Huff cautious about Slovakia prospects despite making headway in Hungary

Despite making headway in a productive two-day test at the Hungaroring this week, Rob Huff is cautious about LADA Sport LUKOIL’s prospects in Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Slovakia (10-11 May). The Slovakia Ring, near the Slovak Republic’s capital city, Bratislava, hosts the WTCC for the third time since its inauguration in 2009.

In contrast with Bratislava’s rustic charm, the Slovakia Ring is a state-of-the-art venue incorporating both high and slow-speed sections that always create close, thrill-a-minute racing.

Huff has previous form around the 5.92km Eastern European circuit, having achieved a race win there in 2012.

But while LADA Sport LUKOIL took several positives away from the WTCC’s Race of Hungary last weekend before completing two intense and productive days of testing at the Hungaroring, Huff’s fifth-place finish at Circuit Paul Ricard remains the highlight of what has been a particularly challenging start to the year.

As a consequence, the 2012 World Champion is managing expectations for when WTCC returns to Slovakia, saying: “Testing was very useful; I feel we made some good improvements with the car. We also found some more things to work on, but this is what testing is for. We have to be very pleased with the results. We improved our lap time by over a second compared to our performances last weekend in Hungary and I’m excited to try the new developments in Slovakia.

“Regarding the Slovakia Ring, I should say, it’s a fantastic circuit. In fact, it’s probably the hardest circuit for the balance and setup of the car. It has almost every type of corner – fast, slow, tight corners, long corners – and it’s really tough for front-wheel-drive cars. We have to find the best possible balance. It’s a great facility, the fans are passionate and produce a really good atmosphere!”

Coverage of Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship will be beamed live across the globe on Eurosport at 13.00/14.00 and 17.30/18.00 CET (BST +1 hour).

Rob Huff