POINTS mean the ultimate prize for Andy Priaulx, not race wins. That was the message coming from the reigning world touring car champion who heads this year’s drivers’ standings at the halfway stage after victory in race two in Brazil on Sunday gave him a three-point lead over James Thompson.

‘It’s brilliant to have another win. But for me, the points are more important,’ Priaulx said.

‘Coming from Brazil with 11 points despite 65 kilos of handicap weight was not what I had expected. Therefore, I’m really, really pleased.

‘However, it won’t be easy in Mexico now, as I will carry high ballast again.’

The Sarnian’s eighth-place finish in race one gave him one point and, more importantly, pole position for the second. He led that eventful race from start to finish.

‘I was pleased to be at the front of the second race because it looked a bit crazy back there,’ said Priaulx.

‘I made a good start and opened up a gap, but then the safety car came out. After a good restart, I built another gap – and again the safety car came out.

‘It was an eventful race, but I tried to drive cleverly and to commit no mistakes. At no point did I think I had the race won because it was one of those races where you could easily slip back.’

Rounds 11 and 12 of the WTCC are in Puebla, Mexico, at the end of the month but Priaulx will be back in action this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

He will be driving both the BMW Sauber F1.06 and the car he won his title in last year, the BMW 320i.

‘It is going to be a lot of fun driving both of these cars up the famous hill,’ said Priaulx.

‘I did the event a couple of years ago in an old Williams F1 car that had been driven by Keke Rosberg and that was great.

‘It is an amazing event and I am very happy that BMW has asked me to drive both these cars.’

The Guernseyman already knows how the Formula 1 car handles, as he drove it at the BMW Sauber Pit Lane Park in both Silverstone and Montreal.

For the Canadian Grand Prix weekend it was based in the centre of Montreal and attracted a record crowd of 41,000.

At Goodwood he will do two runs in both cars on Saturday and Sunday.