His team mate Gabriele Tarquini – the only other man still in contention to win the title – had to settle for second place.
If the Championship belonged to SEAT, the day belonged to Chevrolet. The blue Lacetti took a clean sweep, claiming pole position with Alain Menu and two victories with Menu and Robert Huff. A perfect farewell before being retired in favour of the new Cruze.
Huff's win in Race 2 was especially important, because it gave the young Briton third place in the Drivers' Championship, only one point short of Tarquini and ahead of the outgoing champion Andy Priaulx.
The second race was one of the craziest ever seen, with James Thompson's Honda, eliminated in a collision with Augusto Farfus' BMW when only one lap separated “Thommo” from his second win of the season.
Sergio Hernández and Franz Engstler shared glories in the Independents' Trophy, and Proteam Motorsport's Spaniard was crowned champion of the class.
Now the FIA World Touring Car Championship faces a short break, before resuming in Curitiba, Brazil, on March 8, for the two opening rounds of the 2009 season.
