2005 Chevrolet Lacetti WTCC

CHEVROLET LACETTI WTCC HAS SUCCESSFUL SHAKEDOWN IN THE UK

The very first Chevrolet Lacetti World Touring Car has been shaken down at the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) Proving Ground near Nuneaton. British driver, Rob Huff, put the first miles on the clock for what is Chevrolet's first ever factory racing effort in Europe.

The shake down went very well and without any major problems, other than the usual and very normal teething problems that come with every brand new racing project. 'Today's test has gone very well, it's always a good sign when a car works straight out of the box,' said RML Chief Executive, Ray Mallock. 'We have completed a fair amount of running today and have encountered no problems. Rob has been able to run at a good speed and push the car quite hard. The reports have been favourable on the engine and brakes and generally the whole package. We have managed to build on the limited data we had so it has been a very productive day and we can now continue with our planned test and development programme.'

Driver Rob Huff said: 'It's been a very positive start for us today; the car feels good and is nicely balanced. We carried out various system checks and everything is running well. The cold weather has meant it took some time to get some temperature in the tyres but despite that we have been picking up the pace gradually and are all very happy with the way things have worked. It's certainly put a smile on my face to get behind the wheel!'

Motorsports Manager for Chevrolet Europe, Eric Nève, was equally pleased: 'After months of preparation Chevrolet's World Touring Car Championship effort has now become a tangible reality. Six months ago this car only existed in the back of people's minds, but now it's a state of the art race car, built and run by one of the finest teams in the motorsports business and to be driven by what we feel is an excellent line-up of drivers.'

On return from MIRA the car will receive a complete mechanical check before undergoing various workshop tests including torsion, camber & toe stiffness tests to validate the computer calculations. This process will take approximately ten days. This will be followed by testing various set-up options including spring, anti-roll bar and damper rates as well as simpler checks such as confirming fuel tank capacity. These workshop tests will then be followed by four post rig damper testing in preparation for the second track test on 21 January.

The first group test for the new World Touring Car Championship is scheduled for 22 and 23 March at the Monza racetrack in Italy. The championship will kick off at the same track on April 10th, to finish after twenty races in the People's Republic of China on 20 November.

Source - Chevrolet

ROB HUFF COMPLETES CHEVROLET RACING TEAM

After signing-up experienced touring car drivers, Alain Menu, 41, and Nicola Larini, 40, Chevrolet has signed up the young British driver Robert Huff, 25, to race the third Chevrolet Lacetti in next year's World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

Huff, known as Rob to everyone in racing, has already spent a number of years in motorsport, driving touring as well as single seater cars. In 2003, he was champion in the Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship, winning the rounds at Croft, Oulton Park, and Thruxton. In 2004, he competed in the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) for SEAT Sport ÚK and scored two outright wins. „I am extremely happy to have Alain and Nicola as team mates in 2005', says Huff. 'I am sure I can pick up some new tricks from them.'

Prepared by Ray Mallock Ltd (RML), Chevrolet will enter three racing Lacettis in the new WTCC that succeeds the ETCC (European Touring Car Championship) in 2005. Eric Nève, Manager, Motorsports for Chevrolet Europe, said: 'I am very optimistic that we have found the right mixture of experience and youth.. As GM's biggest international brand, it was also important to us to have a good mix of nationalities.'

The schedule for the WTCC includes Italy (Monza, April 10), France (Magny-Cours, May 1) ÚK (Silverstone, May 15), Italy (Imola, May 29), Mexico (June 26), Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps, July 30), Germany (Oschersleben, August 28), Turkey (Istanbul, September 18), and Spain (Valencia, October 2). The season's final race is planned for the People's Republic of China, to be staged in the streets of Macau on November 20.

Source - Chevrolet