However, as the laps wore on, Tavano held station, with Farfus only being able to make feigned looks up the inside as he expected Tavano to get the call from the team to move over for him to win. However, the call never came and Tavano was left to cross the line as the surprise winner to finally kick start his WTCC campaign.
Farfus made the most of a disappointing day for the leading championship runners to claim eight points and vault up the leader board into a title challenging position. Sharp held on for the final podium spot, and the Independent Trophy win, in his JAS Honda Accord after soaking up plenty of pressure from Coronel in closing stages.
Like Tavano and Sharp, Coronel has now opened his 2006 scoring account thanks to a fighting fourth place for the Dutchman. He also had the honour of coming home as the leading SEAT in a race that promised much but ultimately failed to deliver for the Spanish marque.
Thompson was their leading works driver in fifth place, a result that moves him into the lead of the championship, while Muller held on for sixth in a race where BMW rarely looked as though they could compete with Alfa Romeo and even Honda.
The battle for the final two points paying spots, and the front row for the second race, was rather more hard fought, with seventh eventually falling to Gianni Morbidelli, the Italian making it a superb race for Alfa Romeo to come seventh. Rydell recovered from his engine penalty to claim eighth and therefore start the second race from the pole position he had taken away from him in the first race.
Having started ninth and run in the top eight early on, Andy Priaulx slipped back dramatically as he struggled with the weight on his
BMW, being shuffled down the order to an eventual 18th place.
The second race meanwhile will be delayed further as marshals take to the circuit once again to remove the rubber and tarmac that made the first race so treacherous for many drivers.
