Huff storms to the lead in the Drivers standings

Chevrolet finished the weekend in China with a fantastic team result, taking a double and triple win in Shanghai in two action-packed races with allstill to play for in the Drivers championship.

Ahead of the last and decisive round of the WTCC in Macau in two weeks, Rob Huff climbedto the top of the standings on 390 points, ahead of Chevrolet teammates Alain Menu (355)and Yvan Muller (349). The three drivers are the only ones remaining with a chance toclinch the Drivers crown.

Huff had a fantastic Sunday, winning Race 2 and taking 2nd in Race 1. Menu won Race 1and finished 3rd in Race 2, while Yvan Muller was forced out of Race 1 and finished 2nd inRace 2. The Frenchman later received a 30-second penalty, dropping to 13th and concludingthe weekend without scoring points.

Race 1 started with Menu keeping the pole advantage ahead of his team mates but Mullerwas left reeling after a melee in turn 2 forced him to the pits and out of the race with damageto the right rear wheel. Huff sat comfortably behind Menu for the duration of the race andboth avoided the battles going on behind them which saw many of the field with damage atthe flag.

In Race 2, despite their less favorable positions on the grid, the three RML-run Cruzes hadan excellent start, taking the lead of the race after a few laps. Menu was heading to anotherwin when contact with Muller in a close braking allowed Huff to take the lead, dropping theSwiss to 3rd place.

Muller, who had climbed to second, gave back the position but passed Menu again for 2ndposition in the closing laps. The post-race penalty made him dropped to P13 while Menuclimbed to 2nd.

The WTCC is now heading to Macau for the traditional street circuit in the formerPortuguese enclave that brings the curtains down on the WTCC calendar. The two races willdetermine which Chevrolet driver will be crowed 2012 World Champion driver.

Chevrolet has already won the Manufacturers title. Sundays race saw the lead at the topextended further, with Chevrolet on 930 points, BMW in 2nd place on 602 points and SEAT in3rd on 569.

QUOTESRob Huff (2nd / 1st): This was a fantastic weekend for the team and a fantastic weekend forme. A 2nd and 1st is just what I needed. Its much more than I could dream of this morningwhen I woke up.Race 1 was pretty lean. I took second position at the start and maintained it until the end,while in Race 2, I had a pretty scary moment when the lights went off for the start. My clutchgot stuck and I almost stalled, but I quickly found the right pace again after a couple ofcorners. I overtook Yvan and Alain when they made contact.I now have a 23-point lead in the championship going to Macau, which is really what I hadhoped for. Macau is a place where Ive always been quite competitive, so I feel veryencouraged.

Alain Menu (1st / 2nd): Race 1 was perfect. I kept my teammates at bay at the start and firstcorner, and then controlled the remainder of the race. With Yvan out of the race, I reducedthe gap in the championship considerably.Race 2 was a different story. I was leading comfortably until Yvan made contact with me,The only thing I can say at this stage is that unfortunately, my chances for the championshipahead of Macau have been significantly reduced.

Yvan Muller (DNF / 13th): I cannot say this was a good weekend. Firstly, I lost theleadership in the championship to Rob and now find myself 23 points behind him,In Race 1, I was touched from behind by Michelisz and went sideways before being knockedabout by many other cars as chaos reigned in the group behind me. Unfortunately, my rightrear wheel was damaged and my race ended there.In Race 2, I was right behind Alain when we made contact in a braking zone. I am reallysorry as it wasnt intentional.

We now go to Macau with a completely different situation. Well see what happens.Ron Hartvelt (WTCC Project Manager): Another great result for the team, with a doubleand a triple win. We could not ask for more. There are some mixed feelings because of whathappened between Yvan and Alain; its unfortunate, but these things happen, especiallywhen you have three great drivers fighting for a world crown. Well talk it over with the driversand I am sure that everything will calm down in the next few hours.

SHANGHAI RACE 1 RESULTS (13 laps)1. A Menu Chevrolet Cruze 25m12s3692. R Huff Chevrolet Cruze + 1s5003. S DAste BMW 320 TC +11s1924. T Coronel BMW 320 TC +13s3275. G Tarquini SEAT Len WTCC +15s6538. C Turkington Chevrolet Cruze +30s125NCF D. OYoung Chevrolet Cruze 6 lapsNCF A MacDowall Chevrolet Cruze 4 lapsDNF Y Muller Chevrolet Cruze 1 lap (accident damage)

SHANGHAI RACE 2 RESULTS (13 laps)1. R Huff Chevrolet Cruze 25m17s7142. A Menu Chevrolet Cruze + 1s1953. T Coronel BMW 320TC + 4s3784. S DAste SEAT Len WTCC + 4s8665. M Bennani BMW 320 TC + 5s5747. C Turkington Chevrolet Cruze +25s18912. D OYoung Chevrolet Cruze +30s93713. Y Muller Chevrolet Cruze +31s19517. A MacDowall Chevrolet Cruze +35s368

WTCC DRIVERS STANDINGS AFTER RACE 22 OF 241. Huff (Chevrolet), 390 ; 2. Menu (Chevrolet), 355 ; 3. Muller (Chevrolet), 349; 4.Tarquini (SEAT), 236; 5. Coronel (BMW), 196;10. MacDowall (Chevrolet), 66;15.Nykjr (Chevrolet), 20;18. Rydell (Chevrolet), 14

WTCC MANUFACTURERS STANDINGS AFTER RACE 22 OF 241. Chevrolet, 930 points; 2. BMW, 602; 3. SEAT, 569.

NEXT RACE: Round 12, Race of Macau, 16-18 November 2012

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