Last week, LADA SPORT ROSNEFT started an intensive pre-season testing program with a brand new LADA Vesta TC1 car, which replaces the Granta model as LADA’s FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) challenger.
All three of the Russian manufacturer’s drivers – Rob Huff, James Thompson and Mikhail Kozlovskiy – arrived at the team’s technical base at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France, to test the new-for-2015 Vesta ahead of the first WTCC round in Argentina (6-8 March).
In mid-January, the team conducted thorough tests on a new 380bhp ORECA-built engine, and its development will continue this week.
The LADA Vesta TC1 is a state-of-the-art racer derived from the road-going LADA Vesta, which will go into mass production in September 2015.
LADA SPORT ROSNEFT Team Principal, Victor Shapovalov, said: “The new car fully meets our expectations for the fact that is boasts higher straight-line speeds, greater cornering stability and much-improved aerodynamics. Of course, the team has a lot of work ahead of it – this is a totally new model which was built from scratch, and it requires much more testing.
“Unfortunately, due to the early season start this year we are time-restricted, and it’s obvious that tests will continue during the first WTCC rounds. The team has completed a huge bulk of the work over these two months and we are still working 24 hours a day to be prepared for the first race in Argentina. We are all highly motivated and, though the team started tests with a delay, we are ready to get into the fight on the track from the start of the season”.
Rob Huff said: “Having driven the new LADA VESTA TC1 there is no doubt that this is a proper racecar worthy of a proper effort in 2015. It’s testament to LADA and what it is achieving as a car manufacturer that it can design and build a car of this quality in such a short space of time. Having won in the LADA Granta last year, we knew that we had to make a significant step forward to move to the next level and I believe this is the vehicle to take us there.”
James Thompson said: “Visually, the new LADA VESTA is a huge step forward compared with last year’s Granta, even to the layperson. My first experience behind the wheel of the car confirmed that it drives as well as it looks and suggests we will have a very real opportunity to compete on par with our rival manufacturer teams, although the true potential of the VESTA will become evident over the course of the first few rounds. I’m genuinely excited about potentially having a car that can be pushed hard and one that’s significantly faster than its predecessor, even in its most basic trim. Ultimately, the Granta’s deficiencies have been overcome with good engineering and aerodynamics.”
Mikhail Kozlovskiy, in anticipation of his first laps with Vesta, commented: ” I am eager to get a taste of the new car on the track! LADA Vesta was built in a very short period of time, and it proves the high professionalism of our team. The engineers created the car based on the two years’ experience with Granta WTCC model, and I believe that Vesta will have its say from the very first start”.