YOKOHAMA READY FOR MIXED WEATHER AT LE MANS


Media information: 16 June 2007


Helicopters are in place around France's famous La Sarthe circuit, poised to give the 24 Hours of Le Mans teams advance warning of the predicted rain showers.

Yokohama ADVAN's trackside team is prepared for whatever conditions arise, having hand-cut tyre treads to cope with everything from greasy tarmac to flooded streets.

"Since the first official test two weeks ago, Le Mans has given us every weather except snow," said Yokohama Europe Marketing Manager Kazuyoshi Sekiguchi. "We couldn't be more prepared than we are and now we just have to wait and see what the weather throws at us."

Yokohama has entries in both the GT1 and GT2 classes now that JLOC's Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT has been reinstated. The GT1 car looked unlikely to start the epic race after a massive smash in Wednesday's first qualifying practice, but has been repaired in time for the green flag at 15:00 CET.