Chevrolet ready to defend their WTCC crown

Chevrolet head into the 2012 as clear favourites to retain their crown, though an intense battle between Rob Huff and Yvan Muller in the latter part of last season has seen the two drivers take the time to relax in the off season.

Motorsport specialists RML will run the cars for the eighth time, with the team fielding an unchanged line-up of Alain Menu, Yvan Muller and Rob Huff.

Muller took the title by three points from team-mate Huff in 2011 in a thrilling finale at Macau, whilst Alain Menu was eliminated from the running one weekend early after incidents earlier in the season left him on the back foot.

“My 2011 season left me with mixed feelings,” said Menu. “On one hand, I was very happy with my driving and managed some really good results. But on the other hand, I was unlucky on a number of occasions, such as the two accidents in Monza and Budapest, both of which were not my fault. Those ruined my championship chances.”

“In a very competitive series such as the WTCC, consistency is essential and you have to score big points at every race. This is what I aim to do in 2012. Although I’m nearly 49, I enjoy driving and racing as much as I did the first day I took to the wheel. I am still at the top of my form and this is exactly what I will try to prove this year. I have worked a lot on my physical condition during the winter.”

“Another positive development is that I will have a new car engineer. It is good to change working partnerships from time to time as this obliges you to refresh the way you think and helps you take a step forward, so I am feeling very positive about the new season.”

Yvan Muller seemed out of sorts at the beginning of 2011, with Menu and Huff leading the way at the first two race meetings. It wasn’t until the eighth race of the season at Hungary that Muller took his first win, but following up with seven more saw him leap past team-mate Huff and into the championship lead after Valencia in September.

“I am approaching this new season in the same way I have always done thinking that we have to start everything from scratch and nothing can be taken for granted,” said Muller. “I have no particular goals except to do my job as best as I can, and not to put pressure on myself. If I made a mistake last year, it was precisely to put excessive pressure on myself at the beginning of the season. I will avoid repeating that this year, which is why I took more time to relax and rest during the winter break.”

“Apart from promotional activities for the brand, my coaching courses at an ice driving school in Lapland, and a couple of testing sessions with the team, I have been quite disconnected from racing. I feel I’m in much better shape than at the same time last year. Having said that, it is not going to be an easy season with the new reliability rules and increased competition. But I’m ready to take up the challenge.”

Championship runner-up Rob Huff similarly took a step back from motorsport during the off season, but is raring to go at the start of the new season.

“I have more or less kept away from racing and cars during the winter,” said Huff. “I think it was necessary after the intense season we had in 2011. I am very happy with what I accomplished last year, although it was disappointing to lose the title by a handful of points. It takes an extra little something to beat such a great touring car star like Yvan, and that is what I’ll try to achieve this year. I am as motivated and determined as I could be.”

Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Manager Eric Nève added:
“From the outside, it could appear that Chevrolet is favorite to win the titles. However, to stay in the front of the pack for three consecutive years is always a challenge, in any sport. We are approaching 2012 with humility, but also with great determination. To see the competition progressing puts pressure on us, but is also very stimulating. We are definitely thrilled about the debut of Ford, our traditional rival in U.S. racing, and it’s great to see the WTCC becoming more global year after year. Going to the U.S. later in the year for the first-ever WTCC event in our brand’s home country is going to be very exciting.”