Motor racing: Muller moves into Biela's seat at Audi

Frank Biela has gone back to Germany as part of an Audi touring car shake-up which runs far deeper than merely switching their works drivers from country to country.

Biela, who won the British Touring Car Championship at his and Audi's first attempt in 1996, and finished second last season, will pilot the new, front-wheel drive Audi A4 in his home competition, with the Frenchman Yvan Muller taking the German's seat here.

The 28-year-old Muller joins John Bintcliffe who, along with Biela, made Audi such a formidable force with the four-wheel drive Quattro, which has now been banned from touring car racing worldwide.

Audi's dismay at what they perceive to be the outlawing of a piece of technology simply because it was too successful has forced them to severely curtail their involvement in touring cars for 1998 and hand over the development of the A4 to Audi Sport's long-standing partner, the French-based ROC- Auto.

- Nick Duxbury