Far from conforming to Chevrolet's relative lack of speed compared to the mighty
BMW behind him, Huff was instead gradually establishing a gap back to Priaulx, perhaps understandable given his 60kg of success ballast, but also managing to set the fastest lap early on as the duo pulled away.
Indeed, Menu in third, having initially tussled with Priaulx, was struggling to contain the close attentions of Muller behind him, the German slipping up the inside at the first corner, only for the lighter Lacetti to out drag him up the hill and back into third place.
With the duo side-by-side at various moments in the lap, a clash was somewhat inevitable, the moment coming in the final corner of lap four when Muller scythed up the inside of Menu, the Swiss driver turning in, only to be bumped off the track and into retirement with damaged suspension.
However, Muller had come out of their exchange badly too, with Zanardi vaulting up into third place, while Yvan Muller also took his opportunity to move into fourth, leaving Jorg Muller a frustrated fifth.
Nonetheless, it was a trio, who interestingly filled the first race podium, that would follow each other over the line lap after lap with less than a second between them, not one driver eager to make a move unless they lost advantage to those behind.
It was a particularly tense battle for Zanardi and Yvan Muller, the two having collided twice in Mexico and been brought to the stewards for a stern telling off, the Italian actually racing in the Czech Republic under probation should he be involved in another contentious incident.
And it was a contentious incident he was duly involved with, although it was Muller who was this time the controversial guilty party, the Frenchman having put his nose down the inside of the BMW at the first corner, only to turn the Italian round and into retirement, much to the Italian's fury.
![Rob Huff - Chevrolet [Pic: FIA WTCC]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/240134.jpg)
