Battle is joined at the head of the World Touring Car Championship as the 2009 season reaches its halfway point in Brno this weekend.

The undulating 5.4-kilometre Masaryk Circuit in the Czech Republic plays host to rounds 11 and 12 of what has thus far been a tightly-contested campaign.

Just three points separate reigning champion and current pacesetter Yvan Muller (SEAT) from BMW's Augusto Farfus heading into this weekend.

BMW have won eight of the 12 races at the track since the series first ran here - then under the European Touring Car Championship banner - in 2002.

The momentum is very much with arch-rivals SEAT, however, who claimed their first win around the circuit 12 months ago when Gabriele Tarquini held off Alessandro Zanardi in a thrilling battle to the flag.

Current form also indicates SEAT will have the edge this weekend after the Spanish manufacturer's Leon TDIs locked out the top four places in qualifying and claimed a clean sweep of the race one podium in Valencia last time out.

Although BMW took maximum points through Farfus in race two, the win only came about thanks to the WTCC regulation which sees the grid partially reversed for the second event.

Further down the grid, twin brothers Tim and Tom Coronel will both be in WTCC action this weekend.

SEAT privateer Tom Coronel is a regular in the independents' series but his brother gets the nod for the first time after impressing in the opening round of the SEAT Leon Eurocup at Valencia.