Brno: Chevrolet preview

CRUZE AIMS AT PROVING FURTHER PROGRESS IN BRNO

Intense Testing Ahead Of Mid-Season Czech Round

WELLINGBOUROUGH / ZURICH, 12th June 2009 Next week-end will not only mark the end of spring and the beginning of summer, but also the end of the first half of the World Touring Car Championship season. The sixth event of the WTCC will take place in the Masaryk Automotodrom, the beautiful and very technical track in the hills around Brno, Czech Republic, which regularly attracts large crowds from the various Central European countries.

The Chevrolet team heads to Moravia seeking to score good points and with the objective to prove the progress made by the new Cruze on traditional circuits. Since the last race in Valencia, the team has been testing for three days, at two separate venues, to continue developing and fine-tuning the balance of the Cruze.

QUOTES

Rob Huff: "I always look forward to Brno: it is a very special place to me, because that is where I won my first WTCC race in 2006 and because I love the track, with its long flowing corners. I think we have all the cards in hand to do well there with the Cruze as well. The objective for the team is to score as many points as possible and make up the disappointment we had in Valencia".

Alain Menu: "These two weeks have been busy for me. After Valencia, I tested the Cruze for two days at Pembrey, where we made some good progress on the set-up. This weekend I will be racing in Argentina, in the first of the three endurance rounds of the TC2000 that I will compete in this year. I am very happy to be given the opportunity to race with our "cousins" of the Chevrolet Elaion team. The race is in Termas de Rio Hondo, in the north of the country, so I will spend some time on planes, but I will be back in time and fully motivated for our next WTCC race in Brno, where we hope to do well".

Nicola Larini: "In many aspects, Brno is quite similar to Valencia, so it is difficult to predict how things will go, but I am confident the Cruze has moved another step forward following last week's tests. Brno is also a circuit where weather conditions can vary within minutes and this is also a factor to be taken into account. One good thing is that I will drive again my original race car, which is now completely repaired after the accident in Pau".

Mark Busfield: "This time, with a gap of three weeks between Valencia and Brno, we could have the cars fully re-built and we could do some development testing. We stayed in Valencia the Monday after the race for a test session with Nicola, and we had another two days of testing at Pembrey with Alain. This allowed us to do some development on the suspension and fine tune the settings further. We haven't made significant changes to the car; it is rather a matter of fine- tuning the settings and validating some solutions to give us more performance". ./.. Eric Nève: "Time flies and we are already reaching mid-season! I think we can be happy with what the new Cruze has achieved: four wins in ten races is not bad at all! It is true that these wins were obtained in urban tracks, where we have always been very strong, but it is a result beyond our expectations and a wonderful boost for the entire team. Now we are focused on the evolution of the Cruze and raising its performance level in every kind of track".

BRNO WTCC ON TV

In Europe, qualifying and the races will be broadcasted live on Eurosport International.

CHEVROLET RACING AROUND THE GLOBE

In the US, Chevrolet drivers Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart took a double victory in Dover, followed by Stewart's success in Pocono. This has allowed Stewart to take the lead in the provisional standings from fellow Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon. With Johnson lying third and Newman fifth, there currently are four Chevys in the top five of the championship. More information can be found on www.nascar.com. ./.. In the UK, Chevrolet Lacetti's drivers scored good points in the fourth round of the BTCC, held in Oulton Park, with Jason Plato taking the pole and two podium finishes. In the overall standings, Jason Plato is now fourth, with Mat Jackson ninth and Harry Vaulkard twelth. More information on www.btcc.net.

In Argentina, Chevrolet Elaion driver Guillermo Ortelli came in third in the main race in San Martin and his now sixth in the overall standings. He will be sharing his Vectra with Alain Menu this week-end, in the endurance event in Termas de Rio Hondo, while Christian Ledesma will partner with Juan Ignacio Caceres. More information can be found on www.tc2000.com.ar.

In Denmark, Chevrolet Motorsport Danmark is currently leading the Team standings in the Danish Touring Car Championship (DTCC), following the 3rd and 5th places obtained by Michel Nykjaer and Henrik Lundgaard in Padborg Park. More information on www.dtc-net.dk.

In Germany, Maurer Motorsport's Russian driver Andrei Romanov had an excellent week-end in Hockenheim, taking one win and one second in the two races of the fourth round of the ADAC Procar championship. He is now fourth in the championship, with the other Lacetti driver, Michael Ruh, lying ninth. More info on www.adac-procar.de.

In Sweden, the Lacetti of Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden driven by Thomas Schie is 11th in the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC), after the third round in Goteborg's urban track. More info on www.stcc.se.

-credit: chevy