The LADA Sport Lukoil team spent three days testing at Magny-Cours with James Thompson; the English driver tried new technical features for the Granta WTCC car in view of the new technical regulations that will come into force next year.
During the tests the team was especially focusing on new solutions for the suspension.
Team principal Victor Shapovalov explained: “We are free to design the suspension to fit our needs, and that is the good point. The evolution of the LADA Granta will have completely different suspension and kinematics. We are trying different solutions to significantly improve drivability and at the same time we are building the new WTCC cars at LADA Sport production facilities in Togliatti. We have planned to run the first test mid-February in 2014.”
Race engineer Marco Calovolo added: “The current rules have been limiting our engineering possibilities; it was not possible to change some components in order to compensate the small size of our car. The new regulations provide us with more room for engineering intervention. The 2014 LADA Granta will be wider and we will be able to adjust something in the suspension. The crucial point is to find the best balance. The engine will be more powerful, brakes will be bigger, there will be more downforce, the car will be lighter, and the fundamental thing is to have an easy adjustable car.”