Photo: WTCC Media

Masaki Kano to drive for Engstler in Japan

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Masaki Kano will make another one-off appearance in the World Touring Car Championship at the next round in Suzuka, Japan, driving the third BMW 320 TC under the DeTeam KK Motorsport banner.

The team’s third car was driven by Hong Kong driver Marchy Lee in the opening three rounds of this year’s championship, and then was driven by Russian driver David Sigacev in Valencia before the cars were shipped over to Asia for the final three rounds.

35-year-old Kano has a long history of racing for Engstler Motorsport, driving for them in the 2007 Asian Touring Car Championship where he finished as the runner up to former-BTCC driver Farique Hairuman, who was racing a Petronas Syntium Team-run BMW 320si

Kano has also competed in some of the flyaways in the three previous seasons of the WTCC, at Okayama in 2008 & 2009 as well as Macau in 2008 and 2010 in the BMW 320si. Kano’s best result was 20th in both race two at Okayama in ’09 and in race one at Macau last year.