The two races were won by Andy Priaulx for BMW Team RBM and Yvan Muller for Chevrolet RML.

After the second round of the season in Morocco, defending champion Gabriele Tarquini was leading the drivers' standings by seven points over Yvan Muller.

Priaulx suffered a brake disk failure at the end of the pit straight and nearly collided with Alain Menu while Fredy Barth, Sergio Hernández and Mehdi Bennani all saw reduced running due to technical issues.

This ruined their laptimes, resulting in the BMWs and Chevrolets locking out the first two rows of the grid, with Augusto Farfus on pole position ahead of Huff, Priaulx, Menu and Muller.

Behind, many drivers cut across the grass at the chicane, while Kristian Poulsen and Darryl O'Young collided, both limping back to the pits to retire.

Tarquini passed Huff at the start of the second lap and the pair began to stretch the gap back to third-placed Priaulx.

However, the leading pair could not be passed initially, with yellow flags out at the beginning of the Parabolica after Leonel Pernía had slid into the gravel on the previous lap.

Once the green flags were shown, Priaulx and Farfus passed the slowing Tarquini and then Huff, to take a dramatic one-two finish for BMW.

[8] Bennani however was given a 30-second penalty after the race for cutting the first chicane on the opening lap, handing tenth place and a first Independents' Trophy victory to Harry Vaulkhard.