Macau circuit backed

The tight and twisty nature of the Guia circuit means mistakes are punished more than at many other tracks on the calendar. And, with the title being decided this weekend, there is the chance that the outcome of the championship could be decided by incidents rather than out-and-out speed.

But despite WTCC qualifying being hit by four red flags, BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen has made it clear that he has no doubt Macau is the right place for the series finale.

"You could argue that it is not the right place to come, but on the other hand it is probably the most exciting venue of the year," Theissen told autosport.com.

"There is always an upside and a downside to any venue, but I think Macau is a special place and you have to be prepared for it.

"This is my first time here and it looks very special - and at least now I can understand why so many cars stay in Asia after this weekend!"

Theissen's views have been backed up by pole position man Andy Priaulx, who is fighting for the WTCC title with Dirk Muller and Fabrizio Giovanardi.

"There is obviously an argument for and an argument against having this as the final round, but I am happy to be here in Macau," he said.

"This is a circuit that can make or break a driver and if you do well here then you have obviously achieved something special. Other circuits are all down to the performance of the car, but here the driver can make a difference.

"Of course there is the chance that the circuit can throw up things, like cars in barriers, but that just makes it special for the fans and television."

He added: "I am here. I have to come here and it is the same amount of points as everywhere else. We went to Mexico where the circuit wasn't ready and it was still 20 points so I am not even wasting my energy thinking about it."