07.09.2004 Double victory for AutoDelta's Gabriele Tarquini at Imola on Sunday has bounced him right back into contention in the fight for the 2004 European Touring Car Championship title

Double victory for AutoDelta's Gabriele Tarquini at Imola on Sunday has bounced him right back into contention in the fight for the European Touring Car Championship title.

The reigning ETCC champion arrived at Imola without a win in eleven races, and with his AutoDelta team having been comprehensively beaten in the last rounds at Spa a fortnight ago.

BMW Team Deutschland's Dirk Muller, with three wins to his credit this year topped the table with 86 points, his main title rival all season, team mate Jorg Muller, with four wins, was second on 83 points, while a third BMW protagonist, Briton Andy Prilaux was in third place with 81 points.

In fourth place, and seemingly an insurmountable 20 points off the lead was Tarquini, with just two early season wins to his name, his hopes of retaining the title already being written off.

However, the Alfa Romeo factory team, who have utterly dominated the ETCC since its rebirth three years ago, do not take defeat lying down, and buoyed by a new suspension set-up successfully tested at Vallelunga earlier in the week, arrived on their home turf looking to bounce back.

In Gabriele Tarquini, they have the ultimate touring car driver: while being blisteringly quick, this ex-F1 driver, is completely at home in the rough and tumble of tin top racing, able to constantly pull off the most aggressive moves, requirements necessary to elbow to the front of an unforgiving pack.

As well as Tarquini, AutoDelta boast the most accomplished touring car star of the last decade: Fabrizio Giovanardi. Champion for Alfa Romeo in 2001 and 2002, he is now back 'home' after a brief defection to BMW last year which failed to reap dividends.

It was Giovanardi who got the ball rolling on Saturday by claiming pole position, just ahead of Tarquini and the third AutoDelta car, driven by young Brazilian rookie driver, Augusto Farfus Jr.

Sunday saw two crushing displays from Alfa Romeo: Tarquini took victory both races, claiming the maximum score available, 20 points, while Giovanardi dutifully backed him up with two seconds, and Farfus hammered home their advantage with two thirds, although a safety car period infringement saw the Brazilian ejected down the order of race two.

The reigning champion was delighted, commenting after the race: "Many people came here to see Alfa Romeo in first position and when we scored double podium today, the dream came true. Now the Championship is open again…”

With Dirk Muller managing to score just seven points combined from both races, Tarquini has now chopped thirteen points out of his advantage. Title rivals, Andy Prilaux and Jorg Muller both had a dismal weekend, leaving Imola after taking only four points and two points respectively.

Now its on to BMW's home circuit at Oschersleben, in a fortnight's time, a track where the German marque has traditionally dominated, before the final round takes place in Dubai on 8th October.

AutoDelta will be looking to consolidate at Oschersleben, the layout of which will undoubtedly favour the rear wheel drive BMW's. Meanwhile Dubai will be new to everyone, and the Italian team will he banking on the fact that their ability to get the best out of the Michelin tyres in the heat at Imola over the weekend, will be prevalent again and help to gain them an advantage in the blisteringly hot Middle East.

In the manufacturer's series BMW are now almost home and dry, holding onto a large 54 point lead over Alfa Romeo with just two races remaining.

The Germans have been helped along the way by seven maximum scores of 18 points, compared to Alfa Romeo's five. They now has 224 points, Alfa Romeo are second with 170 points, while SEAT trail in a distant third with just 68 points.

In the Independent's Trophy, Dutch BMW pilot Tom Coronel now holds a clear advantage after claiming seven wins on his way to amassing 120 points. Honda's Alessandro Balzan is second, with 91 points, while five further adrift comes the first of the Team Oregon Alfa Romeo 156 GTA driving trio, Salvatore Tavano, who has picked up five wins, including victory in race one at Imola on Sunday.

Team mate Luca Rangoni is next, tied with BMW's Stefano d'Aste on 58 points, the Alfa driver being helped to this mark after a double win at Hockenheim. The third Team Oregon driver, Michele Bartyan, a winner at Magny-Cours, is in 6th place, one point further back.

Finally, in the teams classification all is still to play for: BMW Team Deutschland, who run both Jorg and Dirk Muller, are just 11 points ahead of AutoDelta, the German team having 179 points to the Italian outfit's 166.

AutoDelta closed the gap up considerably at Imola over the weekend after raking in a maximum 36 point haul, while BMW Team Deutschland managed to grab only nine points.