After a long barren spell, Gianni Morbidelli is back! The ex-Formula 1 driver scored his first race victories in five years with a Round 5 European Touring Cup double-win at the Hungaroring on July 2nd.

Morbidelli made a brilliant start from sixth on the grid in the first race to run second behind Roberto Colciago’s Audi. On lap seven, Colciago’s engine blew, giving the lead to Morbidella’s CiBiEmme BMW. Poleman Fabrizio Giovanardi was back into second in his Nordauto Alfa Romeo 156 ahead of Emanuele Naspetti’s (BMW) and pre-race points leader Peter Kox (JAS Honda)

In the second race, Morbidelli and Naspetti took off from the grid chasing each other around in formation, the former holding on despite the latter turning his headlights on. Giovanardi took third for Alfa and the series lead back from Kox, who worked his way ahead of the second Alfista Nicola Larini in the early stages.

The BMWs and Audis exploited a temporary rules break for this meeting, where they were lightened by 25kg, thereby giving them a distinct advantage of the (thus far) dominant Alfa 156s of Giovanardi and Larini. However, for the next meeting at Imola, they will be required to go back to their normal weight levels

Alfa Romeo appears ready to return to the British Saloon Car Championship after an absence of six years. National Saloon Championship Team "Gary Ayles Racing" is aiming to take advantage of the low-cost rules changes announced last month and graduate to the upper-echelon series in 2001. "The plan would be to run Alfa 156s in both the BTCC and NSC," said Ayles.