ADVAN / MOTOR SPORTS [WTCC 2008]

The WTCC field at Brands Hatch last year
ADAPTING TO YOUR ADVAN-TAGE

Media information: 21 July 2008

Whilst the majority of entries in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) appear at every race throughout the season, a small number of competitors chose to feature in only one race weekend, as guest teams.

Outfits such as the recently confirmed Volvo Olsbergs Green Racing team, which will make its WTCC debut at Brands Hatch on 26 and 27 July, face serious challenges by putting themselves against the world’s best. One of which is to adapt their car set-up to the Yokohama ADVANs, the WTCC’s official tyre choice.

Last year’s guest entry Colin Turkington, along with Team RAC, rose to the challenge and claimed a third and fourth place. The team prepare carefully however, as Yokohama Technical Consultant Ian Beveridge recalls.

“The teams are allowed to carry out a private test if they want,” said Ian.
“That’s exactly what Team RAC opted to do. They booked time at Snetterton a month before the Brands Hatch rounds and contacted us for guidelines on the car setting.

“I attended the test and could see that they weren’t very far from a good WTCC set-up already. The settings were more about fine-tuning than major changes. Really, it’s part of a normal car set-up, you just need to take the new tyres into consideration.“

For regular WTCC entries, the championship’s three British drivers will be hoping for home support after various levels of success in earlier rounds.
Reigning champion Andy Priaulx is currently fourth in the Drivers’Standings, 15 points behind leader Gabriele Tarquini.

Robert Huff follows in fifth place, enjoying his best WTCC season so far, whilst James Thompson hopes for a better weekend than his team’s recent bad luck in Estoril, which prevented him from racing.