Rob Huff says that the 25 points he secured for taking victory in the second FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) race in Japan are ’25 of the most valuable points’ of his career.
Huff converted a front row start in the second race of the weekend into victory after getting the jump on Pepe Oriola at the start, allowing the Sébastien Loeb Racing driver to net a second win of the season.
The Brit admitted that returning to the winner’s circle was a huge relief, after he endured six races in a row without a single point following the huge shunt he had in Vila Real in June, followed by two up-and-down race weekends in China.
“We’ve struggled with some really rotten luck in the last four weekends, where I’ve not been where I wanted,” said Huff.
“From my side, what a relief to have this weekend. We’ve had probably one of the most trying seasons I’ve had for a long time, certainly the last four meetings.
“It started with the crash in Portugal, but it’s been great to come here to a circuit I know and love and have had podiums before and win.
Huff praised his team for giving him the confidence to push early on in the race, allowing him to fend off Oriola.
“We really nailed our start [in race two] and that was thanks to my engineers and all of us working and getting a better understanding of how to use the car at the start.
“After that, it was just a case of getting my head down and making a couple of good laps and looking after the tyres.”
The Brit followed up his win with sixth in race three, with his weekend results elevating him to ninth overall in the drivers’ championship standings on 197 points.
“In race three, I also made a good start; I made three places by Turn 1 but there was a kerfuffle at front and I backed out and lost a few places there.
“The car was very quick, and I think we had the pace to stay with the front guys and get really involved, but we were stuck behind Esteban Guerrieri and Yvan Muller. I eventually managed to get past them and pull away.
“I’m very happy to come away with the 35 points we scored this weekend, and I think we learned a lot about the car this weekend which can help us certainly in the future and next year as well.
“Those 25 points [from race two] are 25 of the most valuable of my career.”