News from GM Europe

Success Adds Kilos: Larini Heaviest Of All WTCC Contenders

At next weekend’s WTCC races in Oschersleben, Germany, Chevrolet marks another first in its third year of touring racing: that of running the most ballasted car of the field. Indeed, Chevrolet’s tremendous success this season has led to Nicola Larini being obliged to pack the maximum success ballast of 60 kilos. Thus rounds 15 and 16 of the 2007 World Touring Car Championship will be a battle of heavy weights in more than one way as the three drivers ahead of Nicola in the point standings each also pack some 55 kilos extra.

Alain Menu and Rob Huff, with 45 and 40 kilograms respectively, will be looking for crucial points, knowing that eight of the frontrunners are heavier than they are. At the same time, strategy can and will come into play since the next races are at Brands Hatch, a track high on the list of favorite circuits of both the Swiss and the Briton. In other words: Oschersleben will be all about scoring points and losing weight, and preferably both.

Quotes

Nicola Larini: “The break was useful to relax a bit, and the good thing is that the past races in Porto and Anderstorp give me even more energy to face the forthcoming events. Oschersleben will be difficult, because I will have the highest ballast of all the drivers. It won’t be easy to get ahead and beat the BMWs at their home track, but I will do my best as always and hope to take some valuable points. The weather conditions may play a key role too, but it would take a lot of luck to score my first win for Chevrolet.”

Alain Menu: “Chevrolet has won all four new races on the 2007 calendar, so now we have to prove that we can do the same on tracks we have already visited before. For us it will be a matter of qualifying as high as we can with the ballast all three of us are now carrying. I think that after qualifying we will get a better view on what strategy to adopt for the races. In any case, the Chevrolet is a lot better in Oschersleben this year that it was before, as we saw during the winter group test, so scoring some valuable points is certainly a possibility before we head back to the place where our winning series started last year.”

Rob Huff: “Off the back of my win in Sweden I’m obviously excited to go racing again. I have always enjoyed Oschersleben, especially the friendly welcome that the German Chevrolet dealers give our team each year. Also, the last two races in Portugal and Sweden have completely restored my confidence. I now feel the car is working for me, and I am working with the car. The next four WTCC weekends will be held on my four favorite tracks, so I hope I can keep the momentum from Sweden and Portugal and carry that through the end of the year. I will be running with 40 kilos of ballast, which is a first for me, but Nicola has shown all year that the Chevrolet copes well with the extra weight.”

Mark Busfield: “We have used the break between Anderstorp and this race to give the cars a thorough mid term overhaul. Some new detail parts were tested at Pembrey by Rob, but apart from that not much has changed on the Lacetti’s. In Oschersleben, we’ll be running heavy, but that is the price you pay for being successful. Although the German track is not necessarily our favorite one, we have tested there at the beginning of the season and the car responded much better than it had done there previously. For us it will important to score more points than the cars in front of us in the standings, however qualifying will be a bit more difficult with all the ballast. Going for a podium finish will be difficult, so we have to concentrate on the three BMW drivers leading the championship - who are equally heavy - and try to take points away from them.”

Eric Nève: “We are now entering probably the most interesting phase of the WTCC, where all the lead drivers are becoming equally heavy with success ballast and the lighter cars start to have the opportunity of taking large points from the championship leaders. It vital to remain out of trouble and score more points that your championship rivals. In the past we have benefited from our results at this point of the season, as we were lighter than the Championship leaders, so now we must dig deep and optimize the best of a success weighted car. Let’s not forget that there are still eight races to be run and that Nicola is just one win away form the championship lead.”

Oschersleben Race Schedule

Saturday, 25^th August 2007
09.00-09.30 Free Practice 1
11.30-12.00 Free Practice 2
15.00-15.30 Qualifying

Sunday, 26^th August 2007
08.30-08.45 Warm up
12.05-12.30 Race 1: 14 laps = 51.744kms (Rolling start)
16.05-16.30 Race 2: 14 laps = 51.744kms (Standing start)

Drivers Points Standings After Race 14 of 22

1. J Müller (BMW), 58pts; 2. A Farfus (BMW), 57; 3. A Priaulx (BMW) 56; 4. N Larini (Chevrolet) 48; 5. A Menu (Chevrolet) 45;... 9. R Huff (Chevrolet) 32;...

Manufacturers Standings After Race 14 of 22

1. BMW, 177pts; 2. SEAT, 147; 3. Chevrolet, 143; 4. Alfa Romeo, 70.

Oschersleben WTCC on TV

The warm-up and the races will be broadcasted live on Eurosport International.

Chevrolet Racing Insight on the Web

Throughout the 2007 WTCC season, Chevrolet Insight will show you the behind-the-scenes of the Chevrolet WTCC racing team. On Saturday and Sunday, media and fans alike will get the latest information and can ask their questions via the web in Chevrolet’s own web cast. The web address is www.chevrolet-insight.com. First airings will be at 8.00pm local time (2.00pm Detroit time, 3.00am Seoul time), after which the 15-minute programme can be viewed as Video On Demand by clicking the appropriate button.

Chevrolet Racing Around the Globe

In the US, it is still multiple NASCAR champion, Jeff Gordon, who leads the Nextel Cup. So far the Hendrick Motorsports’ Chevrolet driver has won four races; only team-mate Jimmie Johnson scoring as many this year. In second place is another Chevrolet driver, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. Out of 22 races run so far, Chevrolet has already won 18. There are still 14 races to be runMore information can be found on www.nascar.com.

In Argentina, Chevrolet driver Matias Rossi has taken over the lead from fellow Chevrolet driver Christian Ledesma in the Argentine TC2000 championship. Rossi also win the last round at Santa Fe. More information can be found on www.tc2000.com.ar.

In Denmark, Pontus Mörth finished on the podium of the first heat of the fourth round held at Padborg Park. Team-mate Henrik Lundgaard’s best result was a 13^th place finish in the third heat of a rainy race weekend. The next race is also at Padborg Park. More information can be found on www.chevroletmotorsport.dk.

In Germany, Maria De Villota scored a third and a sixth place finish at the ADAC Procar Championship’s annual trip abroad, this time to Zandvoort in Holland. At the next round at the Lausitzring, a sixth and eighth place were all she could salvage. In the standings she is now fifth overall. More information can be found on www.adac-procar.de.

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