Chevrolet expects rounds eleven and twelve of the 2012 World Touring Car Championship to be fast and frantic around the 4.225km Salzburgring. The Austrian circuit is made up of two long straights with a fast sweeping corner at one end and a narrower corner at the other end.
The Austrian weekend marks the half way point of the season and the trio of Chevrolet drivers have won eight of the ten races to date in 2012 and they are looking to continue their successful campaign at another new circuit to the WTCC.
“We have another short journey for the WTCC as we go from Hungary to Austria,” explains Eric Neve. ”Salzburgring is a spectacular track and I saw one of the most exciting touring car races I have ever seen there. It was the ETCC finale in 2008 when Michel Nykjær won the title after a superb battle. The entire race was a slip-stream battle with constant overtaking. I think we are in for some exciting racing this weekend.”
With the circuit making its WTCC debut, the majority of the field will start on an equal footing, Chevrolet will have some knowledge from the 2011 European Touring Car Cup as Michel Nykjaer competed in a Chevrolet last year.
Yvan Muller arrives in Austria as the Championship leader and he has competed at the Salzburgring before but he doesn’t feel that it will offer him much of an advantage this weekend.
“I must be one of the few WTCC drivers who has raced at Salzburgring in the past,” said Muller. “It was in 1997 when I was participating in the German Touring Car Championship, but that was many years ago and it doesn’t really represent any advantage.
“What I remember is a very fast track with no slow corners; it is a pleasant circuit to race on, but also demanding. The back uphill section has two long right corners that pose enormous stress on the front left tire.
“Regarding the championship, I am happy with the way things are going and very excited about going to a new circuit,” concluded the Frenchman, who has won five times this season.
Alain Menu visited the circuit after the Hungaroring weekend and he believes that getting a tow will prove crucial. He also loves the location of the circuit: “I visited Salzburgring for the first time last Monday after the Budapest race. I must say I was enchanted. The place is absolutely lovely, in the middle of a forest up in the mountains. It is a bucolic environment where you don’t expect to find a race track. For a mountain lover like me, it’s perfect.
“The circuit looks very fast, especially the double right-hander that ends in a hairpin. It’s definitely a power track, but I also think that towing will be crucial in such a fast track, especially in qualifying.”
Rob Huff is also looking forward to the challenge of the Salzburgring as he believes it is a circuit which will suit him: “I’m anxious to go to the Salzburgring. I love discovering new circuits and this one, with its long fast corners, is exactly the type of track I prefer.”
Since the last round of the WTCC in Hungary, Huff has been able to discover another form of motorsport as he visited Corsica for the recent IRC event there and it took him back to his childhood.
“After Budapest, I had the opportunity to discover another aspect of motor racing – rallying,” Huff continued. “I was invited to drive the Tour de Corse Rally, an IRC series event. I participated in some stages and an open stage in the course car. It was amazing, especially in the narrow and twisty roads of Corsica in such breathtaking natural scenery.
“I always loved rallying and my father used to take me to rallies in the UK when I was a child. I admire rally drivers for what they are able to do in a car on gravel and grass. It’s exactly the opposite of what is done in the WTCC. I wouldn’t mind trying one day. As a driver, I’m quite happy driving just about anything!”