One Podium Finish and 15 Points in Total for the Cruze in Porto

Thanks to a 2nd and a 6th, Rob Huff Keeps His Championship Chances

One podium finish and 15 points in total: the Chevrolet team can be satisfied with the overall result obtained by the Cruzes in the streets of Porto, in two races (the 99th and 100th of the WTCC) that were closely fought and packed with incidents. Rob Huff finished second in race 1 and sixth in race 2, while Nicola Larini finished fifth in race 1.

Nicola was caught in a race incident with Tarquini in the second race, while Alain Menu, at the wheel of the Cruze carrying the 2009 winning livery of the ‘Young? Creative? Chevrolet!” art competition, had a difficult day, as he was involved in incidents during both races. The team is now looking forward to the next event, which will take place near home, in Brands Hatch, a track that has traditionally been very friendly to the Chevrolets.

QUOTES

Rob Huff (2nd/6th): “I leave Porto with 11 points, that’s always good, and I was happy to be on the podium in race 1, in front of Nick Reilly and all the team. But it was a difficult week-end, there was not much we could do against the SEATs, they seemed to have much more power than all the other cars. In race 1, so second position behind Tarquini was a good result, and in race 2, I just went for some more points”.

Nicola Larini (5th/Ret): “It is almost impossible to overtake on this track, so the races lacked interest. I managed to finish fifth in race 1 and was in the same position in race 2, when I let Rob pass. Tarquini tried to pass at the same time but he had nowhere to brake so he ran into me and we both went off”.

Alain Menu (21st/Ret): “It was not a good week-end for me. In race 1, Farfus hit me quite heavily in the back, pushing me off. The boys did a fantastic job first in the pits allowing me to rejoin the race for a couple of laps and then repairing the car fully for race 2, where unfortunately I was involved in another incident, this time with Engstler”.

Mark Busfield: “We had a bit of everything today, but what we have to take-away are the good points we scored and Rob’s great results, which allow him to stay in the race for the championship. We also had incidents, but this is unavoidable on track like this, where overtaking is very difficult. Brands Hatch is next and I am confident that we can do something good there too”.

Wayne Brannon: “It’s great to come to Portugal and see the interest that Chevrolet gets here, and the amount of Chevrolet fans here at the track today plus all the counties Chevrolet dealers came out in mass to support us today and experience all the activities going on in the paddock that blend well with the results Rob brought us today”.

PORTO RACE 1 RESULTS

1. G Tarquini SEAT León TDI 12 laps in 1hr04m11s274

2. R Huff Chevrolet Cruze +2s934

3. Y Muller SEAT León TDI +7s848

4. T Monteiro SEAT León TDI +8s472

5. N Larini Chevrolet Cruze +15s790

N.C. A Menu Chevrolet Cruze +8 laps

PORTO RACE 2 RESULTS

1. A Farfus BMW 320si 13 laps in 47m48s304

2. Y Muller SEAT León TDI +2s295

3. R Rydell SEAT León TDI +2s810

4. M Gené SEAT Le´n TDI +3s385

5. T Monteiro SEAT León TDI +3s970

5. R Huff Chevrolet Cruze +4s219

DNF A Menu Chevrolet Cruze Accident damage (9 laps)

DNF N Larini Chevrolet Cruze Accident damage (5 laps)

WTCC DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 14 OF 24:

1. Y Muller (SEAT), 80 points; 2. A Farfus (BMW), 66; 3. G Tarquini (SEAT), 65; 4. R Rydell (SEAT), 46; 5. R Huff (Chevrolet), 43; ...12. N Larini (Chevrolet), 18; 13. A Menu (Chevrolet), 14; etc.

WTCC CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 14 OF 24:

1. SEAT, 191 points; 2. BMW, 174; 3. Chevrolet, 121; 4. Lada, 53.

NEXT RACE: Race of United Kingdom, Brands Hatch, 18-19 July 2009.