Motorsport: Setback for Andy Priaulx in his bid for fourth world championship

Andy Priaulx's hopes of claiming a fourth World Touring Car Championship title suffered a blow in Valencia as he finished behind championship leader Yvan Muller in both races yesterday.

The Guernseyman had entered the weekend just 11 points behind the Frenchman with three meetings to go in the race for the title, but he could only finish fifth and fourth, while Muller recorded a pair of second-place finishes to extend his advantage to 25 points.

But it was a good weekend for defending champion Gabriele Tarquini who hauled himself back into contention as he took victory in race one and followed that up with a third-place finish later in the afternoon. Former Formula One driver Tiago Monteiro took the spoils in race two.

SEAT driver Tarquini had started from pole at the Spanish manufacturer's home circuit and he dominated race one as he led from lights to flag for a straightforward win. His excellent weekend sees him move within four points of Priaulx in second place with rounds in Japan and Macau to come.