Priaulx believes luck has precious little to do with his success
Andy Priaulx doesn't believe in chance, in granting the credit for his work to some intangible that cannot be seen, judged and - in the case of the Macau Grand Prix - is simply attributed to the character of the race.
Luck is not on BMW Team UK driver Priaulx's mind. He will enter the finale of the World Touring Car Championship (WTTC) next weekend as the co-leader (with Yvan Muller) on points. He is the defending champion who is chasing his third consecutive win and has earned the moniker of 'the Michael Schumacher of touring cars'.
Certainly he is among the favourites, but with six cars still in contention for the championship, the winner in Macau - and the series - is hard to predict. Macau is difficult, unforgiving and, as some will say, requires at least a smidgen of luck. However, Priaulx believes in advantages gained from the circuit itself.
'I think when you come to Macau, you can find an edge,' he said. 'If you go to some circuits, it's mostly straight-line speed and three or four crucial corners which aren't that difficult. Then you go to Macau - the wall, the commitment corners - and you can find an edge.'
Priaulx admits to a love affair with Macau. He drove in the F3 race in 2000 and 2001, and this will be his seventh visit.
The race matches his driving and the challenge, he believes, brings out the best in him. He must be precise, committed and the best driver - and that the series concludes there is a bonus.
The WTTC races are said to be highly competitive, in part due to regulations to ensure as equal a playing field as possible. Priaulx said he was in favour of some of the measures, such as the reverse grid, but postulated the series may have gone too far.
'Maybe they've made it too close now ,' he said. 'All the cars are so equal you end up with no overtaking.'
But he (and almost everyone else for that matter) will say, this is Macau and anything can happen. So he is cautious.
'I definitely don't feel lucky,' Priaulx said. 'I feel that myself and my team made that happen and you make your own luck. I don't doubt that I'm with one of the best manufacturers in sport and that you can say, maybe, was lucky, but...'
Priaulx, 33, grew up in Guernsey, where he still lives, and after Formula Three he opted for touring cars because of the difficulties in fundraising. There were financial struggles in his career, including re-mortgaging his house and living in a caravan. Success arrived when he became a BMW factory driver.
In 2003 he was third in the European Touring Car Cup, in 2004 he was first and a year later he moved to the World Touring Car Championship, winning that series in 2005 and then again in 2006.
