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Yokohama centre stage at Macau |
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Friday, 17 November 2006 |
China’s famous street circuit, Macau, provided Yokohama ADVAN with an intense challenge today, in the last FIA World Touring Car Championship qualifying session of 2006.
The official tyre manufacturer was faced with frequent interruptions from rain and red flags in addition to the exceptionally high braking requirements of the tight track.
Reigning champion, Andy Priaulx, mastered the difficult conditions to secure his third pole position of the year and gave credit to the team that put his BMW together.
“I totally expected the session to be disrupted with red flags so I knew I had to get a quick time straight away,” said Priaulx, who is currently one point behind championship leader, Augusto Farfus Junior. “I used a new set of tyres to improve so it wasn't a fluke, it was down to preparation. That pole belongs to the whole team who pulled it together.”
Yokohama European Marketing Manager, Kazuyoshi Sekiguchi, says he is proud of the vital role the tyre manufacturer has played in its inaugural WTCC year.
“Yokohama has lots of experience in Macau and we know the circuit very well,” said Sekiguchi. “We had hoped today's qualifying would be competitive, and it is a pity that red flags and rain interrupted that. I would expect more spectacular racing on Sunday, although I congratulate Andy for an excellent performance in very difficult conditions today.
“The tyres are one of the most vital aspects of a racing car, so to develop a product versatile enough to deal with everything Macau threw at us today is very satisfying.”
In the Yokohama Independents Trophy Tom Coronel, who has already secured the title, got pole and will start sixth overall.
Eurosport’s coverage of the final WTCC rounds of 2006 starts on Sunday with back-to-back races shown live at 04:00 CET.
WTCC Qualifying: Round 19
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1
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Andy Priaulx
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BMW 320si
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2m 33.318s
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2
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Dirk Müller
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BMW 320si
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2m 34.628s
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3
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Yvan Muller
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SEAT Leon
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2m 34.663s
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4
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Duncan Huisman
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BMW 320si
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2m 34.761s
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5
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Jörg Müller
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BMW 320si
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2m 34.896s
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6
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Tom Coronel
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SEAT Leon
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2m 35.476s
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7
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Augusto Farfus Jr.
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Alfa Romeo 156
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2m 35.624s
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8
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Fabrizio Giovanardi
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Honda Accord Euro R
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2m 35.705s
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9
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Gabriele Tarquini
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SEAT Leon
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2m 36.008s
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10
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Jan Magnussen
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BMW 320si
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2m 36.381s
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11
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Peter Terting
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SEAT Leon
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2m 38.052s
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12
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Stefano D'Aste
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BMW 320i
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2m 38.469s
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13
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Gianni Morbidelli
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Alfa Romeo 156
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2m 38.561s
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14
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Luca Rangoni
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BMW 320si
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2m 39.936s
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15
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Maurizio Ceresoli
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SEAT Leon
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2m 43.664s
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16
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Alessandro Zanardi
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BMW 320si
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2m 44.268s
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17
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Jordi Gene
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SEAT Leon
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2m 44.281s
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18
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Andre Couto
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SEAT Leon
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2m 44.552s
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19
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Salvatore Tavano
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Alfa Romeo 156
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2m 48.698s
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20
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Rob Huff
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Chevrolet Lacetti
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2m 49.943s
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21
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Alain Menu
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Chevrolet Lacetti
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2m 50.943s
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22
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Rickard Rydell
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SEAT Leon
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2m 55.171s
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23
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Diego Romanini
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BMW 320i
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3m 21.266s
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24
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Nicola Larini
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Chevrolet Lacetti
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No time
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25
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James Thompson
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SEAT Leon
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No time
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26
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Ao Chi Hong
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BMW 320i
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No time
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Drivers’ Championship:
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1
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Augusto Farfus Jr
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Alfa Romeo
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60 points
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2
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Andy Priaulx
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BMW
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59 points
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3
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Jörg Muller
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BMW
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59 points
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4
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Gabriele Tarquini
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SEAT
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57 points
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5
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Rickard Rydell
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SEAT
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54 points
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6
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Dirk Müller
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BMW
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53 points
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Manufacturers’ Championship:
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1
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BMW
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221 points
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2
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SEAT
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211 points
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3
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Alfa Romeo
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147 points
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4
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Chevrolet
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120 points
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Yokohama Independents’ Trophy:
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1
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Tom Coronel
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138 points
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4
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Luca Rangoni
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80 points
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3
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Stefan D’Aste
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77 points
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2
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Ryan Sharp
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75 points
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5
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Pierre-Yves Corthals
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57 points
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6
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Maurizio Ceresoli
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53 points
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Yokohama Teams’ Trophy:
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1
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GR Asia
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191 points
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2
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Proteam Motorsport
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156 points
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3
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JAS Motorsport
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132 points
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4
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Wiechers Sport
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68 points
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5
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DB Motorsport
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25 points
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6
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Maurer Motorsport
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25 points
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 19 November 2006 )
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