Monza: Chevrolet qualifying report

CHEVROLET TRAIN ON TRACK TO COLLECT MORE POINTS CARGO

Three Works Lacettis In Top Nine; `Max' Orido Beats Fellow Countrymen

MONZA, 4th October 2008 As two weeks ago in Imola, qualifying was all about slipstreaming and getting tows at the very fast track of Monza, today. The three Chevrolet Lacettis ran as planned in train formation in order to give title chaser Rob Huff the best possible starting position, however traffic interfered with a potential time improvement on the last qualifying run. However, the three Lacettis will still start in what could be ideal positions for the second race. Japanese driver Manabu `Max' Orido, who is making his WTCC debut here in a Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden-run Lacetti, qualified in 20th, beating his two fellow countrymen in the process.

QUOTES

Nicola Larini (6th): "I think we did a good job, given the circumstances. We tried to help Rob as much as possible, and I don't think we could have done more. But today we all succumbed to yellow fever."

Alain Menu (7th): "I believe I could have done a 1m59s8, however on the last run our little train got stuck in traffic. I was up on my sector times, so a third position on the grid was definitely a possibility, but a few of the privateers tried to profit from our slipstreaming train and basically upset our last flying lap. We'll see what tomorrow brings."

Rob Huff (9th): "Being ninth is not too bad. I'm forty kilos heavier than Nic and Alain, which roughly translates to 0.4 seconds on this track, which is exactly the amount of time I loose compared to them, so the equation is correct. The extra weight really made the braking suffer, however, especially after the long straights where you really need an anchor. So tomorrow the mission will be to take as many points as possible."

Max Orido (20th): "I'm happy with the result. I decided to go at it alone in order to learn as much as possible about the car, the tyres and the overall handling. I could have taken a tow from another competitor but decided not to, as I want to learn as much as possible and get miles under my belt for my home race in three weeks' time."

-credit: chevroleteurope.com