ROB HUFF OKAY AFTER MASSIVE SHUNT AT START OF RACE 1

Hot Weekend For Chevrolet In Every Aspect

The Mexican round of the 2006 World Touring Car Championship was a character building exercise for the Chevrolet team, with highs and lows. The highs came in race 1 when both Alain Menu and Nicola Larini made up quite some lost ground, despite the race track breaking up. The low was Rob Huff’s massive accident on the first lap of the first race, resulting in the British driver to be airlifted to the Puebla Trauma Centre, where a series of scans fortunately gave him a clean bill of health.

Considering their grid positions, all the Chevrolet drivers could do was attack from the word go, which was exactly what Rob Huff did. He gained two positions at the start was about to pass two other competitors when one car ran wide and pushed the other one into Huff’s Chevrolet. Huff speared into the concrete wall on the first banking and the wreck finally came to rest in the middle of the track, prompting the safety car and finally the suspension of the race. Medical services and extraction crews were dispatched to free the driver from the car, after which he was transferred to the track hospital, where the FIA medical staff decided to airlift Huff to the Puebla Trauma Centre.

“Despite all the things that went wrong here during the weekend, I must say the medical staff did a perfect job in looking after Rob,” Chevrolet Europe’s Motorsport Manager, Eric Nève said.

Huff’s accident caused the race to be suspended while the track was cleared from debris. At the rolling restart, it was all systems go for Menu and Larini, who steered clear of mistakes and climbed up the leaderboard, with Menu finishing in 12th and Larini in 15th. “I’m quite happy, actually, considering the track conditions,” Menu said. “In the beginning it was slippery, but okay, but at about half-distance the track started breaking up again. Even in the banking there were marbles everywhere, with only one clean racing line. It’s almost like driving on a rally stage.”

Larini couldn’t but concur: “In your mind you have to say to yourself: I’m driving a rally stage. Then you’re okay because you expect to slide in every corner. If you think you are racing you start making mistakes.”Both drivers would have little joy in race two, both retiring – like quite a few others – when the water temperatures went off the scale due to the extreme heat.

The next stop for the 2006 WTCC is in Brno, in the Czech Republic on 3 September.

PUEBLA RACE 1 RESULTS1. S Tavano (Alfa Romeo) 18 laps (58.320kms) in 57m381722. A Farfus (Alfa Romeo) + 0s3103. R Sharp (Honda) + 4s9834. T Coronel (SEAT) + 5s4115. J Thompson (SEAT) + 19s80112. A Menu (Chevrolet) + 28s07915. N Larini (Chevrolet) + 36s425DNF R Huff (Chevrolet) Accident (0 laps)

PUEBLA RACE 2 RESULTS1. A Farfus (Alfa Romeo) 16 laps (51.840kms) in 28m42s8762. G Morbidelli (Alfa Romeo) + 1s4033. R Rydell (SEAT) + 10s3004. D Müller (BMW) + 14s3295. J Thompson (SEAT) + 21s437DNF A Menu (Chevrolet) Engine (7 laps)DNF N Larini (Chevrolet) Engine (4 laps)DNS R Huff (Chevrolet) Accident Race 1