Istanbul: Race one, two quotes

Fabrizio GIOVANARDI, Alfa Romeo Racing 1st in Race 1 and 6th in Race 2
"Our car was great this weekend and we did a good job in qualifying which put us in a fantastic position and it meant it was quite easy for me to win the first race. Starting from 8th on the grid in Race 2 is always difficult because you have so many cars to overtake. It was not an easy race for me. I tried to overtake Zanardi and did not see García. The braking was very difficult with three cars entering the corner and I just touched Antonio (García) but I think it was a normal race incident. The title fight is really getting exciting. Four points is not a lot especially over the next two races where in Valencia in particular the Alfas are very quick. I am confident and will push for the win."

Gabriele TARQUINI, Alfa Romeo Racing 7th in Race 1 and 1st in Race 2
"Race 1 was very unlucky for me because if it were not for the tyre failure I could have scored more points and helped Giovanardi in his fight for the title. It was a shame but I am happy the same problem did not occur in Race 2. The circumstances were different because Farfus and I had a gap from the others so I was not fighting as hard as I was in race 1. As for my championship chances, I think I am out of fight but I will be doing my best in Valencia and Macau to ensure the team gets both the driver and manufacturer titles. I want to dedicate this victory to my first daughter Gulia who was born in May, I would have liked to do it sooner in the season though!"

James THOMPSON, Alfa Romeo Racing 2nd in Race 1 and 4th in Race 2
"It would have been such a fantastic result if we had managed a 1-2-3-4 in the first race; for the team and the championship. But it wasn't to be the case which is a shame. The car was brilliant in the second race after we made a few quick changes. I thought I could catch Alex (Zanardi) at the end but picked up a little vibration so decided to ease off slightly in order to avoid a puncture and finish the race."

Augusto FARFUS, Alfa Romeo Racing 8th in Race 1 and 2nd in Race 2
"As a whole, this weekend was good for the team. It was unlucky what happened to me and Gabriele (Tarquini) in the last lap of Race 1 but starting on pole for Race 2 made it quite easy to manage and we did a good job. Last year I started on pole in Valencia and I hope to do that again and turn it into my first FIA WTCC win. I am always fighting for the top positions so I don't see why it can't happen."

Alessandro ZANARDI, BMW Team Italy-Spain 6th in Race 1 and 3rd in Race 2
"Today I was fortunate in Race 2 which got me on the podium again whereas my team-mate García was not so lucky and I think he was fast enough to go out there and win the race. I am not really focusing on my championship position because we are still progressing and I am happy that we have been able to get a good race pace but we still need to work on qualifying."

Andy PRIAULX, BMW Team UK 3rd in Race 1 and 9th in Race 2
"I may be in the lead for the Championship but I am a bit disappointed in general because Race 2 was disastrous for me. My balance hadn't really felt right all weekend and so I asked the team to make a big change in between the races because I was desperate. It turned out to be the wrong decision. However, I will continue and do my very best as it is important to still be in the running for the title when we go to Macau because in the past the Championship has been decided in the last race. Valencia is not an ideal circuit for the BMWs and I take the challenges of the Alfas very seriously, but I enjoy it there and will work hard."

Carl ROSENBLAD, Crawford Racing 11th in Race 1 and 18th in Race 2
"I have led races five or six times this season so now I am happy and proud to get this win. We have struggled to pull everything together so far but today I feel as though I am in the positions I should be. I wanted a double victory but in Race 2 I broke my steering which was unlucky. On the other hand it is lucky Coronel did not score any points because that helps me in the Independent Trophy."

Marc HENNERICI Wiechers Sport 13th in Race 1 and 11th in Race 2
"I'm so happy to have achieved a win because I had just one set of new tyres left at the start of Race 1 and I was involved in the crash with Larini and Jörg Müller. So when I lined up for Race 2 I didn't think it would be possible to win. I was a lucky man today and am looking forward to the next races where I hope to secure the championship win."

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