24 drivers from 13 countries, representing five different car Manufacturers - BMW, Chevrolet, Honda, LADA and SEAT - have entered the 2008 FIA World Touring Car Championship''s full season that will start next week with the WTCC HSBC Race of Brazil at Curitiba.
The latest addition was Russian Bears Motorsport who entered two LADA cars; the Russian team will join the championship from the third meeting in Valencia.
Among the newcomers are the reigning Turkish Touring Car champion Ibrahim Okyay and Andrey Romanov from Russia. Their presence marks the first ever competitors from Turkey and Russia to have committed to the full season of an FIA racing world championship.
The major line-up changes from last year were N.technology team and James Thompson switching from Alfa Romeo to Honda, and Rickard Rydell''s return to SEAT Sport.