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Yokohama Celebrates With IFM And WTCC |
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Saturday, 19 May 2007 |
Yokohama celebrated the start of the International Formula Master season today in Valencia with the Series’ inaugural round won by Italy’s Salvatore Gatto, running on Yokohama ADVANs. The action-packed race was incredibly exciting and drivers throughout the field commented on the excellent handling and quality of the rubber beneath them.
Qualifying for round five of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) was an equally thrilling session for N.Technology’s James Thompson. With track temperatures running high in the Spanish heat, the British driver claimed pole position in 1:43.954, supported by his Yokohama ADVANs.
“The ADVANs stood up to the high temperatures really well," said the 32
year-old. “We got great performance from them despite the heat. The
tyre pressure can be managed over one lap quite easily – tyre warmers
are set to the track temperature before qualifying to prepare them and
can stay that way over one lap without any problems.”
Starting tomorrow’s race in second place, Yvan Muller qualified just
one hundredth-of-a-second behind Thompson with his SEAT Leon. The
Frenchman is a notoriously smooth driver, acknowledging his style can
sometime be detrimental in qualifying, but his performance today suited
his tyres perfectly.
“I think it’s important to be quite smooth on tyres here at Valencia,"
said Muller. “You definitely want to be less aggressive than in
Zandvoort where the track temperatures were cooler and the circuit was
less twisty. Once you find the right tyre pressure though, racing
around here is no problem at all.”
Third place Andy Priaulx confirmed the Yokohama ADVAN’s excellent
performance in the heat: “It was a good qualifying from the tyres, they
were very constant over my lap and responded extremely well without
showing any signs of being affected by the heat.”
High temperatures and an extremely twisty circuit provide a serious
challenge for most but Yokohama Europe Marketing Manager Kazuyoshi
Sekiguchi is confident that the ADVAN tyres can deliver their usual
first-class performance.
“Only two weeks ago we had a race in hot conditions back at Zandvoort,”
said Sekiguchi. “The temperatures are even higher here but I’m
confident that our ADVAN product can provide the WTCC drivers with the
grip and consistency that they require.
“With Alfa Romeo starting from pole for tomorrow first race, all four
manufacturers have now claimed the top spot and the top 19 cars today
were covered by just one second showing the WTCC’s extreme
competitiveness. For us, this was a key reason in wanting to be
associated with the world’s best touring car racing and deliver a
product that allows on-track battles to continue.”
FIA WTCC Qualifying Times
1. James Thompson (GBR), Alfa Romeo 156, 1:43.954
2. Yvan Muller (FRA), SEAT Leon, 1:43.955
3. Andy Priaulx (GBR), BMW 320si, 1:44.114
4. Jordi Gene (ESP), SEAT Leon, 1:44.228
5. Michel Jourdain (MEX), SEAT Leon, 1:44.234
6. Nicola Laurini (ITA), Chevrolet Lacetti, 1:44.261
7. Augusto Farfus (BRA), BMW 320si, 1:44.265
8. Alain Menu (SUI), Chevrolet Lacetti, 1:44.280
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