Andy Priaulx negotiates the streets of Pau. (Picture by FIA WTCC, 0774114)

ANDY PRIAULX has admitted his emotions were yo-yoing rapidly from highs to lows on a weekend full of dramas and controversy in France.

‘Pau was like a roller coaster for me,’ said the BMW Team UK driver, who claimed 10 points at the meeting.

‘First I was up and then I was down. There were dramas with the regulations and dramas on the track.’

Priaulx was delighted with his car for the street circuit and its strength was emphasised in a brilliant qualifying performance that saw the Guernseyman claim pole for the first time in 30 months.

However, the off-track dramas soon removed the position from him.

‘Seat lost their turbo boost tolerance and we were penalised for over revving,’ Priaulx explained. ‘I don’t want to bore you with the technical details of this, but suffice to say I got pole after driving a great lap and lost it because I over revved on a down shift – by 100 revs.

‘Suddenly I found myself starting fifth on the grid and in a place like Pau where overtaking is almost impossible, that is not a good place to be.’

Fortunately, in race one’s rolling start he was able to avoid any contact and, after overtaking a couple of cars, finished fourth to bag a handful of points.