Rob Huff to spearhead Lestrup Racing return

Lestrup Racing has confirmed that former World Touring Car Champion Rob Huff will lead its return to the STCC TCR Scandinavia series for the 2020 season.

Huff found himself without a drive in the World Touring Car Cup after both Volkswagen and Sébastien Loeb Racing withdrew from the series, leaving the Briton to consider other options after a 15 year spell competing at the highest levels of the sport.

The 40-year-old is the first driver to be confirmed by Lestrup as it returns to the series after a year away, having focused on an endurance programme over the course of 2019.

“We are really proud to welcome Rob to the team; he is one of the best touring car drivers in the world,” team manager and co-owner Fredrik Lestrup said. “He is very much a key part of our 2020 STCC programme, and of our plans to take the next step forward.

“We are a young team and we believe in ourselves, especially after the 2018 STCC season and the endurance programme last year. We have created our strongest programme so far thanks to hard work and thanks to our partners. Of course, this puts pressure on us and we need to deliver, but that motivates us strongly at the same time.”

Huff for his part said he was thrilled to take up the chance to move into the Scandinavian series for the first time.

“I’m delighted to be joining the Lestrup Racing Team and to be facing a new challenge this year, racing in STCC TCR Scandinavia,” he said. “A few team-mates of mine have raced in the championship before, and we know from the level of drivers that have come from the STCC and raced with me in the world championship, that the level is very high for a national series, which means it’s genuinely exciting to be racing here.

“The Lestrup Racing Team is a fantastic squad, and I know they have their sights set high this year. My aim is to bring all my years of experience developing the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR and help the team unlock the potential of the car and take the fight to the front.

“Of course, I’ve not raced at any of the circuits on the calendar, so that’s exciting but also a challenge, with only a short amount of time to learn the circuits against a field of drivers who’ve been racing in Scandinavia for many years – but I’m up for it and really looking forward to the season ahead.”

Huff will be at the wheel of the final Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR produced by Volkswagen Motorsport, with his team-mate to be revealed shortly.

“We are really happy to continue racing with the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR and to represent Volkswagen Stockholm, which has been a partner to us since 2017,” team co-owner and chief mechanic Totte Malmkvist said. “The team and Rob have got vast experience of the car and we look forward to continue building on that together.”

“We are humbly raising the bar for this season. The opposition is tough, and it would be a mistake to underestimate the challenge for an international driver like Rob to take on the Scandinavian circuits. But we have a solid test plan to provide us and Rob with the right conditions to challenge the big teams in this year’s title fight.”