The LADA Sport Lukoil team continue to work hard to deliver and develop new parts for their TC1 Granta, although leading driver Rob Huff admits that the car will be “as it was in Slovakia” at this weekend’s World Touring Car Championship event in Salzburg.
The Russian team completed a trio of test days at the Hungaroring following the race meeting there in early May and followed it up with a three-day test at Slovakiaring last week.
Due to a number of factors, including the weather in Central Europe, Huff admits that the team weren’t able to complete all of the development work they had planned during the tests.
“LADA Sport LUKOIL had a test programme to work through and we didn’t quite complete it, but we tried some potential new upgrades for the Granta TC1 that have yet to be signed off,” said Huff. “The team is very much trying to extract the most from the car and those at the top are working hard to deliver new development parts.
“The car will be as it was in Slovakia for the WTCC’s Race of Austria and this is going to be perhaps the toughest circuits for us,” added Huff, referring to the importance of top speed and a strong aerodynamics package at the Salzburgring. “Having said that, the rain is in the forecast and we are certainly capable of matching the Chevrolets and Hondas in wet conditions.”
James Thompson struggled to make progress during the Slovakian test due to suffering an engine failure on his Granta. The Brit also cited the Granta’s aerodynamics package, which currently suffers from high drag, as a key area to focus on.
“I only completed a handful of laps during the most recent test in Slovakia after suffering an engine failure,” explained Thompson. “The team has a massive mountain to climb so rather than fine-tuning, we need to make huge changes to the aero package and weight of the LADA Granta TC1, which doesn’t happen overnight.
“The Salzburgring is an old-school circuit that’s quite individual, as it’s pretty much two long straights punctuated by an exceptionally high-speed sixth-gear corner and a few interesting changes of direction. The track is set in a beautiful area in the middle of nowhere so it’s always a pleasure to race there.”
Like Huff, Thompson expects the circuit to be a difficult one for the team, who are currently around 3-4 seconds off the pace. Consequently, the 40-year-old admits that he is hoping for wet weather once again.
“You need a car that’s fast in a straight line because it’s all about top speed and stability under braking,” added Thompson. “I’m expecting this weekend to be quite a struggle for us, although the weather is quite unpredictable and could play into our hands.”
Mikhail Kozlovskiy also suffered an engine failure at the Slovakiaring, albeit during the race weekend for the Russian. With last week’s test running more smoothly for Kozlovskiy, the 24-year-old admits to feeling happier.
“I was happy to spend several days testing in Slovakia last week, because I wasn’t able to complete many laps during the Slovakian races,” added Kozlovskiy. “Just before the test my engine was changed and worked without problems throughout the three days, so I was able to test my car at the Slovakia Ring efficiently and compensate for the lack of laps during the race weekends in Hungary and Slovakia.”