Rob Huff has in the past proven him to be a master of racing between the barriers, winning on seven occasions around the Circuito da Guia in Macau. However, with the infamous season-ending venue off the calendar for 2015, Huff’s last chance to win on a street circuit this season is in Portugal.
“After losing Macau from the calendar this year, I am excited for it to have been replaced by another high-speed street circuit,” said Huff. “I haven’t been there before and I’m pretty sure nobody else on the WTCC grid has, and, having looked at videos of it, it appears to a very quick circuit and one that will suit me and the LADA Vesta TC1 very well.
“Vila Real is lined with concrete walls and there is zero room for error. Every millimetre of the circuit you use can shave a few tenths off your time, yet pushing the limits too far can send you into the Armco barriers and potentially spell the end of your race.”
No driver on the WTCC grid has started more races than Huff, and the Brit feels that this experience will allow him to take advantage around the 4.6 km circuit to score a podium result, having had his race weekend last time out in France wrecked by contact with a competitor.
“We only get three half-hour practice sessions before heading straight into qualifying and one good thing about having over ten years of experience in the WTCC is that I feel I am able to adapt well to new circuits,” explained the former champion. “You have to use the time carefully to make sure you set the car up as quickly as possible, while getting dialled in to the circuit at the same time.
“Vila Real is ultimately very fast, so it will take the first two sessions to really build confidence ahead of qualifying. The aim for this weekend is to do the best we can and, if we can get back to the top five form we showed in Slovakia and Russia, that would be great and I feel that a podium is within reach.”