Good times in the sun for LADA’s WTCC trio

LADA Sport Rosneft has completed three days of dry and warm-weather running in Portugal as it continues its preparations for the upcoming FIA World Touring Car Championship season.

New signings Gabriele Tarquini and Hugo Valente joined team regular Nicky Catsburg at the Algarve International Circuit near Portimão from 6-8 March to put trial the updated Vesta TC1.

Following the test, Dutchman Catsburg said: “The team have worked effectively on the updates, the car feels really good. We put a lot of focus and made big progress in terms of standing starts, which was our weak point last year and often made the races more difficult for us as we could not capitalise on the cars qualifying speed.

“The new engine management system has been seriously upgraded, and this year we will be more effective at the start of the race for sure. Also the traction is much better now and the general power delivery has been improved. In general, thanks to the major changes in the engine and suspension, the Vesta looks really promising ahead of the WTCC 2016 season. It is also nice to see Gabriele’s experience already having an influence in a very positive way.”

Tarquini, who joins LADA from Honda for 2016, said: “I drove the car the first day. We were lucky with the weather; it was [a] completely dry day, though the only problem was the strong wind. I did 50 laps without any mechanical problems. We tested different configuration and geometry on the front and rear suspension. For me it was a great opportunity to discover the car as I only drove the Vesta in rainy Magny-Cours where the temperatures have been very low.”

Privateer turned factory driver Valente added: “I’m happy with how the testing went so far. I had limited dry running in the car so far so it was very important for me to do some dry testing and do a lot of laps. I had no experience of the 2015 car so it’s hard for me to compare, but the feedback from Gabriele and Nicky is positive on both engine and suspension so hopefully that Vesta will show a better pace and improvement in terms of reliability and consistency on the long runs.”

LADA will complete a final test at Magny-Cours in mid-March before the new WTCC season begins at Circuit Paul Ricard in France from 1-3 April.