The twisty Hungaroring hosts a WTCC event for the first time ever
The fourth stop of the 2011 season is bringing the WTCC to an unexpected location, Budapest, as the Hungaroring is hosting theWTCC round initially scheduled for Marrakech. This is the first time that the world’s touring car racing elite will visit Hungary’s magnificent capital and race in its twisty 4.3-km Grand Prix track, one of the first modern motorsports facilities to be built in Central Europe.While racing on a new track always poses some challenges, the lack of previous experience and data is nowadays compensated by electronic means, be they computer calculations or ... driving simulators. Still, this first Hungarian event will definitely have a taste ofdiscovery for the WTCC community and local fans alike.
Following its excellent start to the season (five wins out of six events), the Chevrolet team is heading to the shores of the Danube with great confidence, trusting that the Cruzes will be competitive on a track renowned for its slow corners and narrow sections, which makeovertaking difficult. The objective for the reigning World Champions is to keep the lead on both championships’ standings built so far.
• QUOTESRob Huff: “I am happy to go to a new circuit, and quite optimistic as well, as we tend to dowell on new circuits. I have been trying to know more about the Hungaroring, where I havenever been before, training at the play-station and watching on-board TV footage onYoutube, but of course, all this is never quite the same as reality. I have also been doingsome mapping work at Snetterton earlier this week, and feel completely ready. I am happywith our results so far and the objective is to keep the strong performance going and try toextend our leadership in both championships.”Yvan Muller: “I have never raced at the Hungaroring, but a new track and a new sceneryare always something very nice to have. I think we’ll all be on an equal footing, as Budapestwill be new for the vast majority of WTCC teams and drivers. I really don’t know much aboutthe track and what they say about being a narrow track where overtaking is difficult may betrue for F.1 but not necessarily for touring cars, so we will see. I will be arriving earlier andwill devote Wednesday to explore the circuit, by bike and on foot. Biking has kept me quitebusy recently, as I participated in a VVT race last weekend, beating my time of last year by15 minutes! This coming weekend, I will be racing again, in a 180-km race that goes aroundthe Léman lake, so I will be quite fit for the Budapest race!”./..
