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| CHEVROLET BETS ON SUNDAY ! |
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| Fast is not enough: Lacetti's Qualifying ruined by Larini's Accident and Rain |
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| Macau, 17 November 2006 - The reputation of being one of the most treacherous circuits in the world that the Macau urban track enjoys was confirmed once again in today's qualifying for the last two races of the 2006 WTCC. In a matter of seconds, the prospects for the Chevrolet squad changed almost dramatically. The week-end could not have started better for the Lacettis, as the three cars had always been in the top ten, and Larini and Menu among the fastest in the three non-qualifying sessions. Nicola and Alain topped the testing session on Thursday, Larini was third-fastest in free practice 1 and Alain second and Nicola third in free practice 2. |
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| But fortune switched camps in a matter of seconds, in the first flying lap of qualifying, when Nicola, who looked particularly strong in this Circuit of Guia he loves so much, lost control of his car in the last corner before the straight, hitting the barriers. The Italian was particularly disappointed: "I don't know what happened. The rear of the car slid a little bit when braking, I corrected with the steering wheel but as soon as I went off the ideal line a few centimetres, I lost it completely and there was nothing I could do. It is a mistake, of course, but it has to be said that the way some of our competitors blocked all the others in the opening laps of the session was far from being fair". The accident had double impact for Chevrolet, as the efforts of Alain Menu, who was at that moment the fastest in the first section of the circuit, were ruined by the red flag. Soon after that, a similar incident occurred to Thompson (Seat) led to a second stop of the session. When it resumed, rain started to fall ... ruining completely the day of the Lacettis. |
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Huff and Menu, who could not do a single fast lap in dry conditions, were 20th and 21st. The Swiss will actually start in last position, as he has to pay the sanction (ten positions in the grid) inflicted on him for the incident in the closing lap of Race 2 in Valencia. “Small mistake, big consequences”, Eric Neve, head of Chevrolet Europe Motorsport, “but this is racing. Sometimes, it is not enough to have all the ingredients right, you also need that external circumstances play in your favor. That was certainly not the case for us today. It is often said that the Macau race is a lottery, let’s hope that Sunday we’ll have better numbers!” |
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| Although overtaking is very difficult in the narrow streets of the former Portuguese territory, Chevrolet drivers do not lose hope to be able to do a good result in Asia’s gambling capital. “This is a track where, if you are not in front of the pack, it is better to stay at the back rather than in the middle, which is where accidents tend to happen”, explains Rob Huff. “With nine drivers still fighting for the title, Sunday’s race can be pretty lively. The car goes well, we have optimized the settings and we are in a position to play any good card the race may provide us with”. |
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| Tomorrow, Saturday 18 November, there will not be WTCC activity in the track, but Chevrolet Insight will go live as usual on www.chevrolet-insight.com as from 2:00 PM GMT with latest news and from the team and interviews, ahead of Sunday’s race. |
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| > | Monza Italy (01 - 02 April) |
| > | Magny Cours France (29 - 30 April) |
| > | Brands Hatch Great Britain (20 - 21 May) |
| > | Oschersleben Germany (03 - 04 June) |
| > | Curitiba Brazil (01 - 02 July) |
| > | Puebla Mexico (29 - 30 July) |
| > | Brno
Czech Republic (02 - 03 September) |
| > | Istanbul Turkey (23 - 24 September) |
| > | Valencia Spain (07 - 08 October) |
| > | Macau Macau (18 - 19 November) |
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