The FIA World Touring Car Championship’s most experienced racer says the job LADA SPORT ROSNEFT has done in getting two of its all-new Vesta TC1s ready for this week’s WTCC Race of Argentina is “remarkable”.
Rob Huff, who claimed WTCC title gold in 2012, will join team-mate James Thompson in giving the Russian Rocket its race debut at the Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo on Sunday.
“There is a huge amount of anticipation,” said British driver Huff, who has a record 225 WTCC starts to his name. “We haven’t done anywhere near the amount of testing we would have liked to, but what Viktor Shapovalov and the LADA SPORT ROSNEFT team has done in creating a brand new car from scratch is remarkable, considering we weren’t able to carry information over from last year. It’s going to a year of trial and error and we will inevitably make a few errors, but he who makes the fewest mistakes, wins.”
Huff continued: “To put a label on the car at this stage would be unfair, as everything on it is brand new. A realistic goal is to finish both races and collect as much data as possible so that we can go away and develop the Vesta during the break between Argentina and Morocco. If either James or I do come away with a strong result, it will be a very joyous occasion. I’m excited to get out there, dig deep and show the world what LADA Sport has built.”
Huff bagged LADA’s maiden WTCC podium in Argentina last season at the wheel of the old Granta model. He can’t wait to get back to the track located 1200 kilometres northwest of the capital Buenos Aires.
“I am very excited to get the season underway, especially in Argentina where we had our first major success,” said Huff. “It’s a hugely popular circuit and will pull in huge crowds thanks to the defending champion, José María López, and this adds to the atmosphere and makes it a great way to kick-off the season.”