Yokohama Ready for Step into WTCC Unknown

Yokohama’s ADVAN brand will receive its sternest challenge yet as the World Touring Car Championship’s control tyre this weekend, as the company prepares to take its tyres to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola – the first of two previously unseen tracks this season.

Whilst most circuits included in the Japanese tyre manufacturer’s racing programme provide a degree of familiarity, the addition of Imola and Okayama to this year’s WTCC calendar provides Yokohama’s engineers with new considerations when preparing for the meeting, as Yokohama Technical Consultant Ian Beveridge explains: “For Imola, our pre-season work included visiting the track and collating as much data as possible, from its actual dimensions to the level of grip given out by the asphalt. We then researched what the conditions are likely to be and found comparative tracks to give us some reference points.

“Although Okayama is a new track for the WTCC, we already have plenty of data from our Japanese colleagues. From experience, Japanese tracks tend to be easier to race on than European circuits. The material used to make the asphalt a lot finer and bound more closely together, which makes for a very smooth track. The closest we have seen in Europe so far is the Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic, after it was resurfaced for this year’s races where the ADVANs performed very well.”

The weekend sees the end of the WTCC mid-season break, with races held on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September 2008.