RML
Team News
Good News ~ Bad News from WTCC. Brno (Rounds 9& 10),
17th/18th June 2007. Issued June 20th 2007
Larini
Regains Fourth in Title Race
Nicola
Larini scored valuable points in Brno to move back into
fourth overall in the championship table, while bad luck
and race incidents hampered Alain Menu and Rob Huff.
The seven points gained in the Czech round of the WTCC have
allowed Nicola Larini to regain fourth position in the WTCC
drivers’ overall standings (and the first among front-wheel
drive cars): this is the main take-away for Chevrolet of
the Round 9 and 10 races in Brno. There was also some degree
of frustration, as Alain Menu, 8th in Race 1 and on pole
for Race 2, saw the prospect of a podium finish in the second
race ruined by a race incident. Similarly, Rob Huff had,
for this year anyway, a particularly unlucky Sunday in sunny
Moravia.
The team has three weeks before heading to the next stop,
Porto; a street circuit which is virtually unknown to everybody
in the WTCC but which should suit the Lacetti’s characteristics.
QUOTES
Nicola Larini (5th/6th)
“I am happy to be scoring some good points again and
to climb one position in the Championship. In Race 1 I did
not have a very good start but I passed first corner like
in a dream! I saw cars touching on the left and I took the
inside, gaining seven positions. From then on I just had
to control the two Seats behind me to secure fifth place.
In Race 2, I had a good start but Zanardi touched me and
I lost a couple of positions. After that, I couldn’t
really catch up on Thompson, as every time I got close to
him, I was losing grip because of aerodynamics”.
Alain Menu (8th/DNF)
"Eighth place in Race 1 was not bad at all, under the
circumstances. I was taken in a sandwich at the first corner
and I was lucky to get out of that with no damage. Then
I was in the little group of cars led by Nicola and had
a relatively uneventful race. The car was handling better
towards the end of the race; I think that the relatively
soft set-up we had helped the tyres work better at the end.
In Race 2, I know it was going to be difficult to keep the
advantage of the pole position but I was hoping to be in
the podium. Unfortunately, Zanardi hit me and that resulted
in a puncture and damage to the steering and the end of
my race. It’s a shame!”
Rob Huff (20th/NCF)
"It
has been a frustrating week-end. In both races I had very
good starts but not for long. In Race 1 I gained some ten
positions at the start, climbing up to tenth, but then a
couple of competitors tangled up and I was hit in the front
left wheel. Something must have bent, because I had very
bad steering, couldn’t turn to the right, and my race
was ruined. Same in Race 2, but there it was the car letting
me down, for the first time in three years. The gear linkage
broke, probably as a result of the accident in Race 1, and
I was left with no gears. It went back to the track in the
last lap, after the repairing, just to check that there
was no other damage to my Lacetti”.
Wayne Brannon (Executive Director Chevrolet Europe)
“I
have been following all of the races this year and it’s
great to be with the team here today, and to feel the spirit
of competition and the enthusiasm around Chevrolet up close.
It’s a great boost for all of us, for our dealers,
our guests and our customers to feel the energy of our racing
team. I am very pleased with the performance this year and
I have even higher expectations going forward. Racing DNA
has always been part of Chevrolet’s history and is
at the heart of who we are today. I expect it to be part
of our future as well”.
BRNO
Race 1 Result
1.
F Porteiro BMW 320si 11 laps in 26m51s609 (Av: 132.76 kph)
2. J Müller BMW 320si + 0s259
3. A Zanardi BMW 320si + 3s285
4. A Farfus BMW 320si + 4s284
5. N Larini Chevrolet Lacetti + 14s147
8. A Menu Chevrolet Lacetti +17s570
20. R Huff Chevrolet Lacetti + 51s405
BRNO Race 2Result
1. J Müller BMW 320si 10 laps in 22m42s008 (Ave: 142.81kph)
2. A Farfus BMW 320si + 0s812
3. F Porteiro BMW 320si + 4s820
4. G Tarquini Seat Leon + 7s362
5. J Thompson Alfa Romeo 156 + 9s619
6. N Larini Chevrolet Lacetti + 10s113
NCF R Huff Chevrolet Lacetti 3 Laps
DNF A Menu Chevrolet Lacetti 1 Lap
Drivers'
Points Standings after Race 10 of 22
1. A Priaulx (BMW), 42 pts; 2. A Frafus (BMW), 40; 3. J
Mller (BMW) 31; 4. Y Muller (SEAT), 28; 5. N Larini (Chevrolet)
25; ... 7. A Menu (Chevrolet), 21 ...11. R Huff (Chevrolet),
14, etc
Manufacturer's Points
Standings after Race 10 OF 22
1. BMW, 106 pts; 2. SEAT, 86; 3. Chevrolet, 71; 4. Alfa
Romeo, 39.
The
next race of the 2007 World Touring Car Championship takes
place in Porto, Portugal, on 8th July.
The full calendar for the year is:
2007
FIA World Touring Car Championship
11
March - Curitiba, Brazil - raced
6 May - Zandvoort, Netherlands - raced
20 May - Valencia, Spain
3 June - Pau, France
17
June - Brno, Czech Republic
8 July - Porto, Portugal
29 July - Anderstorp, Sweden
2 September - Oschersleben, Germany
23 September -Brands Hatch, Great Britain
7 October - Monza, Italy
18 November - Macau, China
