RML Motorsport

26/02/2007

Already 110 Races Run before Brazilian Start of Season

ZANDVOORT (WINTER TEST), 19-21 February 2007 Chevrolet concluded its intensive winter test programme at the Dutch track of Zandvoort this week. With all three regular race cars in transit to Curitiba, Brazil for the opening round of the 2007 World Touring Car Championship, Rob Huff, Nicola Larini and Alain Menu used the dedicated test car for three days, further fine-tuning systems and set-ups. With this last test, the team again managed to progress and improve the 2007 Chevrolet Lacetti WTC before the season kicks off in three weeks time. Upon their return from Brazil, the team will test in Oschersleben (16-17 April) as well as in Monza (24-25 April) in FIA-organised group tests before round 2 of the championship takes place in Holland in May.

Mark Busfield: "It was a shame about the rain we had, but in all fairness it was the first time we had rain in any of our test sessions. It allowed us to work on a good wet-weather set-up, which is always useful as Im sure that at some point during the season we will have to deal with the weather gods. The plan was to let Alain come up with a base set-up for the car since he is the only one of our team to have raced here before and then test some suspension revisions for the Curitiba race and sign off on those. On the second day Alain again set up the car and then handed over to Rob and Nic. Both thus got a good feel for the car on this track in changing conditions, as there are many varying degrees of adhesion due to the surface changes. Some revised differential settings were also successfully tested. As before, the car ran reliably throughout the three days. In all our winter tests together, we covered some 6,000 kilometres with our 2007-spec cars, which equals to roughly 110 full race distances. I therefore think that we can honestly say we are well prepared. With the cars having left our workshops for the first race, seven weeks earlier than last year, we can say that we have had a very productive winter indeed."

Rob Huff:"It was a good few days of testing we had, with the cold and wet weather allowing us to work on a wet weather set-up. Chances are it might rain when we come to race here in May, so its always good to already have a few wet laps under our belt. We tried the usual list of different set-ups on the new suspension and found a good balance. It was my first time ever in Zandvoort and from a drivers point of view it is one hell of a track. Im sure it will make for some very close racing, and especially the first corner should prove interesting at the start of the races."

Nicola Larini:"As at previous tests we managed to get most things done we planned to do, which again underlines the reliability of the car and all its components. Of course, we wont exactly know where we stand until we get to Brazil, but to have tested here, where the first European race will be held, is a big advantage. Zandvoort is a real drivers track and our car seems to like it, so that can only bode well for May. Both Rob and I worked on some suspension development parts and also on some parts we tested earlier in winter. We established that what we tried in the dry also works in the wet, so we are definitely going in the right direction."

Alain Menu:"It was mostly dry when I tested the car so we could concentrate on getting through our to-do-list and find a benchmark set-up for Rob and Nic to work with. We are slowly getting towards where we want to be with the different suspension set-ups and we now know which direction we have to go. With all the testing we have done so far Im sure we are better prepared this year than we have ever been."

Eric Neve:"Well, this is it. With all the testing behind us we are really looking forward to the first race in Brazil. This has been our most labour-intensive winter yet, and we managed to get through all the things we wanted to test pre-season, which is positive. We managed to get the weight of the car down by some 20 kilograms, amongst under things by using different paint. This will allow us to have a better weight distribution in the car. And every time we tested something new, whether parts or set-ups, we managed to get an almost immediate response from the car, so the team could progress at a much faster pace than before. This winter has brought a lot of confidence to the team as well as to the drivers, so I hope that Chevrolet will be a force to be reckoned with this season."

CHEVROLET RACING AROUND THE GLOBE
In the US, Chevrolet took a strong start to the season by finishing first through fourth in the famous Daytona 500, opening round of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup. After a two-lap sprint following a red-flag caution, Kevin Harvick beat veteran Mark Martin by just inches, with Jeff Burton and Mike Wallace close behind. More information can be found on www.nascar.com.

Eric Neve at Chevrolet Europe
eric.neve@ch.gm.com
Tel : + 41 79 681 89 76
Web: media.chevroleteurope.com 

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