Lada hoping to be back on form in Austria
LADA Sport Lukoil hope to be back on the pace at the Salzburgring this weekend, at a track which should favour the small Granta WTCC car more than the last two tracks in Hungary and Slovakia.
The Russian squad had the pace to qualify in the top ten at the first two rounds of the World Touring Car Championship in Monza and Marrakech, whilst the car has struggled more at the last two races, but with the series visiting the short and fast Salzburgring track this weekend sees Lada’s James Thompson holding out hopes for a better performance this weekend.
“Three things are important here, top speed, braking and tyre management,” said Thompson. “We’ve always thought that the best tracks for us would be the power circuits, with big braking and direction changes. Those are Monza, Marrakech, Salzburgring and of course Macau. The last two weekends have been tough for us, but we think that Austria has the potential to be very good. We’re going to keep on testing some new parts at the Salzburgring, which will hopefully help us to get faster.”
Thompson’s young team-mate Mikhail Kozlovskiy is also hopeful of moving forward this weekend in what will be only his fourth race weekend in the WTCC, and the last meeting before his and the team’s home race in Moscow next month.
“I think it should suit our car well, buut we’ll know exactly where we are at the start of the weekend when we head out for free practice in the Lada Granta,” said Kozlovskiy.
“This is a brand new track for me but with every race we’re learning more about the car. That process is essential not only for further development, but also when it comes to knowing how to find the right set-up. I’m hoping for a strong and successful performance this weekend.”
