Feb
24
Rob Huff: WTCC season preview
I’m delighted to be writing this new column for the Motors TV website, because I think this could be a great year for me. I’ll be honest – the aim is to win the FIA World Touring Car Championship, and with the Chevrolet Cruze I think I’ve got a great opportunity.
The WTCC begins in Brazil and is followed by Mexico. These are not historically good races for us. I’m the only Chevrolet driver to have scored points at Curitiba, but having finished 5th in 2007 and 8th in 2006, it’s not the type of results you go around shouting about. I quite like the Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba, so there is no reason for it not to like me!
In eight races in Mexico, I’ve only finished in the points once – and that was back in 2005 – and the year after I finished up in hospital, so that’s not been a lucky place either.
The most number of points we’ve managed to leave Brazil and Mexico with is four, but this year I’m looking for 12 or 13 points from the opening two race meetings.
It sounds ambitious, but I think we’ve got an excellent chance of making the strongest start we’ve ever had to a WTCC campaign.
I believe the Chevrolet Cruze is now the strongest car in the WTCC. We had a good first season with it last year and we’ve had a very good test programme over the winter. We’ve not made any big changes to it, but as a team we all understand the car a lot better and we know how to get the most out of it.
I’ve tested the Cruze at Valencia twice and once at Portimao, and we’ve worked very hard on fine tuning the set-up. At the final pre-season test session at Valencia I did four or five race distance runs, which might be very beneficial when we get to the first race at Brazil.
We know the Chevrolet Cruze can be competitive in Curitiba. Our lap times last year demonstrated this and the outcome would have been a lot different had we not been forced out of the first race.
We also showed last year that the Cruze is phenomenally strong on street circuits, and I think we’ll be strong everywhere this year. That will be important, because our game plan for the season is to try and score points in every race.
That’s easier said than done of course, because the opposition this year will be very strong. In fact, I think this will be the toughest season ever.
Consistency will be key to our championship success. If that means not winning any races in 2010, that doesn’t bother me – all I want to do in 2010 is come home with the title.
