The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) was inaugurated in 2005, as the successor of the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). It is one of only three world championship races sanctioned by the FIA besides the Formula One and the World Rally Championship (WRC) and is the pinnacle of touring car races that employ modified road cars.
　
Basically, normally aspirated 2000cc petrol cars modified under the "Super 2000" regulations are eligible for the race. But, from an environmental point of view, turbo-charged diesel cars and Flex Fuel cars have also been allowed to compete since 2007. This means the WTCC is one of the most environmentally advanced categories in the field of motor sport.
　
The basic format of an event consists of two sprint races, approximately 50km each, on the final day, after a qualifying session on the previous day. The result of the qualifying session determines the starting grid for the rolling start of Race 1. Then the grid for Race 2 is decided by the result from Race 1, but top eight finishers of the first race are placed according to the so-called Reverse Grid System, i.e. the driver who has finished Race 1 in eighth will start Race 2 from the pole position. The starting method of Race 2 is the standing start.
　

Reverse Grid System Result of Race 1 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Grid for Race 2 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st (P.P.)

　
Another major factor that produces the close battles in the WTCC is the weight handicap system. Starting in the 2008 season, every driver has to carry a 1kg weight for each driver's championship points that he/she has earned. In addition, the top six drivers in the ranking of earned points in an event (total points from the two races) must have additional weight according to the result. The additional weight is reset when the next event ends. So the system is now very different from the one employed through the 2007 season when the weight was simply reduced or increased according to the result of each race. The maximum weight of ballast for a car has also changed from the 2007 regulations and increased by 10kg, from 60kg (2007) to 70kg. This new system is renamed the "Success Ballast System."
　

Success Ballast System 1kg for each driver's championship point. And according to the points earned in each event, the following amount of weight is added in next event. Maximum weight of ballast for a car is 70kg. Rank of earned points 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Additional weight 30kg 25kg 20kg 15kg 10kg 5kg

　
Thanks to these clever performance adjustments, every WTCC event promises to be full of close battles and the championship is under tight competition until the final round every year.
　
Since the inception of the series in 2005, Andy Priaulx has taken the title crown for three consecutive years with the help of BMW's consistency. However, because of the improved performances shown by SEATs and Chevrolets, BMW was no longer a safe bet during the 2007 season.
　
In addition to those three manufacturers, Honda is to be represented by the N.Technology team which will run a Honda Accord for the whole series in 2008 after terminating their long-standing relationship with Alfa Romeo. Furthermore, Lada from Russia also revealed its entry to the championship recently and made it a five-way battle between those machines.
　
Just as the WTCC's catchphrase "Real cars, Real racing" implies, the true racing is there. And it is the reason why so many motor sport fans around the world have become enthusiastic about this championship.

ADVAN has been the sole tire supplier for the WTCC since 2006.
　
In order to produce high performance control tires for the series, Yokohama Rubber Co. established a dedicated project team consisting of full-time development engineers.
　
The first and foremost development target was to maintain the equality of performance between front-wheel-drive cars and rear-wheel-drive cars because those two types of cars battle hard against each other in the WTCC. One spec tires must perform equally well regardless of the drive train layout of the car that those tires are put on.
　
The teams are allowed to use tire warmers in the WTCC. Because of this, drivers can rely on the maximum grip of the tires from the first lap of the race, which leads to hotly fought battles. With such a fine temperature control for tires that reflects the quality of a world championship series, the inherent performance of tires can be fully exploited.
　
This fighting spirit is synonymous with the WTCC. The hard and close battles between drivers that fascinate the fans around the world can only be realized with the absolute trust in ADVAN racing tires held by all drivers and teams.