N.Technology's James Thompson claimed a fourth-place finish at Okayama, Japan, in the penultimate meeting of the 2008 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). The British driver had a superb sprint from 17th place on the grid to fourth, securing a five-point finish in the second race of the weekend.

After qualifying in 14th place for race one, Thompson made a determined drive through the field, improving his position to sixth within the first lap. After running as high as fourth, the Honda Euro R Super 2000 settled into seventh place and was set for a points-scoring finish and a front-row start for race two. However, whilst battling for position on the last lap, an incident with Yvan Muller caused Thompson to spin; he crossed the line in 17th place.

Thompson started race two from the ninth row of the grid. The N.Technology driver steamed through the field improving his position by 13 places to finish fourth. In his sprint to the front, Thompson also claimed the fastest lap of the race for N.Technology (1:48.767), the 114th in the team's racing history.

On home soil, Japanese team-mate Yukinori Taniguchi secured 22nd place on the grid after setting the third-fastest time amongst the Japanese drivers during Saturday's qualifying. Race one saw Taniguchi secure 21st place, before a strong drive in race two resulted in a 19th place finish. Taniguchi, who joined N.Technology for the Monza and Okayama rounds, finished second out of the Japanese drivers.   

The WTCC will travel to Macau for the final rounds of the season, held at the Circuito da Guia, Macau, from 13 to 16 November. N.Technology will be joined once again by André Couto, who set pole for the team in Macau in 2003. The Macanese driver will race the second Honda Euro R Super 2000 alongside current driver James Thompson.

James Thompson, car number 15
"Unfortunately the incident in race one has hindered what could have been a very different story this weekend. We have put in a fantastic performance and have been extremely competitive. To finish fourth is a good result, but if we had started the second race from the front row, I think the performance of the car would have ensured the results were even better!"

Yukinori Taniguchi, car number 72
"I have enjoyed racing at Okayama with N.Technology. I have improved over the weekend and managed to finish as the second Japanese driver in race two. With more time to learn the car, I would have improved my position. Thank you to the team for all their help; I have learnt a lot by working with them."

Andrea Muller, Team Manager
"We have been very fast all weekend. James drove very well and managed to overtake many cars in both races. It was disappointing to finish 17th after getting to 4th place, but in race two James had a fantastic drive again. We used dry weather tyres and it was definitely the right choice. For today's good result, thanks also to Mugen who, through JAS, supplied us with the engine for Monza and Okayama."

FIA WTCC - Okayama
Round 21 results - top eight
1. Rickard Rydell (SWE), Seat León TDI
2. Jörg Müller (GER), BMW 320si
3. Andy Priaulx (GBR), BMW 320si
4. Robert Huff (GBR), Chevrolet Lacetti
5. Tiago Monteiro (POR), Seat León TDI
6. Augusto Farfus (BRA), BMW 320si
7. Yvan Muller (FRA), Seat León TDI
8. Tom Coronel (NED), Seat León
17. James Thompson (GBR), Honda Accord Euro R Super 2000
22. Yukinori Taniguchi (JPN), Honda Accord Euro R Super 2000

Round 22 results - top eight
1. Tom Coronel (NED), Seat León
2. Augusto Farfus (BRA), BMW 320si
3. Sergio Hernández (ESP), BMW 320si
4. James Thompson (GBR), Honda Accord Euro R Super 2000
5. Robert Huff (GBR), Chevrolet Lacetti
6. Yvan Muller (FRA), Seat León TDI
7. Tiago Monteiro (POR), Seat León TDI
8. Félix Porteiro (ESP), BMW 320si
19. Yukinori Taniguchi (JPN), Honda Accord Euro R Super 2000