Rob Huff targeting reliability not results in Hungary

After his strongest qualifying performance of the year so far, Lada Sport Rosneft’s Rob Huff will start seventh on the grid for race one today at the Hungaroring, and fourth for race two with the two ROAL Chevrolets of Toms Chilton and Coronel, and the Zengő Motorsport Honda of Norbert Michelisz between him and a possible first win for the new Vesta.

However, the 2012 champion admits the first goal will be to finish the race, with just tenth position at Marrakech in race one last month his only finish of the year so far due to contact in the other races.

“I’m really happy as that was the first time the car’s run in the wet, and in qualifying that was the first time the car’s run here in the dry, so it was a bit of a gamble but we’ve got to be pleased with that,” said Huff to TouringCarTimes. “It’s the first time the car’s run reliably, everything’s working, it’s been a very difficult day especially where the weather’s concerned, and we gambled and we gambled well.”

The Lada and the Hondas all seem to have better pace than the Citroën C-Elysées in the first sector at the Hungaroring this weekend, where the key overtaking point is on the 4.4km circuit, but Huff believes that it’s the compensation weight which has come into force at this race which is the main factor.

“I had a good slipstream off the Hondas. Also the car stops really well into Turn 1, and Turn 1 is a really big stop, so the (Citroëns’) 60kg is going to hurt them. There’s no doubt at the moment we haven’t got the lateral grip that the Citroëns’ have, and I think the power doesn’t come into it too much at this circuit, as we’re pretty convinced that Citroën have the best engine.”

Huff will start fourth on the grid from race two, which is likely to be the main focus of the bumper crowd expected for Norbert Michelisz’s home race, with the Hungarian starting on pole courtesy of the reverse top ten grid this afternoon. Though Huff will have to contend with all four factory Citroëns starting behind him in race two as well.

“I’ll be focussing on what’s ahead, I won’t be worrying about what’s behind me,” said Huff. “As long as I don’t fire Norbi off so I can leave the circuit and then the country. I know it’ll be a dream come true for Norbi to win again here, but we have see what we can do too. First we have to get the car to race two to start with, and then we’ve got to get it to last race two. These are things that haven’t happened before this year, so just doing that will be an achievement, but we’ve probably got a couple more nervous people in front of me than I will be, so hopefully we can capitalise on a few mistakes.”