NEWS // HUFF SETS HIS SIGHTS ON WTCC TITLE

Rob Huff is aiming to win the FIA World Touring Car Championship for the first time this year, as he enters his sixth consecutive season with the Chevrolet team on the back of a very encouraging winter test programme with the Cruze race car.

Last year Rob scored three of his seven WTCC career race wins in the all-new Cruze, despite only driving it for the first time in dry conditions at the opening round of the series in Brazil. Having enjoyed near perfect dry weather conditions during this year’s pre-season tests in Valencia (Spain) and Portimao (Portugal), Rob is confident that the subtle changes to the car will give him the opportunity to achieve his aim of scoring points at every race meeting this year... [read more]

Consistency will be Rob’s new strategy throughout 2010, as the 30-year old driver from Cambridgeshire aims to become FIA World Touring Car Champion for the first time. His previous best finish in the series is third in 2008.

The 2010 WTCC calendar will see Rob race in five continents and 12 countries over the next nine months. He and the Wellingborough-based RML team, the motorsport preparations experts which run the works team on behalf of Chevrolet, know each circuit well, although changes to this year’s series will see the Cruze race at Monza (Italy) and Zolder (Belgium) for the first time.

The demanding 24 race season starts in Brazil at the beginning of March and ends in Macau at the end of November.

“The aim is to be world champion this year, and with Chevrolet I think it’s the best chance I’ve ever had,” said Rob.

“I believe the Chevrolet Cruze is now the strongest car in the WTCC. We had a good first season with it last year and we’ve had a very good test and development programme over the winter. We’ve not made any big changes to it, but as a team we all understand the car a lot better and we know how to get the most out of it.

“I’ve tested the Cruze at Valencia twice and once at Portimao, and we’ve worked very hard on fine tuning the set-up. At the final pre-season test session at Valencia I did four or five race distance runs, which might be very beneficial when we get to the first race at Brazil.

“We showed last year that the Cruze is phenomenally strong on street circuits, but I think we’ll be strong everywhere this year,” added Rob. That will be important, because our game plan for the season is to try and score points in every race. That’s easier said than done of course, because the opposition this year will be very strong. In fact, I think this will be the toughest season ever.

“Consistency will be key to our championship success. If that means not winning any races in 2010, that doesn’t bother me – all I want to do in 2010 is come home with the title.”

Info: Huff Sport
Photos: Neil Tozer/FIA WTCC