Preview - Macau 2005.

After 18 rounds, nine countries and ten different winners, the organisers of the first World Touring Car Championship can be satisfied that the global interpretation of the popular tin-top formula has been a big success. Together with the announcement that next year will see even more countries and possibly more manufacturers join the fray, the WTCC has certainly made an immediate impression on the international motor sport arena.

However, although only two races remain, the championship is far from over yet courtesy of a highly eventful round in Spain, which now results in three drivers going to Macau with the opportunity to take the inaugural world title. With one point separating Dirk M?ller from Andy Priaulx - and Fabrizio Giovanardi just a further four points back - Macau will play host to a potentially explosive confrontation between three bitter rivals.

Indeed, Macau could not be a more ideal setting for the final round of the year, the complex street race having built an enviable profile over time for grooming stars of the future and attracting competitors from around the world. The touring car race has pulled in some impressive names in the past, but this year it has gained global status for the first time meaning a total of 32 cars are expected to take to the grid this weekend.

Nonetheless, all eyes will be on the battle at the front and, after the fracas of 2004, where M?ller let slip an almost insurmountable lead to a surprised Priaulx at the final round of the European Touring Car Championship, nothing has been decided. Still, of the three contenders it is the BMW duo of M?ller and Priaulx who are likely to have the upper hand after competing there last year with the latter securing second place overall, while the German manufacturer has largely dominated in previous years with various different drivers.

By contrast, Macau will be a new experience for both Giovanardi and the works Alfa Romeo team, something which could potentially rule him out of the reckoning; particularly as he has to make up that five point deficit. Indeed, for the Italian team it could well be both their debut and farewell at the circuit after announcing their withdrawal from the championship, with a look at possibly returning in 2007. As a result, Giovanardi will looking to end the year by gifting Alfa Romeo a parting title, as well as add a World title to his 2002 European win. Still, with all three drivers on equal weight, as well as a large handful of drivers looking for victory in the jewel of the touring car crown, predictions for the actual race wins remain just as difficult.

Away from the championship contenders, all of the teams are making a push for a good performance in the final meeting of the year, not least BMW and Alfa Romeo who have drafted in their own Macau 'experts' in the hope of gaining the upper hand in the hunt for the constructors' championship. As of yet, BMW look almost certain to take the title after a successful round in Valencia took their margin up to 25 points and should they take victory this year it will prove a fitting farewell for the exceptionally successful evolution of the current 320i, a car that will be replaced by a newer model next year.

Nonetheless, Duncan Huisman will make his debut in the RBM run 'Team Holland' 320i saloon, while Andre Couto will step into an Alfa Romeo 156 for the first time. Both drivers have an envious history at Macau with Huisman winning in 2001, 2002 and 2003, while Couto has also proved on the pace in recent years racing a Super Production 147 in front of his home fans. Indeed, despite their inexperience in a works team, the pair are seen as dark horses to upset the regular order to take victory on their WTCC debut.

Elsewhere, there is also a strong battle for fourth in the championship, with just ten points separating J?rg M?ller, Gabriele Tarquini, James Thompson, Antonio Garcia, Rickard Rydell and Augusto Farfus Jr. Of the six contenders, it is M?ller who goes to Macau armed with an excellent previous record, not least in 2004 when he dominated by winning both races with ease.

It is a feat the German will be hoping to repeat after an inconsistent season which saw him as a contender for the championship earlier in the year only for a poor run of form putting him out of the running. However, after winning the previous round in Spain and scoring a healthy amount of points in the process, the German is well placed now to emulate the fourth position he scored last year.

The other BMW driver looking for a strong finish is Antonio Garcia, who remains in seventh place despite having not won a race this year. The Team Italy-Spain driver though has been a model of consistency this year and at one stage was taking the fight to the leading drivers, only for a brace of disappointing finishes in the previous few rounds to push him further down the order.

Team mate Alex Zanardi meanwhile is looking to extend a scoring streak that began back at Oschersleben, where he took a famous maiden victory. A strong fifth place at the previous round kept the in form SEATs of Jordi Gen? and Peter Terting at bay for another round but with just two and four points separating the three drivers, the newly crowned Italian Superturismo champion will have to fight to maintain his tenth place in the standings.

With the sudden end in sight for Alfa Romeo, the remaining three drivers in the team will be using Macau as an opportunity to send the Italian manufacturer out on a high. Although the combination of Tarquini, Thompson and Farfus has yielded three wins, the trio have been overshadowed by Giovanardi throughout the year. Their chances of achieving good result too are hindered by the drivers' lack of experience compared to their German rivals on the Hong Kong circuit, even if they will be hauling less weight than their main rivals.

With the announcement that Alfa Romeo will be bidding farewell to the WTCC after Macau, SEAT are look set to step into their shoes as the main rivals to the all conquering BMW team - with Thompson and Tarquini both making the switch to the Spanish team where they will be joined by former BTCC champion Yvan Muller. Although often considered as a meagre contender compared to their two main competitors, SEAT stepped into the limelight at their home round in Valencia with a commanding performance that belied the new Le?n's lack of development.

Although the car was raced for the first time by Rickard Rydell and Peter Terting at Valencia, it was Jordi Gen? who put his team mates in the shade by securing a surprise pole position for the first race and then adding to that with his first ever win for the team. With Terting finishing third, the Leon looks set to work on the foundations laid down by the consistent Toledo and all three drivers are confident of beating both Alfa Romeo and BMW at Macau.

Encouragingly, both Rydell and Gen? performed well on their debuts last year in a pair of Toledos, finishing third and fifth respectively, although Terting will be racing on the circuit for the first time. Indeed, all three works drivers are embroiled in battles, with Rydell scrapping over eighth place with Farfus, although Thompson and Garc?a are just a further two points ahead and while Gen?'s win in Spain took him past his young German team mate, both are biting at the heels of Zanardi for tenth in the standings. What is certain though is that SEAT will be looking to end a highly successful year on a high, knowing that their three wins this season have proved them to be a stronger contender than ever this year.

Although they managed their fifth points finish in a row in Spain, Chevrolet were left to rue what might have been after a catalogue of incidents prevented them from taking a convincing haul of points. Having secured their best ever qualifying position in fourth courtesy of Rob Huff, an early crash put him out of the running, while highly placed team mate Alain Menu was also involved in a controversial clash with Adriano De Micheli. Even worse for the team was that neither driver would make it to the second race.

As a result it was left to Nicola Larini to continue Chevrolet's consistent, if unspectacular form, with seventh place in the first race. Just to compound the teams disappointed, a mechanical problem meant the Italian could not make the most of his front row position either, ending a weekend that promised much but delivered too little. Interestingly though, the loss of all three drivers from the second race meant the team scored no points in the constructors' championship for the first time.

Nonetheless, all three drivers showed in Spain how far they have come since the opening round in Italy where they were struggling for a top twenty position. Macau though represents a far tougher challenge for the team and emulating their encouraging performance in Spain is not expected. Still, if the team can take their sixth top eight finish in a row then they will end a highly productive year on a high, with an outlook to a more convincing tilt in 2006.

It is a sentiment shared with Ford who have also come something of a long way in recent rounds, with Michael Funke again making headlines in the Valencia practice sessions. Again though, they were unable to replicate such a result in the actual race but the Focus proved once again to be making strides in the hands of Funke and his German team mate Thomas Klenke. However, despite his promising form Klenke will not be making the trip to Macau, with test driver Patrick Bernhardt instead taking his place having had experience of competing on the streets in the past.

As well as the five works manufacturers, a flurry of independent runners will also be making their bid for glory this year, including several drivers that regularly compete in Macau's annual touring car race. New names include that of Simon Harrison who last raced in the 2004 ETCC at the wheel of an uncompetitive Honda Civic run by current leading independent runner GR Asia.

Nonetheless, Harrison will be making a comeback at the wheel of another Honda, albeit the JAS run Accord, a car that has shown flashes of speed this year in the hands of regular drivers Roberto Colciago and Adriano de Micheli. Another driver who has plenty of Macau experience, the former British Touring Car Championship driver almost won in 2003 and the team are expecting him to mount a challenge at Macau in a stronger car.

Harrison will also be joined on the grid by BTCC contender James Kaye who steps into a GR Asia SEAT Toledo Cupra R, while a number of Asia Touring Car Championship contenders will also be taking their place on the grid, including a Civic Type-R of Lei Chong Seng, three BMWs of Ao Chi Hong, Paul Poon and Peter Scharmach, while Hironori Takeuchi will be racing in a Toyota Altezza.

However, while the grid will be filled to the brim with new contenders, the championship remains undecided, even if, Marc Hennerici is on the verge of taking the series on his debut, despite only scoring two points in Spain. The German currently holds a healthy 15 point lead over Giuseppe Cir?, who has moved into runner-up position thanks to a run of five second place finishes, even if the Italian driver is still lacking a victory this year.

Still, he remains just two points ahead of Tom Coronel, the Dutchman's late bid for the title being ruined by bad luck in the last four races, while Carl Rosenblad and Stefano D'Aste are looking to cement BMWs position as the car to have in the championship.

It is testament to the WTCCs competitiveness and unpredictability that despite the many different winners and many different incidents that have occurred over the 18 races, the championship remains undecided. With little to choose between M?ller, Priaulx and Giovanardi, the final races at Macau will be a fascinating straight fight between the trio.

However, with a bulging grid of drivers, some with experience and some without, coupled to the tracks famous ability to punish a single mistake, the races promise to be some of the most explosive seen this year. This is a championship that will only be decided when the chequered flag falls at the end of the second race and not a moment before then...