Photo: TCR Media

Rob Huff: “My job’s not to win” as he hands victory to Vernay

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Rob Huff played the team game for WRT on his first race with the team in Belgium, handing over the lead to Jean-Karl Vernay at Les Combes while holding off Edouard Mondron’s Volkswagen down the inside, and crossing the line as part of the team’s third career 1-2 finish in TCR.

Huff avoided the collision between Tom Coronel and Pepe Oriola in their Honda and SEAT respectively ahead, and emerged in second position behind Delahaye Volkswagen driver Edouard Mondron.

“I had a really good start,” said Huff to TouringCarTimes. “I got in the middle of the front row effectively, and I thought this is about the right place to brake – then I saw Coronel coming and I thought that is definitely not the right place to brake, so I thought I’d stay on the left and watch the crash happen and do a cut back. That put me P2, then I got past Mondron on lap two into Les Combes, I think he was quite easy with me as yesterday he hit me a couple of times quite hard.”

On lap four, Huff and Benjamin Lessennes came together as the #63 Boutsen Ginion Honda driver battled the 2012 WTCC champion for the lead, again at Les Combes.

“The orange and black Honda came and hit me from behind and then got alongside me into Les Combes, but he turned into the corner about 30 metres too early and hit the front left of my car,” said Huff.

The Briton then managed to hand the lead to team-mate Vernay at Les Combes a lap later, as four cars chased him up the hill out of Raidillon.

“Going up to Les Combes I could see Ben (Lessennes), Mondron and (Stefano) Comini all slipstreaming each other, then I saw Vernay on the inside and thought this could work quite well. I just checked up a bit early knowing these three were blocked on the inside so Vernay could sail around the outside. It couldn’t have worked any better. As team-mates go and for my job, I think did the best I could possibly done.

“This isn’t my championship, I’m not here to win. I’m here to help the team and help JK, and in both races, I’ve helped him and done what I’m here to do.”