THE CRUZE AND LARINI GO TO ZOLDER FOR A ONE-DAY TESTING SESSION
Belgian Track Readies To Host WTCC Round In 2010 And Regain Its Place In The Touring Car Scene
The Chevrolet WTCC team will be conducting today a testing session in the circuit of Zolder, in Belgium. Nicola Larini will be the driver at the wheel of the Chevrolet Cruze WTCC. This session is part of the intense programme of development and testing of the new Cruze, which has made its race debut at the beginning of the 2009 season and has already won five WTCC events in its first season.
The test in Zolder takes an even more interesting dimension since the Belgian track has been included in the WTCC’s preliminary 2010 calendar and will therefore resume its long tradition in the touring car scene.
Given its very demanding characteristics, Zolder is an ideal choice for conducting a test session during the summer break from the WTCC competition. The aim of this test will be to continue the constant development work on the balance of the car, set-up and aerodynamics. Information gathered will also constitute a valuable set of parameters when the WTCC will have its Belgian round on 19-20 June next year.• QUOTES
Nicola Larini: “I know Zolder well since the ‘90s and I think it’s a track perfectly suited for touring cars. It’s technical and demanding, especially for the brakes, with constant changes of rhythm, and it’s also quite spectacular. I am really happy that the WTCC is coming back here and although this will only happen next year, having the possibility to test now will certainly be useful. We are not bringing any striking new items to this test, it is more about fine-tuning details and validating solutions. At this stage of development of the new Cruze, it is all about small things and small progress, in terms of tenths of a second, but at the end of the day those are what make a difference. It’s a work that requires patience and that I enjoy a lot”.
Eric Nève, Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Manager: “I am very pleased with the news of the WTCC going back to Zolder, because it is a perfect track for touring cars which enjoys a very strategic geographical location, at the crossroad between the Benelux countries, Western Germany and Northern France. This region happens to be a key car market and an area where interest for touring cars is very high. The WTCC has become global, with races in South America, Japan, Asia and even in Africa, but somehow the coverage of Western Central Europe was not optimal, so an event in Zolder will definitely correct that. This will be a great opportunity for WTCC fans and also for a brand like Chevrolet and personally I am very much looking forward to work again with the Zolder management team I used to work with when I started my career in motor racing”.
• BACKGROUND INFORMATION : CHEVROLET IN THE WTCCChevrolet has been participating in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) since its creation in 2005, the same time when the Chevrolet brand was redeployed in Europe with a new range of products. The racing program has been instrumental in building the new image of the brand and has enjoyed significant success also from a sports point of view: despite starting from a white sheet of paper, with no previous experience in touring cars, the Chevys have collected no less than 19 wins since their debut in the series.This year, the team has engaged in a new challenge, with the new Cruze replacing the Lacetti. The WTCC program is an intrinsic element in the marketing plan of the new compact sedan of Chevrolet, which is being successfully introduced in global markets throughout 2009. Since its debut in Curitiba last March, the new Cruze has so far dominated in the urban tracks of Marrakech and Pau (conquering two double wins), and has won a fifth event in the legendary traditional track of Brands Hatch, and obtained 2 pole positions.
A true defender of the Chevrolet spirit (“Never give up” was the motto of Swiss-born founder Louis Chevrolet), the WTCC team has experienced virtually no change among its drivers and key personnel since 2005, something very unusual in motorsports. Ray Mallock Ltd, one of the most reputed engineering organizations in touring and sports cars, is Chevrolet’s racing partner while Alain Menu, Nicola Larini and Rob Huff are the three outstanding drivers defending Chevrolet’s bow-tie on the tracks.
