The Macau Special Administrative Region of China consists of a small peninsula on China's mainland side and an island on the close opposite shore. Its land area is just 29.5 square kilometers but the region has a population of 556,000. The ex-Portuguese colony settlement has a unique exoticism because it has traditionally been the place where Asian and European cultures coexist with each other.

In the third week of November every year, the roaring exhaust noise and air of excitement prevail in the city of Macau because it's time for the annual Macau Grand Prix. Founded in 1954 by three Portuguese enthusiastic motorists, the prestigious event will turn 59 years old this year, and is the oldest and the most glorious motor sport event in Asia.

The 6.117km race track is temporarily built for the event by closing the public roads of the city. As is the case at almost all such temporary street race tracks, there are only guard rails on both sides of the track and virtually no escape zone, so the racing on it is very challenging. The track can be divided into two sections: the wider and faster ocean side and the technically demanding mountain side which includes the famous Melco Hairpin and a few extremely tight and narrow places. On top of this, unlike the permanent race tracks, the public road surfaces have cambers for drainage, which makes it even tougher for the racers to drive around.

The event includes the final round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship series, along with other touring car and motorcycle races, but the main feature of the weekend is the F3 Intercontinental Cup. Formula 3 is one of a few global standard junior formulae and many countries and regions around the world have their own championships. This Intercontinental Cup is also known as the race to decide the world's top F3 driver and draws global attention because the champions from those countries and regions come together to race each other.

In fact, many drivers have secured a drive in Formula One after their success at Macau. The late Ayrton Senna, one of the legendary F1 pilots and the winner of first F3 race at Macau in 1983, "the Kaiser" Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard who has gotten 13 grand prix victories under his belt are just a few example of those ex-Macau winners who shone in Formula One later in their careers.

The race schedule has the 10 lap qualifying race on Saturday, after the usual qualifying session, and this race has its own podium ceremony. The starting grids for the 15 lap final race on Sunday are decided by the result of the qualifying race.

As the run off areas on this street race track are very limited, there are no second chances in the battles between the youngsters that are always fierce and exciting. Particularly, it is a well-known fact that the chance of pileup at the Lisboa corner, which is the doorway of the mountain section, on the opening lap is very high, so staying away from such early accidents is certainly one of the keys to success at Macau.

Yokohama Rubber has been the sole control tire supplier of Macau Grand Prix since 1983, the year that the Formula 3 cars became the central players of the event. Therefore, the year 2012 is the 30th anniversary of the ADVAN racing tires' partnership with Macau Grand Prix.

The conditions for tires are generally harsher on the street race tracks than that of the closed circuits but the ADVAN racing tires has always performed well for 30 years at Macau. The drivers have highly appreciated the tires not only for its basic performance, such as grip level or durability, but for very good controllability as well.

As the other manufacturers' tires may be used in the national or regional championships, the competitors from such championships have to adapt quickly to the ADVAN tires. So the control tires for Macau Grand Prix must be mild and neutral in terms of dynamic characteristics, otherwise the drivers may struggle to understand them throughout the race weekend, which can lead to unnecessary accidents especially on the unforgiving race track like Macau.

In this sense, the good controllability of ADVAN racing tires has ultimately contributed to the racing safety. And it can be said that the above mentioned F1 pilots must have felt comfortable with them in the early days of their glorious careers.

Another reason that Yokohama has earned a good reputation is the Japanese company's excellent on-site support team and logistics system. In other words, it is Yokohama's ability to consistently produce high quality tires, to ship them to the venue of race meetings on time and to provide smooth and proper support work, such as tire mounting or consulting, throughout the race weekend.

This applies every event that Yokohama involved as a tire supplier and isn't limited to Macau Grand Prix. A great deal of experience and expertise, as well as solid structures, are required to have such ability which may be seen as obvious. By supplying good and consistent control tires for as long as 30 years, Yokohama has become one of the reliable key partners of Macau Grand Prix and now it is only natural that the race organizers and participating teams have much confidence in the company.