4 - Alex Zanardi (ITA) Grid: 20th - Races: 8th and 5th
No. 5 - Antonio Garcia (ESP) Grid: 9th - Races: 14th and 6th

BMW private teams
Crawford Racing
- No. 28 - Carl Rosenblad (SWE) Races: DNF and 16th

Proteam Motorsport
- No. 30 - Stefano d'Aste (ITA) Races: both 17th
- No. 31 - Giuseppe Ciro (ITA) Races: 12th and 10th

Wiechers-Sport
- No. 32 - Marc Hennerici (GER) Races: DNF and 20nd

Results Race 1:
1st Jordi Gené (ESP/SEAT) 22:48.757 minutes, 2nd Dirk Müller (GER, BMW 320i)
+3.288 seconds, 3rd Peter Terting (GER/SEAT) +7.099, 4th Andy Priaulx (GBR/BMW
320i) +8,417, 5th Jörg Müller (GER/BMW 320i) +10.928, 6th Fabrizio Giovanardi
(ITA/Alfa Romeo) +15.506, 7th Nicola Larini (ITA/Chevrolet) +19.414, 8th
Alessandro Zanardi (ITA/BMW 320i) +19.937, ...14th Antonio Garcia (ESP/BMW 320i)
+42.743

Results Race 2:
1st Jörg Müller (GER/BMW 320i) 23:00.510 minutes, 2nd Fabrizio Giovanardi
(ITA/Alfa Romeo) +7.760 seconds, 3rd Andy Priaulx (GBR/BMW 320i) +8.245, 4th
Dirk Müller (GER, BMW 320i) +8.480, 5th Alessandro Zanardi (ITA/BMW 320i)
+9.166, 6th Antonio Garcia (ESP/BMW 320i) +9.364, 7th Augusto Farfus jr.
(BRA/Alfa Romeo) +9.806, 8th Marc Carol (ESP/SEAT)

Drivers' standings after 18 out of 20 races:
1st Dirk Müller 86 points, 2nd Andy Priaulx 85, 3rd Fabrizio Giovanardi 81, 4th
Jörg Müller 59, 5th Gabriele Tarquini 55, 6th James Thompson 51, 7th Antonio
Garcia 51, 8th Rickard Rydell 49, 9th Augusto Farfus jr. 49, 10th Alessandro
Zanardi 31

Manufacturers' standings after 18 out of 20 races:
1st BMW 244 points, 2nd Alfa Romeo 219, 3rd SEAT 170, 4th Chevrolet 57, 5th
Ford 10