Tokyo-The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has reached an agreement with ACI Vallelunga to be the exclusive tyre supplier for the 2005 FIA European Touring Car Cup (FIA ETCC). The first race will be on October 16 at the Vallelunga Circuit in Italy.

Yokohama will supply around 600 tyres developed specially for the event, including the ADVAN A005 for dry conditions and the ADVAN A006G for the wet. Super 2000 cars will run on 230/610R17 tyres, while Super Production class entries will use 190/580R15 tyres.

The FIA ETCC will effectively decide the European touring car champion. It will feature leading teams and drivers from Europe who meet the Super 2000 and Super Production technical requirements. From 2005, the race will be once annually at circuits around Europe. This year, around 50 teams will compete from Baltic nations (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Sweden.

The event will be an intermediate step between the FIA World Touring Car Championship and the national touring car championships. Class winners will each receive an FIA driver title. Top finishers will also receive a Yokohama Trophy. The total prize money will be 200,000 euros.