Macau: Harrison eyes revenge

Harrison became a fans' favourite in Macau last year after he challenged the all-conquering BMWs for victory before being taken out of the race in the first heat by Jorg Muller.

That incident led to Harrison being given a hero's welcome when he returned to the pits on the back of a recovery truck - and rival Muller being booed and jeered when he came back after a heated face-to-face confrontation with his rival.

Speaking to autosport.com on Wednesday, Harrison admitted that he will struggle to match the pace of the BMWs again this weekend - but that a good result could come his way if he can be served up with some of the fortune that deserted him last year.

"It is going to be tough," said the Honda Civic driver, who shook hands with Muller in a photo-call in Macau on Wednesday. "There are going to be five strong BMWs in the race, and the SEATs will be quick too, so if we can qualify right behind them we will be in pretty good shape.

"I don't think it is going to be physically possible to fight right at the front, but if we can run reliably and stay out of trouble then who knows what can happen - although we will need to be lucky."

Harrison's star performance in Macau last year paved the way for a campaign in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) - and he admits that he never expected such a strong showing when he turned up at the famous track 12 months ago.

"Last year was just unbelievable," he said. "I remember on the Thursday night we were amazed that we were on provisional pole position because we hadn't raced the car before - and the surprises carried on throughout the weekend.

"I never expected to be right at the front and it was a bit of a dream weekend - even with the accident. In fact, I probably got more attention because of the crash than if I had finished second or third.

"Let's hope we can do something special again this time out."