Huff best placed to claim Drivers crown
Chevrolets successful participation in the World Touring Car Championship comes to an end in Macau in a weeks time with the Manufacturers title already wrapped up, but the Drivers title still undecided.
All eyes will be on the U.S. brands three drivers Rob Huff, Alain Menu and Yvan Muller who are the only three contenders for the coveted Drivers crown.On paper, Huff is in the strongest position, leading the standings on 390 points, followed by Menu (355) 35 points behind and with Muller (349) in 3rd place, 41 points behind the leader.With 55 points on offer, including five awarded for pole position, the race is still open. Macau, the traditional closing event of the WTCC, is a fast track and has rarely been short onsurprises. The circuit is a favourite for Huff, who has claimed five of the last eight races.
The 6.117 km urban track of Guia run along the streets of the former Portuguese enclave, known as the worlds gambling capital, is one of the fastest and most challenging in racing,comparable to Monte Carlo in Formula 1.
There are no more surprises to be sprung in the Manufacturers championship as Chevrolet has already secured its third consecutive World Champion title in Suzuka. Chevrolet goesinto the last race on 930 points and could break the 1,000-point threshold, something that has never been achieved before by any brand in the WTCC.
There will be no less than seven Chevrolets entered in Macau. Apart from the three RML-run cars and the Cruzes of Bamboo Engineering, driven by Alex MacDowall and Darryl OYoung, China Dragon Racing is entering a Cruze for Macau driver Ng Kin Veng and two Lacettis for local stars Filipe De Souza and Clio Alves Dias.
The final races in Macau will also be an emotional moment for Chevrolet and the team as this will be the last stop before the end of the U.S. brands WTCC program, announced lastJuly. Chevrolet joined the WTCC at its inception eight years ago and has won three Manufacturers titles and three Drivers titles, two with Muller and the third to be decided inMacau.
QUOTESRob Huff: Macau is definitely my favourite circuit, where I qualified on pole and won races anumber of times in recent years. I have a special bond with this track, which is among themost exciting Ive ever raced on.Championship-wise, things look good, but you can never take anything for granted. AsShanghai showed, things can quickly go either way. I arrived in China tied on points withYvan and left with a 35-point lead, but things can go the other way round quite easily. Ill tryto stay focused, not make mistakes and stay in front, which is the safest place to be on theMacau circuit.Im not thinking about the title right now; my objective is to end the championship andChevrolets involvement in the WTCC in the best possible way.
Alain Menu: I am still in a position to fight for the title and will not give up until the very end.But clearly, after Shanghai, the situation favours Rob. Still, Macau is MacauI was obviously disappointed with the outcome of Race 2 in China, but thats life. I tooksome time off in between these last two rounds and stayed in Asia to be fit for the grandfinale.Macau will also mark the end of Chevrolets presence in the WTCC. It has been a privilegeto be part of this extraordinary venture and wonderful team for eight years, and I thinkSunday evening, regardless of the results, will be a very special moment for all of us.
Yvan Muller: The last round in Shanghai was clearly a big disappointment for me, but thatsracing. Sometimes things go wrong. Now my chances in the championship are slim, but I willfight until the end.I remained in Asia to avoid having to re-adjust to the time difference, food, and so forth. I willbe in the best condition possible when getting behind the wheel in Macau and I look forwardto an exciting end of the championship.
Ron Hartvelt, Project Manager RML: Shanghai was a success for the team, but alsofrustrating because of the incident in Race 2 between Yvan and Alain. These things happen,especially when you have three great and competitive drivers fighting for a WorldChampionship title.Its clearly a pity when it happens and it hindered the chances of two of our drivers. I feelsorry for Alain, who has really been excellent in the last three rounds.Still, the three are still in contention for the title and there are no bad feelings among them,so I believe we are off to a really exciting weekend in Macau.The cars will arrive over the weekend. There was no major damage in China and we hadtime to work on them after the race in Shanghai.
MACAU RACE SCHEDULE (Local time = CET +7 hours)Thursday, 15 November 201213:50-14:20 (06:50-07:20 CET) TestingFriday, 16 November 201208.30-09.00 (01.30-02:00 CET) Free Practice 112.15-12:45 (05.15-05.45 CET) Free Practice 215.25-15.55 (08.25-08.55 CET) Qualifying 116.00-16.15 (09.00-09.15 CET) Qualifying 2Sunday, 18 November 201208.15-08.30 (01.15-01.30 CET) Warm up11.05-11.30 (04.05-04.30 CET) Race 1 (9 laps = 55.053kms) (Rolling start)12.20-12.45 (05.20-05.45 CET) Race 2 (9 laps = 55.053kms) (Standing start)
MACAU WTCC ON TVIn Europe, qualifying, warm up and the races are be broadcasted live on EurosportInternational.
WTCC DRIVERS STANDINGS AFTER RACE 22 OF 241. Huff (Chevrolet), 390 ; 2. Menu (Chevrolet), 355 ; 3. Muller (Chevrolet), 349 ; 4.Tarquini (SEAT), 238 ; 5. Coronel (BMW), 199 ; 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.
Click here for the Official Alex Macdowall web site - designed and built by Racecar
