Chevrolet keen to finish in style

Heading into the final rounds of the WTCC, Chevrolet is keen to keep up its impressive winning record in Macau. The marque has won three out of the last four races held at the Autódromo da Guia and all three of the team’s drivers are heading to the former Portuguese enclave confident that they can add to that tally.

“I’m just excited to be back in Macau” said Alain Menu, who has claimed Pole and won Race One for each of the past two years. “I really love the track and the place, and we have always been competitive there, so I really think we can do some good results.

Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Manager Eric Nève is equally happy to be back in Macau saying, “It’s always a pleasure to go to Macau, a very special circuit and event, which is a perfect season-closer for the WTCC.

“This year, unfortunately, we are not in a position to fight for the championship, so we can enjoy the decisive battle and wish well to the title contenders, while trying to end the first season of the Cruze on a high.”

Despite being out of contention for the championship, Chevrolet’s highest placed driver in the standings, Rob Huff is confident of finished off 2009 with some good results, particularly as he won Race Two in Macau 12 months ago.

“Last year, Alain and I won the two races there and I think that with the level of performance we have created from the Cruze, we can repeat that achievement. We know the Cruze is strong on street circuits, as proven with the three wins in Marrakech and Pau.

“Our objective is to enjoy this last round and try to bring home a good result”.

Teammate Menu is also aiming for the rostrum, but emphasises that the tight, twisty circuit has the potential to turn things into something of a lottery.

“Macau entails a greater number of variables and potential incidents than any other race, and therefore it
would be unwise to make predictions, but I think we can aim at being on the podium. At least, that’s my objective.

“The Cruze is bigger and wider (than the Lacetti) and this may play a role in such a narrow and twisty track, but if the level of performance is similar, we should be in a very good position. We will have a clearer idea after qualifying. Clearly, I would be delighted to take the pole for the third time in a row, but it will be difficult to repeat the perfect lap I could perform in 2007 and 2008.

“You need to put together a perfect drive, especially in the critical sector 2, and you also need a clear lap, as a clear track is more important than slip-streaming”.

Like Huff and Menu, Nicola Larini too enjoys the annual pilgrimage to Macau, commenting, “I like Macau very much and we have always been competitive there. In the past, I have been close to winning the race a couple of times and I hope I will have a little bit more of luck this time. A win would be an ideal way to end the season”.

Finally for Chevrolet the race marks a goodbye for Team Manager Mark Busfield, who joins sportscar and single-seater team CRS Racing as Managing Director on the 1st December.

“Typically, a street circuit does not offer a lot of working space, but at least in Macau we have a large garage area and the cars did not suffer much damage in Japan, so re-preparation should be straight forward. We should be in good shape for this last round, and hopefully, the circuit should suit us with the Cruze as well as in the past.

“This will also be my last race with the team” said Busfield, “As I will be taking up new challenges soon, and I would really like to finish this wonderful five-year experience with a great result.”

Having worked the race and rally industry for 25 years, CRS Racing Team Principal Chris Niarchos paid tribute to his new MD saying, “As a team we have come a long way in a very short space of time. Next year we will enter two, if not three, international championships and two domestic championships. In addition to this we are working hard to establish ourselves as a high level technical partner in some exciting motorsport projects. We needed someone with extensive experience in this arena and that is why we chose Mark Busfield.”