RML releases updates for Chevrolet Cruze TC1 cars

RML has released a number of technical updates for the Chevrolet Cruze TC1 cars ahead of the final four FIA World Touring Car Championship races of 2014.
“We have reacted to drivers’ and engineers’ feedback in developing new suspension geometry and also reviewed some areas where we were time bound in the initial design phase such as the aero,” said Mark Way, RML Head of Design.

The test work has been carried out on one of Campos Racing’s cars at Barcelona between the races in Argentina and China.
“Campos did a great job in flying a car back during the Argentina/Beijing gap and we worked with them on a development program and testing of new parts at Barcelona. The parts have been driven by their drivers and they have also tested some new drivers, so we are pretty confident they are a step forward,” said Way.

RML completed the TC1 specification Cruze only just ahead of the season start but was nonetheless the the main competitor to the Citroëns in the early part of the season.
“We have a lot of respect for our competitors but we also know what it takes to make a Touring Car quick. Our design and development cycle was extremely short and there were areas we knew we could develop more with more time. We had our own race before the season to design, manufacture and deliver six cars to customers in the time available so I would have to say we did not expect but were delighted with the out of the box speed of the car,” said Way.

The second part of the season has seen the Honda and Lada cars catching up, something Way means is due to the lack of testing and development.
”We have three great customer teams but they have limited resources and budget and we are not a works backed programme. We don’t have a test car or development budget. Testing outside of a race weekend has been limited and therefore the optimisation phase of the program has been slow. Optimising a race car during and for a specific race weekend is one thing, developing a race car over a race weekend is another. Having said that, the RML Cruze is the only car other than Citroën to have qualified on pole and won a race so far this season which I think is an amazing testimony to the basic design and the determination of all the teams,” said Way.

Next up for the WTCC teams is the Chinese races in Beijing and Shanghai where RML are confident the updates will show.
“I do not expect the other manufacturers have spent all summer by the pool but the gains we have seen have translated on the stop watch. Due to the track configuration, I expect them to show at Shanghai more than Beijing,” said Way.

RML are planning to make further changes to the Cruze ahead of the 2015 FIA World Touring Car Championship as well.
“Yes, we have a good idea of other areas where we can find further gains. Of course we are not able to progress in the way RML would normally expect to and we respect the limitations within which our customer teams are operating. We are actively discussing 2015 options with our customer teams at the moment,” said Way.