Alain Menu went some way to make up for Chevrolet's bitter disappointment in the second World Touring Car race of the weekend at Brands Hatch by nursing his Lacetti home for a popular win.
With a puncture robbing Huff of an almost certain win in the first race, Chevrolet were determined to make amends through Menu in the second race after the Swiss driver secured his reverse grid pole position.
While it wasn't quite a lights-to-flag win, Menu's move on initial leader Felix Porteiro on lap seven would see him secure a lead he wouldn't lose again, despite some rather nervy moments in the closing stages when he seemed to be slowing again.
Predictably, it was Porteiro that got the jump over front row sitters Menu and Gabriele Tarquini, the Spaniard squeezing his way past the two to lead into the Paddock Hill Bend, closely followed by the Swiss driver.
The race was soon under safety car conditions though to move Jordi Gene's expertly beached SEAT at the first corner. The Spaniard was clipped by a slow starting Tom Coronel, sending him wide, but as he tried to recover down the run-off strip from his apparent broken suspension, James Thompson – who was caught out on the outside of the SEAT – had nowhere to go but to clip the Leon. Sending Gene into the barriers, the Spaniard comes away from this weekend with no points.
Following a lengthy safety car period, Menu initially followed Porteiro at the restart but would get even closer one revolution later, pulling out of the BMW's slipstream into the first corner and moving through relatively easily.
From here Menu would not stopped, the Swiss driver gradually pulling away to the chequered flag to record his third straight win at the Brands Hatch circuit he knows so well from his British Touring Car days.
Porteiro held sway for second, the Spaniard resisting the attentions of Ravaglia Motorsport team-mate Alex Zanardi throughout the race. In fact, Zanardi comes away from Brands Hatch as one of the highest scorers following his fourth place finish in the first race too. Race one winner Jorg Muller completed BMW's superb day by claiming fourth.
Gabriele Tarquini was a rather lonely fifth, the Italian rallying early on as he held off Muller and Priaulx, before finally having to keep Augusto Farfus at bay. The Brazilian was arguably the star of the race, battling up from his 24th place starting position to climb up to sixth in just ten laps on a circuit not renowned for its overtaking opportunities.
