ANDY PRIAULX gave away hard-won points under BMW team bosses’ instructions yesterday in Porto.

In race one of the 100th race in the world touring car championship, the BMW Team UK driver and Joerg Mueller from BMW Team Germany helped Mueller’s team mate, Augusto Farfus, take eighth and with it pole for race two.

But for that to happen Priaulx gave away fourth place and dropped to ninth to help the Brazilian, who had already been given a drive through penalty for causing an avoidable accident that eventually brought out the red flag early in the race.

But at least Priaulx’s lending hand proved worthwhile.

Farfus led from start to finish and the victory keeps him in the thick of the drivers’ championship chase, now just 15 points behind leader Yvan Muller.

Then from ninth spot on the grid in race two the Guernsey driver was only able to move up two places on the street circuit where overtaking is extremely difficult.

Yesterday’s races on the Porto street circuit saw the three-times world champion Priaulx become the only driver to have started all 100 FIA World Touring Car Championship races since the series was re-started in 2005.

It’s just a shame that he could not celebrate the achievement with more than two points and now finds himself seventh in the overall standings, 42 points behind Muller.

But despite the enforced slow-show in race one Priaulx was understanding of the situation and openly did not make a fuss. Privately, he could not have been happy.