Taniguchi claims first Asia trophy

Yukinori Taniguchi celebrated his comeback to the WTCC by claiming the first edition of the championship’s Asia Trophy.

The Japanese driver, who had been a regular in the world championship in 2010 and 2011, was given the possibility to replace Fredy Barth at Wiechers-Sport, for his home race meeting at Suzuka.

He had no plans to join for other races, but a couple of second places in the Asia Trophy at Suzuka whetted his appetite and convinced him that it was worth a try. So he sealed a last minute deal with Campos Racing for driving a SEAT León at Shanghai, where he won both the trophy’s races.

The title was nearly in the pocket, however he needed to race in Macau to be sure. Another last-minute move brought him at the wheel of the Nika Racing Chevrolet Cruze and Taniguchi settled the matter with a victory in the first race, despite strong pressure from Campos Racing’s Michael Soong. The second race in Macau went to Henry Ho in a Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320si.

Taniguchi also established an odd record, becoming the first driver in WTCC history to race for three different teams and in three different cars during the same season.