Lada ready for season start with new Vesta after first tests

Lada missed the official pre-season test in Barcelona and instead completed their first test days with the new TC1 specification Vesta model at Magny-Cours in France last week. The team reports after the test that they are going to be ready for the season opener in Argentina, albeit with work left to be done.

“Unfortunately, due to the early season start this year we are time-restricted, and it’s obvious that tests will continue during the first WTCC rounds. The team has completed a huge bulk of the work over these two months and we are still working 24 hours a day to be prepared for the first race in Argentina. We are all highly motivated and, though the team started tests with a delay, we are ready to get into the fight on the track from the start of the season,” said Team Principal, Victor Shapovalov.

All three drivers were present during the test and Rob Huff, who claimed Lada’s first WTCC victory last year, was happy with his first experience of the new race car.

”Having driven the new Lada Vesta TC1 there is no doubt that this is a proper racecar worthy of a proper effort in 2015. It’s testament to Lada and what it is achieving as a car manufacturer that it can design and build a car of this quality in such a short space of time,” said Huff.

Team mate James Thompson was equally optimistic after his first run in the car, but emphasises that there is work left to be done.

”My first experience behind the wheel of the car confirmed that it drives as well as it looks and suggests we will have a very real opportunity to compete on par with our rival manufacturer teams, although the true potential of the Vesta will become evident over the course of the first few rounds. I’m genuinely excited about potentially having a car that can be pushed hard and one that’s significantly faster than its predecessor, even in its most basic trim. Ultimately, the Granta’s deficiencies have been overcome with good engineering and aerodynamics,” said Thompson.