LADA SPORT ROSNEFT racing at their home event in the FIA World Touring Car Championship turned on the style with a devastating display of qualifying pace to take the first three places on the starting grid for Sunday’s Main race at the Moscow Raceway today (11 June, 2016)
Nicky Catsburg, marking his 1 year anniversary with the team here in Moscow claimed his and LADA SPORT ROSNEFT’s first ever WTCC pole position with a sensational lap 1.4 seconds quicker than his teammate Gabrielle Tarquini and Hugo Valente who completed an historic 1-2-3 result for the Russian car brand supported by Rosneft.
The Russian squad were untouchable for speed on a wet track that seemed to suit the Lada Vesta TC1 car perfectly with the team finding a balance and set up that could not be faulted.
Nicky Catsburg was surprised and delighted in equal measure by his and the car’s performance: This shows the constant progress for the team and I could not be happier than to get this result in Russia. Sometimes in the wet you have to get everything in line, tyre pressure, camber, etc., and I think we got everything right on my car today although I am surprised by the margin over our rivals. Actually we were not so quick in the wet in FP2 after being quick in the dry in FP1 but Gabriele (Tarquini) gave me some advice on the car and set up and I translated that into this result, I am super happy today!
Gabriele Tarquini, P2 said I am very happy, I don’t know if I am a good teacher or Nicky is a good student but he beat me today in Qualifying! He deserves it he made a fantastic lap. I am satisfied with our teamwork, we are like a family and we share everything. I am very proud of this and the team!
Hugo Valente, P3 and making his first WTCC-2016 appearance in the Q3 shootout Thank you so much to the LADA SPORT ROSNEFT team, it is amazing to be 1-2-3 and we made history today. Thanks as well to Gabriele for his experience and sharing with us some ideas for driving the Vesta in the wet and congratulations to Nicky for pole position, he was on another planet today!
The Russian LADA SPORT ROSNEFT squad will now be hoping that they can translate today’s qualifying pace into a similar race result in front of their home fans in tomorrow’s Main race.
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