Huisman aims for Guia race glory

The Dutch ace, whose elder brother Patrick won the event last year, heads the assault of top Dutch BMW outfit Carly Motorsport. The BMW 320i has been the dominant car in the ETCC Super Production class this year, and the rear-wheel-drive machine will be hard to beat around the twisty streets of the former Portugese enclave.

Huisman will be joined in the team by sportscar ace Tom Coronel, who has raced for Carly in the Dutch series this year as well as for Lister in the FIA GT Championship.

Carly are likely to face stiff competition, though, from the rear-wheel-drive Toyota Altezzas which caused controversy last year with their pace. Team DD will enter two cars for Japanese drivers Manabu Orido and Nobuteru Taniguchi, while the Endless team will field a car for Mitsuhiro Kinoshita. Two other Altezzas will be entered for Chen Jun San and Ricky Mo.

Touring car veteran Steve Soper heads the British contingent in a Peugeot 306 run by works Peugeot BTCC team Vic Lee Racing. The 1997 event winner, who still holds the outright lap record, will be joined by Asian Touring Car Championship title winner C Nattavude in the WK Longman team's Peugeot 306 squad.

BTCC Production champion Simon Harrison heads a three-strong Ford Focus entry from GR Motorsport, with Ex-Ford Fiesta champion Gordon Shedden and Richard Meins.

German DTC champion Markus Gedlich leads the entries from the fiercely contested national Super Production series in his Team Schubert-run BMW. He will be partnered by Renault Megane racer Peter Scharmach for the event.

Alfa Romeo privateer Franz Engstler will also switch to a self-run BMW for the event, while German Ford Focus team Wolf Racing will field Russian Rustem Teregulov and Thai driver R Prutirat.