Just behind, Nicola Larini and Yvan Muller were well up from their starting positions too, the championship contenders up from 11th and 15th, ahead of respective team-mates Alain Menu and Gabriele Tarquini, who started much higher but were running eighth and seventh instead.
With the race underway again, the field began to fragment into several battles, the four BMWs working together to quickly establish a margin over the heavier Larini and Muller, the duo never more than a second apart, but crucially never looking like they would swap positions.
Sadly for the decent Brno crowd, the finishing order largely mirrored the order at the end of the first lap, the only variety coming when Zanardi ignored Farfus' status as a title contender by sweeping past him for third at turn two on lap seven.
It meant Porteiro was allowed to complete his victory, with Muller a satisfied second in a race
BMW could easily have ‘adjusted' to suit their better placed drivers. Zanardi was third to complete an excellent race for the Roberto Ravaglia-run subsidiary of the BMW works team, while Farfus's fourth ensures he moves back into the lead of the championship, well in the knowledge that Priaulx will start the second race dead last.
Some ten seconds away from Farfus, Larini held on for fifth to add more points to his steady tally, while Muller will be pleased with sixth considering his starting position. Tarquini was a quiet seventh and will be fancying his chances from the front row of the grid for the second race, an event that will see Menu on pole after he finished eighth.
Just behind, but with no points to show for, James Thompson battled his way up to ninth after a good start, the Brit though having to hold off the attentions of a racy looking Massimiliano Pedala, who in turn scored his first ever Independent Trophy win in tenth place overall.
![Felix Porteiro - BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320si [pic credit: FIA WTCC]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/336778.jpg)
