Macau 2006: Jorg's race, Andy's year.

Jorg Muller did all he could in the second race for the World Touring Car Championship in Macau, but it wasn't enough to prevent Andy Priaulx from securing the title for the second successive season.

Muller started the race from the second row of the grid but made the best start to jump ahead of both Peter Terting and Tom Coronel off the line and was never headed as he clinched his fourth win of the season.

Muller had had Augusto Farfus alongside him on the second row of the grid for the final race, but the Brazilian would see his championship challenge come to an end before the field even made it to Lisboa - the scene of many a dramatic incident in years gone by. Farfus, who started the weekend a point ahead of both Muller and Priaulx, didn't get away as well as Muller when the lights went green but still managed to make a move on the two SEATs ahead, but as the field streamed through Mandarin Bend for the first time he was squeezed wide and swiped the wall - leaving the N.technology Alfa Romeo with terminal suspension damage and making the fight for the title an all BMW affair.

While Muller led through Lisboa for the first time, the aim for Priaulx was to avoid any incidents in the pack which he managed to do safely but behind the champion, contact between Duncan Huisman and Jordi Gene left Gene in the barriers and out of the race, with Maurizio Ceresoli also retiring at the same place. Part way round the opening lap and both Gabriele Tarquini and Rob Huff were also forced out, with the pair together in the wall and the Safety Car called out onto the track.

Jorg led the race from a SEAT armada of Terting, Yvan Muller, Tom Coronel and James Thompson while Priaulx lay sixth - a position that would have been good enough to give him the championship title on race wins. However as the field prepared to take the restart, Terting suddenly slowed with mechanical problems, not only giving Jorg an unassailable lead but also promoting Priaulx into fifth. The champion was unable to relax as he came under increasing pressure from Fabrizio Giovanardi in the JAS Honda Accord, but despite Italian swarming all over the back of the BMW, but experienced Italian knew not to get involved in deciding the destiny of the title.

However Priaulx held off Giovanardi for fifth place as Muller won the race, leaving Priaulx champion by a single point. Second in the race went to Yvan Muller who ends his first season in the WTCC as the lead SEAT driver in the standings, with Independents champion Coronel taking his best finish with third. Thompson took fourth with Giovanardi sixth, Andre Couto eighth and Dirk Muller completing the points scorers.