Posted By: Judy Smith

By Martyn HermanTue Nov 14, 8:00 PM ET

LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Driving fast is frowned upon on
the idyllic island of Guernsey, a beach-lined chunk of the
British Isles just a short ferry ride from the French coast.
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This Sunday, however, in the noisy surroundings of Macau,
proud Guernseyman Andy Priaulx will attempt to win the World
Touring Car Championship (WTCC) for the second year running.

In clinching the title last year, also in the final round at
Macau, the 32-year-old BMW driver became the first British world
motor racing champion since Damon Hill claimed the Formula One
title in 1996.

Considering that the WTCC is one of only three world
championships governed by motorsport's governing body the
International Automobile Federation (FIA) -- the others being
Formula One and the World Rally Championship -- recognition of
his feat, outside Guernsey, has been slow coming.

"I'm well recognised in Guernsey and the other Channel
Islands and my profile is high in world motorsport circles,"
Priaulx told Reuters at a London casino.

"It's odd really that I come from an island with a 35 mph
(56 kph) speed limit and yet I'm a world motorsport champion.

"I think my name goes against me because it sounds French.
If I was Jones or a Thompson I would probably get a bit more
coverage in the UK. But WTCC is growing, the TV package is good
and it's a very serious championship."

This year's title will again be decided around the winding
street circuit of China's answer to Las Vegas.

"I think there are 23 casinos in Macau," said Priaulx, who
has fond memories of hitting the jackpot last year.

"I love the circuit, it's my sixth visit there," he said. "I
enjoy running so close to the barriers. One section is only
about twice the width of the car and you're doing 120 mph.

NINE CONTENDERS

"It's technical and you need experience to go fast around
it. If I drive my best I've got the chance to win the title for
the second year in a row."

Last year three drivers went to Macau in contention. This
time there are nine men vying for the crown.

Brazilian Augusto Farfus Jr. leads with 60 points, with
Priaulx and Germany's Jorg Muller on 59. Others such as Italy's
Gabriele Tarquini and Briton James Thompson are also in the
hunt.

With two races on the day, there are plenty of points on
offer and pitfalls to avoid.

"It's great for a viewing point of view and for the fans,
but from a driver's point of view it's eight other guys that can
end your weekend quite easily," said Priaulx.

"Last year I went into the championship decider with two
others who could win it and had a dominant weekend and took the
title. That's what I want to do again."

Priaulx's first taste of motorsport came as a six-year-old
racing karts on Guernsey. Having won the British hillclimbing
title in 1995, he moved into Formula Three, replacing Jenson
Button at Renault UK in 2000.

Unlike the younger Button, however, Priaulx never had the
opportunity to apply his talents to Formula One.

For a while in the late 1990s it looked as though a lack of
finance would curtail his promising career. At one stage things
got so tight he had to sell his house and live in a caravan with
his wife Jo.

He eventually got a works drive with the BMW motorsport team
and has never looked back.

FORMULA ONE

He impressed BMW Williams F1 team chiefs when he tested the
car last year but accepts that a chance to follow Button into
the blue riband championship is unlikely.

"If I can't be the Michael Schumacher of Formula One then I
want to be the Michael Schumacher of touring cars," he said.

"I know I've got the ability to compete at a world-class
level in Formula One but there are only 22 spots and 10 of those
drivers are bringing in massive funding.

"It's a bit like saying 'I want to play football for
England, how much do I have to pay?'"

Without a hint of sour grapes, Priaulx even suggests Formula
One might not quite get his pulse racing.

"Driving a Formula One car is amazing and exhilarating, the
braking and the cornering, but racing an F1 car is a bit like
F3, it's a bit boring, you follow the car in front and lose
downforce and you can't overtake," he explained.

"In touring cars I actually find myself laughing sometimes
because I've got five or six drivers trying to overtake me,
three guys in front and we're five abreast going into braking
for a corner."

Priaulx remains ambitious to prove himself in other forms of
motor racing, with America's NASCAR championship and the Le Mans
24-hour classic high on his list.

"NASCAR has a lot to offer, it's growing so much and I
believe they want top European drivers to go over there," he
said. "It would be very interesting to drive one of those cars
at 200 mph round an oval."

For now, though, his thoughts are on Macau and picking up
the points he needs to take a second world title back home to
Guernsey where he can take life a little more slowly for a
while.

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