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| CHEVROLET SHOWS COMPETITIVE FORM IN MONZA |
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| Closest Ever Qualifying Session In WTCC History |
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| MONZA, April 1st, 2006 –The Chevrolet WTCC team kicked off their 2006 World Touring Car Championship campaign with a solid result in today's qualifying session. In the closest ever qualifying session, the three Chevrolet Lacetti drivers qualified just over one second shy of the pole position on a track that typically doesn't really suit touring cars due to its long straights. Despite the excellent times, the cars will "only" start 16th, 17th and 19th, proving the extreme competitiveness on the WTCC. A record 15 cars qualified within one second of the pole. |
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| "It's incredible to see how the close the grid is for this race," RML Chief Executive, Ray Mallock said. "We're just a second off the pole and still only 16th on the grid. It clearly shows the improvement that Chevrolet made over winter and also how competitive the series is." |
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| Fastest Chevrolet driver today was Rob Huff. "The balance of the car was pretty good today. I was lucky to get a tow from another competitor to set my time. Time-wise we're pretty much where we expected to be, although it might not show in our grid position. The first race will be without a doubt a tough one, but I hope to have a clean first lap and start the season on a positive note." |
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| Only two thousands of a second behind Huff sits Nicola Larini. "Until my second set of tyres, I set my time on my own. On this track, slipstreaming is very important; you can easily gain 0.5 of a second if you get a good tow. I was in a train behind two Alfa's on my fastest lap, but in Ascari corner they switched places so I lost some time there. But I'm happy as we are much more competitive here at Monza than we were last year. It shows the good work the FIA and the organisers have put in to get a competitive and level playing field." |
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| A little further behind, Alain Menu qualified 19th. "The car was much better this afternoon than it was this morning, a lot better under braking, which gave me more confidence in the corners. I had a good train in the end but then the car understeered in the Parabolica corner, so I lifted but then it snapped and I had to go through the corner in full lock, losing a lot of time." |
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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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