Rob Huff says he is proud of “the entire team” after he and LADA took victory in the final World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) race of the season in Macau, giving the LADA Granta victory on its final appearance.
Former champion Huff was on fine form in the final race of the season, starting from second on the grid and getting off to a solid start. The Brit was gifted second position at Lisboa on lap one when Campos Racing’s Hugo Valente went wide whilst trying to retake the lead he lost to Tiago Monteiro at the start of the race. That then became the lead on the final lap, as Monteiro slowed with technical troubles.
Huff withstood intense pressure from the Citroën of Yvan Muller to take his second win of the season and extend his incredible run of wins in Macau to seven.
“To tell the truth, I came to Macau with a great desire to win and it’s fantastic to achieve my seventh victory in Macau with LADA Sport,” said Huff. “I am so proud of the entire team – all engineers and mechanics. It has been such a tough season for us and there’s no better reward than to stand atop the podium at the final race.
“My LADA Granta Sport was just flying – I set the fastest lap here in Macau – and achieved the team’s second win and its third podium of the year. We achieved brilliant results in 2014 and, believe me, there will be even more wins next season with the new LADA Vesta!”
Huff admits that the pressure from Muller was hard to withstand, but with the duo having raced against each other for ten years he claims to know how to withstand the Frenchman’s attacks.
“It was a difficult race, because of the constant pressure from my old friend Yvan, but I know him well and I was able to close door every time,” added Huff. “I put everything in it, even scratched the wall a couple of times but it worked!
“I am also very happy for the team, who has done a fantastic job throughout the season. It was clear for us that we lagged behind the competition, we still were five seconds off the pace at Spa, and to finish like this, with second in Argentina and then two wins and P10 in the Drivers’ championship, is simply unbelievable!”
Huff’s LADA team-mates James Thompson and Mikhail Kozlovskiy also congratulated him on his second win of the season. Both the Brit and the Russian had less success in Macau, with Thompson taking a best result of ninth in race two after 11th in race one and Kozlovskiy 13th in race one before retiring in race two.
“I did my best here in Macau and it was a tough race in such hot conditions,” said Thompson. “I am very happy for everybody involved with the LADA Sport team and for Rob, as it’s great to finish such a momentous season with another race win!
“The LADA Sport WTCC team did a tremendous job throughout the season; here in Macau, the LADA Granta cars were really competitive. I’m now looking forward to next season with a new LADA Vesta model and I feel even more motivated for 2015.”
Kozlovskiy added that, despite his own disappointment, he was happy for Huff and LADA to take another victory.
“I am happy for Rob and the race victory is another well-deserved result for LADA Sport,” said Kozlovskiy. “It has been a brilliant fight and this is a great way to finish of the season!
“As for me, I am a bit disappointed due to some technical issues that didn’t allow me to finish the final race but, generally speaking about the whole season, the team took a huge step forward in terms of car development. I also got more experience during my second year in the championship and feel really excited about next season with the new LADA Vesta WTCC car!”