A record crowd attended the 54th Macau Grand Prix event that included the FIA WTCC finale. According to the figures released by the Macau Grand Prix Committee last Monday, 55,000 spectators gathered on the grandstands along the Guia Track over the weekend, while an estimated 200,000 more watched the races from hotel rooms, flats and restaurants'' terraces around the track.

 PRIAULX: STORY OF A PHENOMENON

Andy Priaulx began his route to become one of the most successful touring car drivers ever four years ago when he clinched the 2004 FIA European Touring Car Championship crown in Dubai.

2004: ETCC, DUBAI - He arrived in the Emirate state with a 12-point gap behind fellow BMW driver Dirk Müller and finished second in both races, equalling Müller''s 111 points but beating him by the dead heat (5 wins against 3).

2005: WTCC, MACAU - In the following season, the first of the new World Touring Car Championship, Müller and Priaulx arrived to the last round in Macau separated by only one point, with Alfa Romeo''s Fabrizio Giovanardi third with a 5-point gap. Again two second places enabled Priaulx to overturn the situation.

2006: WTCC, MACAU - No less than nine drivers arrived in Macau still in contention for the 2006 world championship. Alfa Romeo''s Augusto Farfus was leading before the final round, only one point ahead of the Priaulx-Jörg Müller duo. Priaulx set pole position and won the first race, with Müller sixth; as the German won the second race a fifth place was enough for Priaulx to grab his third title by one point.
2007: WTCC, MACAU - The rest is recent history. For the first time Priaulx arrived at the season''s finale as the leader of the classification, although on equal points with Yvan Muller. This did not affect the final result with Priaulx champion once again.