Momentum has been on LADA SPORT ROSNEFT’s side since the start of the Asian leg of the 2015 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) and there’s hope that it can continue on an upward trend in the penultimate round of the season in Thailand (31 October-1 November).
Designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, Buriram’s Chang International Circuit is 400km from Bangkok and is the first FIA Grade 1 racing facility to be built on Thai soil.
It’s one of five new venues on the 2015 WTCC calendar and the majority of drivers will start the weekend from zero, as only Campos Racing’s Hugo Valente has sampled the ultra-modern track’s 12-corner, 4.55km configuration, which is dominated by flat-out left and right-hand bends and a 1km straight after Turn 1.
However, adapting to new circuits isn’t too much of a challenge for LADA SPORT’s professional and highly experienced drivers and adjusting to the Southeast Asia region’s hot and humid climate may be the tallest order.
A podium for Rob Huff at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan was backed up by TOP 6 finishes for the former World Champion and his Dutch teammate Nick Catsburg in the championship’s Race of China, and there’s cause to hope for more with the ever-improving LADA Vesta TC1. Meanwhile, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Nicolas Lapierre, who will have his third WTCC outing at the wheel of Vesta in Thailand, is eager to improve his results.
Rob Huff said: “It seems like an age since we were in Shanghai for the last round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, so I’m really keen to get back behind the wheel of my LADA Vesta,” said Huff. “I, like a number of the drivers, have used the break to take some holiday time in Thailand before the race. It’s a beautiful country and Buriram looks like a great new facility, with some technical and other very fast sections, so it should make for a great challenge for me and the Vesta. It’s great that the professional racectrack of a high level was built in Thailand, it will help promote motrosport here and increase the number of WTCC fans in Asia.”
Nick Catsburg added: “This will be my first time in Thailand and I am very much looking forward to it. I think it will be very hot, which will be a challenge for all of us drivers, but I think the track will be good for the LADA Vesta, as it seems quite fast and we are usually strong in those areas. Also, the circuit provides plenty of overtaking possibilities. I think the middle sector will be where the LADA is strong compared to the other cars. I have done some simulator practice to prepare for this event. After a relatively good performance in Shanghai, I am really looking forward to this event.”
Nicolas Lapierre concluded: “I’ve been to Thailand a couple of times, but for holidays… this time is a different story. The Buriram racetrack looks really fast and challenging. I have watched many on-boards and I can’t wait to drive my LADA Vesta there. I expect there to be a lot of overtaking thanks to the long straight line and I’m pretty sure the circuit will suit the Vesta, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”