RML Motorsport

12/03/2007

Chevrolet Third In Manufacturers Championship

CURITIBA (RACE 1 & 2), 11 March 2007
Rob Huff scored Chevrolets first points with a fifth place in the first race in Curitiba, Brazil, today. It was the high point of the weekend, as both Alain Menu and Nicola Larini were victim of race incidents in the first race, while Rob suffered the same bad luck in the second. In the drivers championship, Huff is seventh with four points, while Chevrolet is third in the manufacturers standings with nine points. The next race of the 2007 World Touring Car Championship takes place in Zandvoort, Holland on 6 May.

QUOTES
Rob Huff (5th/DNF): "The first race went fine, except for some serious understeer going into Turn 6, as well as accelerating out of that turn. So I had to solve that by lifting, turning in, smoothly going through the corner and then accelerating out again later than normal. For race two we changed the camber, which improved things. In race two, I had a brilliant start, running in third up to Turn 1, but then the car got away from me under braking as the pedal unexpectedly went long. I got hit by another car and that was it."

Nicola Larini (DNF/10th): "In the first race I had a good start until Yvan Muller pushed me off in Turn 1, extensively damaging my car. In race two, I had another good start, moving up from the back of the grid to tenth in the first corner. Unfortunately I got sandwiched there which damaged the splitter and destroyed the balance of the car. A couple of laps later the splitter fell off which restored the balance. After that I had a good race and making it to the finish is the just reward for the hard work the boys put in to repair the car."

Alain Menu (DNF/DNF): "I was the innocent victim of Turn 1 when Nicolas car was pushed into mine, ending my race there and then as well. In the second race I immediately felt that the steering was not the way it should be, while under braking it felt like one of the shocks was broken. After a few laps I came in again as it would have been too dangerous to continue like that."

Eric Neve: "We showed that the performance is there, but unfortunately it didnt quite show, neither in qualifying nor in the races. We will keep on working in this direction and make sure we will be right there at the next race in Zandvoort in seven weeks time, which one could consider as the real start of the season, as from then on we will be racing every other weekend."

Mark Busfield: "A positive thing this weekend is that team did a great job in rebuilding two badly damaged cars from race one using every minute of the extra time we now have between the two races to accommodate the TV schedule. This allowed us to start race two with both Alains and Nicolas cars and Nicola to finish tenth whereas under last years timing his car would never have been repaired in time. In all this is the testament of the improvements we made over winter to increase serviceability and reduce time needed make repairs."

CURITIBA RACE 1 RESULTS
1. J Mller BMW 320si 16 laps in 25m38s208 (138.360kph)
2. A Priaulx BMW 320si + 0s421
3. A Farfus BMW 320si + 1s234
4. G Tarquini SEAT Leon + 8s876
5. R Huff Chevrolet Lacetti + 9s701
DNF N Larini Chevrolet Lacetti Accident (0 laps)
DNF A Menu Chevrolet Lacetti Accident (0 laps)

CURITIBA RACE 2 RESULTS
1. A Farfus BMW 320si 14 laps in 20m20s148 (152.620kph)
2. A Priaulx BMW 320si + 4s378
3. J Mller BMW 320si + 5s691
4. Y Muller SEAT Leon + 6s963
5. G Tarquini SEAT Leon + 7s479
10. N Larini Chevrolet Lacetti + 18s425
DNF A Menu Chevrolet Lacetti Accident damage (3 laps)
DNF R Huff Chevrolet Lacetti Accident (0 laps)

DRIVERS POINTS STANDINGS AFTER RACE 2 OF 22
1ex. J Mller (BMW), A Farfus (BMW) and A Priaulx (BMW) 16pts; 4. G Tarquini (SEAT) 9; 5. Y Mller (SEAT) 6; 7. R Huff (Chevrolet) and T Coronel (SEAT) 4;

MANUFACTURERS STANDINGS AFTER RACE 2 OF 22
1. BMW, 36pts; 2. SEAT, 21; 3. Chevrolet, 9; 4. Alfa Romeo, 5.
 

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