A spectacular and action-packed FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Race of Thailand (31 October-1 November) at the Chang International Circuit left LADA SPORT ROSNEFT with mixed emotions.
Rob Huff further enhanced his reputation as the master of touring car racing by finishing sixth and seventh in two tough races, having started from the back of the grid after a technical infringement in qualifying; this is now six top six finishes this season for the British LADA SPORT ROSNEFT driver
Lots of crashes and accidents were not the only thing that WTCC fans witnessed in the heat of Thailand, as the weekend was memorable for a high level of competition, particularly in qualifying, where the top 13 drivers were covered by just nine tenths of a second.
Nick Catsburg was the top LADA driver in seventh for race one and fourth for race two, opening up the possibility of a podium finish that has so far eluded the young Dutchman, although a multi-car incident saw Catsburg, the innocent victim, and any hopes of a podium eliminated at the first corner
Teammate Nicolas Lapierre also excited the race at Turn 1, leaving only Huff on-track, and the British touring car ace showed his “Champion” driving style, making a series of spectacular overtaking manoeuvres and crossing the finish line in sixth place
Both Catsburg and Lapierre were sidelined from race two, but Huff was there to challenge and he performed strongly from the outset, making up several positions and resisting the aggressive advances of Mehdi Bennani in what transpired to be another thrilling encounter.
Two laps from the end, the race was halted due to fading light, so Huff finished seventh, still ahead of Bennani’s Citroen, several Chevrolets and the Honda of Norbert Michelisz.
Rob Huff: “Both races were fantastic! I really enjoyed the first race; I had a great fight with Gabriele Tarquini and a few other racers. Race 2 was a little bit harder, as the car felt different in the falling temperatures and it was difficult to fight as hard as we wanted, but we still could make some good positions, obviously. I made a very a good start, but of course, the start from the back of the grid is not fantastic. All in all, the car was fast in the races, and to come from last place to sixth and seventh to score some solid points is really good. I am happy!”
Points scored in Thailand promoted former World Champion, Huff, to eighth position in the Drivers’ standings as the FIA WTCC heads into its final round at Qatar’s Losaii International Circuit (26-27 November).