Chevrolet looking forward to season debut
The 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship is only one week away. The tension is especially high at Chevrolet as they will debut their new Cruze-model. The first test session at Curitiba, Brazil, on friday will be the first official outing against its competitors.
“I am happy that we will be in Curitiba soon, because as long as we are not in real race conditions and fighting against our opponents, we will be in a state of uncertainty,” said long time Chevrolet man Alain Menu.
“We will need the Curitiba and Puebla races to see where we stand exactly. Curitiba, for sure, won’t be an easy week-end as during a race week-end, you do not have much time to react if you need to change something on a car which is brand new. So, the objective in Brazil will be to learn as much as we can about the new car and score as many points as possible,” continue Menu.
The previous Lacetti model scored a total of 14 wins in the WTCC. But the goal for the team during the first race is not to extend the number of race victories.
“We are happy with the final car specification that we ran at the Valencia test and subsequently homologated. What we hope for the first two races in Curitiba and Puebla is that we do things well and that we bring home six finishes and some good points,” said project manager Mark Busfield.
At the same time as the WTCC premiere, the Cruze model is going to make its premiere at the Chevrolet dealerships.
“Interestingly enough, the race version of the new Cruze is making its debut at the same time the road car is reaching the markets, by being exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show and being tested by the media in Santander, in Northern Spain. No doubt this is going a week of exams for the new Cruze!” said Chevrolet Motorsport boss Eric Néve.
The Brit Robert Huff was best Chevrolet driver last year, finishing third in the championship, only one point from second place.
“I am looking forward to be racing again! I would like to continue progressing, as I have done season after season. The third place in last year’s championship was a great achievement, I want to build on that and I know we can have higher ambitions,” said Huff.
Italian and multiple touring car champion Nicola Larini is equally anxious to get going with the new season. Larini finished a disappointing eleventh in the championship last year and is out for revenge.
“We are all anxious and excited to see how the new Cruze performs in real race conditions. When I see how much good work the team has done during the last months in researching and developing the new car, I am really confident that we will be competitive,despite the very strong competition. I hope we can have a good start of the season in South America and build upon that. For me, the objective is to start on the right foot and put behind as quickly as possible my disappointing season of last year”.
