Four local drivers to race in Okayama

Masataka Yanagida and Nobuteru Taniguchi are the latest addition to the Japanese patrol that will take part in the WTCC event at Okayama.

They will join fellow countrymen Yukinori Taniguchi – who has already competed in Oschersleben and Valencia with a bamboo-engineering Chevrolet Lacett – and Yoshihiro Ito – who will take the wheel of a Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si.

Yanagida, 31-years old from Tokyo, will drive a BMW 320si for Wiechers-Sport alongside Mehdi Bennani. "The WTCC is a world class event and I would like to show good races for the fans. I am determined to do my best to compete against the foreign drivers," said Yanagida who is a regular front runner in the GT300 class of the Super GT Series.

Taniguchi, 39-years old from Hiroshima, returns to Proteam Motorsport after last year’s first WTCC appearances at Okayama and Macau. The Italian outfit will line up four BMW 320si cars for him, Taipei’s Kevin Chen and regulars Sergio Hernández and Stefano D’Aste. "Last year’s results were frustrating. Now I have a second opportunity and I wish to show my potential against the world’s famous top drivers to know how good I am on that level," commented Taniguchi who currently leads both the Super GT (GT300) and the Super Taikyu (ST-1) championships.

The four WTCC guest drivers were presented to the Japanese media during a press conference hosted by Yokohama Operating Officer Shigeo Komatsu.