The LADA SPORT ROSNEFT Vesta TC1 has started to show real signs of progress in its debut FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) season, as the Russian team’s lead driver, Rob Huff, propelled his bright yellow racer into the top six, matching the pace of the all-conquering Citroens in qualifying at the Hungaroring (Saturday 2 May).
LADA SPORT has taken a controlled, “step-by-step” approach to this development year with the new-for-2015 Vesta and a sustained showing of pace and reliability saw Huff qualify well inside the top ten in seventh position, half a second off the ultimate Q2 pole position time.
For much of qualifying it seemed that LADA would break into the top five shootout for the first time and, had a further new tyre run been possible, it was likely that Huff would have made this a reality.
However, in the end the team was more than satisfied with the outcome, which shows the LADA SPORT ROSNEFT team is constantly gaining forward momentum, and inherited a position when Hugo Valente received a grid penalty for race one.
Tomorrow (Sunday 3 May) will see the lead LADA Vesta TC1 of Huff start from sixth and fourth in Rounds 5 and 6 respectively, giving the English driver and his Russian team a shot at a pair of strong results.
LADA SPORT ROSNEFT Team Principal, Victor Shapovalov, was the most satisfied, particularly as the team had such a hectic two-week interval between the Moroccan and Hunarian legs of the WTCC.
Shapovalov said: “I think the team did a good job today and Rob (Huff) delivered a good lap time that shows we are getting close to the pace. We are always looking to make the team stronger and move to the front, especially this year with the support from LADA and ROSNEFT, and will continue to do so until we achieve our goals.”
Huff, a former FIA World Touring Car Champion with more than 200 WTCC starts under his belt, had the look of a driver who has confidence in his equipment and said: “The LADA Vesta TC1 is getting better and stronger and, as we learn more about the car we will go faster and get nearer to the front. I think we showed this today.”
James Thompson, meanwhile, qualified 14th, but will miss tomorrow’s races due to complications from recent dental treatment.
Russian hotshot, Mikhail Kozlovskiy, set the 16th quickest time in qualifying and will do his utmost to gain track positions in Sunday’s two races.
Round 5 and 6 of the 2015 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) take place at the Hungaroring, near the Hungarian capital, Budapest, at 13.30 and 14.40 CET and can be viewed live on Eurosport and via a live stream on the official www.fiawtcc.com website.