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ADVAN Racers unleashed on the streets of Macau |
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Thursday, 16 November 2006 |
Yokohama ADVAN is prepared for a gripping finish as the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) readies itself for the closest-ever season finale at Macau this weekend.
One of nine drivers could win the coveted WTCC title and join this year’s other FIA World Champions, Formula One’s Fernando Alonso and World Rally’s Sebastian Loeb.
The Guia Circuit is known as one of the most demanding circuits in the
world and holds two famous corners: Lisboa Bend, the track’s best
overtaking opportunity, and Melco Hairpin, a 180° turn that demands
maximum agility to get round the super-tight turn.
The combination of long, fast straights and sharp corners requires
heavy breaking throughout the lap and the ADVANs face a serious
challenge to maintain this season’s impressive consistency.
Part of that test will be to ensure neither the championship’s front
nor rear-wheel-drive cars gain a significant advantage over the other
from their tyres - quite a tall order according to SEAT’s Gabriele
Tarquini who maintains the circuit is perfect for rear-wheel-drive.
"The León will be very good in the slower parts of the circuit," said
the Italian, who is currently fourth in the championship. "But Macau
has traditionally been a BMW track. It’s been a long time since a
front-wheel-drive car won there, but perhaps the time is right for a
SEAT victory there this year!"
Yokohama will use its experience of the Macau Grand Prix – a forerunner
to WTCC – in producing a tyre to enhance each cars’ ability, something
it has achieved throughout 2006 despite the drastically different
circuits visited by the WTCC.
The tyre manufacturer will also be upholding its long-time commitment
to Formula 3, which it has been supplying with tyres in Macau for the
last 24 years.
"Yokohama will be supporting every team and driver this weekend as it
has done all year," said Yokohama Europe Marketing Manager, Kazuyoshi
Sekiguchi. "We hope it will be an exciting race for all the fans of the
FIA World Touring Car Championship after what has been a thrilling
first season in the sport for us."
Sekiguchi also offered his congratulations to Tom Coronel, who claimed
the Driver's Yokohama Independent Trophy in Valencia six weeks ago
after an amazing season, which saw him claim a mighty eight wins with
his GR Asia team.
Coverage for round 19 and 20 of the WTCC in Macau starts Sunday on
Eurosport, with the two back-to-back races shown live at 04:00 CET.
Drivers Championship:
| Pos. |
Driver |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Augusto Farfus Jr |
Alfa Romeo
|
60 |
| 2 |
Andy Priaulx
|
BMW |
59 |
| 3 |
Jörg Muller |
BMW |
59 |
| 4 |
Gabriele Tarquini
|
SEAT |
57 |
| 5 |
Rickard Rydell |
SEAT |
54 |
| 6 |
Dirk Müller |
BMW |
53 |
Manufacturers’ Championship:
| Pos. |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
BMW |
221 |
| 2 |
SEAT |
211 |
| 3 |
Alfa Romeo
|
147 |
| 4 |
Chevrolet |
122 |
Yokohama Independants' Trophy:
| Pos. |
Driver |
Points |
| 1 |
Tom Coronel
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138 |
| 2 |
Luca Rangoni |
80 |
| 3 |
Stefan D’Aste |
77 |
| 4 |
Ryan Sharp |
75 |
| 5 |
Pierre-Yves Corthals |
57 |
| 6 |
Maurizio Ceresoli |
53 |
Yokohama Team's Trophy:
| Pos. |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
GR Asia |
191 |
| 2 |
Proteam Motorsport |
156 |
| 3 |
JAS Motorsport |
132 |
| 4 |
Wiechers Sport |
68 |
| 5 |
DB Motorsport |
25 |
| 6 |
Maurer Motorsport |
25 |
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