Japanese stage of the FIA ​​WTCC 2008

Factory SEAT pilots slowed down a bit relative to competitors, compared with the Italian stages. Nevertheless, Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monter were able to qualify third and fourth. Championship leader Ivan Muller spent the worst qualification with Oschersleben and started only tenth.

The pace on one lap on a dry track in the races was not important - it rained all Sunday in Mimasac , which was in the hands of other representatives of the Spanish brand: Ricard Rüdell more than confidently won the first race, starting from sixth position, and Tom Coronel unexpectedly turned out to be the best in race 2. SEAT leaders did not lead very well - Tarquini finished only tenth in the first race and finished in the second, and Müller finished the race twice at the end of the points group. The Frenchman's margin in the championship grew to 14 points and in Macau he now only had to score seven points to secure a title.

BMW pilots looked confident on dry pavement, winning the efforts of Augusto Farfus and Jörg Müller qualification. On the wet track, everything turned out not so good - Bavarian-style pilots constantly fought in the leader group, but both times they lost one SEAT forward. Four podiums in two races were little consolation against the backdrop of the first time in a long lost championship in the individual competition: Andy Priaulx could not win 14 points behind Ivan Muller and parted even with ghostly chances to maintain the world title.

The pilot of one of the private teams using Bavarian equipment proved to be quite good. Sergio Hernandez came to his first podium in the overall standings and significantly strengthened his position in the standings of independent pilots.

Factory Chevrolet weakly held the Japanese stage: only Robert Huff was able to finish in the races with glasses, so before the final stage he continued to go in the top three in the individual standings, ahead of the point of the nearest competitor.

The Honda factory team held another unsuccessful stage: James Thompson was able to show his maximum level only in the second race, when on the wet track he was at times the fastest pilot of the peloton and broke from seventeenth to fourth.

A group of private owners on the eve of the Asian part of the season suffered a significant loss - they did not find funding to continue their performances in the French team of Exagon Engineering . Her pilot, Pierre-Yves Cortal, did not find a place in another team and ended the fight for the title among independent participants. In the absence of the Belgian, participants in the BMW fought for victory in the class: the pole went to Stefano d'Aste , who then won the first race, but left the second race. Sergio Hernandez took advantage of the failure of the Italian: the Spaniard finished second in the first race, and the second won, adding to his result an even greater number of bonus points for the podium in the absolute.

Qualification

Selection Time : 1: 43.832

Note:
Kano is deprived of the best lap in the race.
Shapovalov did not take part in the race, but was allowed to start.

Race 1

Note:
Romanov penalized for 30 seconds.
Shapovalov did not go to the start.

Race 2 Starting Field

Notes:
Metzelis, Orido and Porteiro were sent to the end of the grid for violating the “closed park” rule.
Shapovalov did not go to the start.

Race 2

Note: Shapovalov did not go to the start.

Note: The five best representatives from each standings are indicated.

• MST Systems Results Booklet (link not available )