Rob Huff joins Lada Sport for 2014

2012 World Touring Car champion Rob Huff will join LADA Sport Lukoil for the next two seasons. Huff himself unveiled the deal during the TV live broadcasting, at the end of the Shanghai’s first race.

The man from Cambridge will be at the wheel of the team’s third Granta car alongside his fellow countryman James Thompson and Russia’s Mikhail Kozlowskiy who have been both confirmed for 2014.

In a move that demonstrates its commitment to WTCC, the Russian manufacturer forged a technical collaboration with ORECA in 2013 and they will jointly develop a revised version of the Granta racing car in compliance with the championship’s new technical regulations for 2014.

Huff stated: “I’m delighted with this new association with LADA Sport Lukoil and it’s a massive thrill to be back with a manufacturer team. It will be an honour to work with such an ambitious and hard-working group of people. I’m also really excited about racing as a team-mate to James Thompson, because I have a huge amount of respect for him. I’m determined to emulate the sort of success I had with Chevrolet, taking LADA Sport to the top in WTCC. The team is still fairly new to the championship and I hope to be able to use my knowledge and experience to make an active contribution towards building a championship-winning outfit.”

Team Principal Victor Shapovalov echoed: “We are very happy to have such a talented and experienced driver as part of our team. We have made significant progress since the start of the season and proved that the LADA Granta car is capable of fighting for the top five positions. Rob Huff’s driving skill can contribute much to the team’s success. The increased driver line-up for 2014 and 2015 will help us to strengthen our position. In view of a forthcoming season with new manufacturers joining, we set very ambitious goals. I am sure that the pair of Huff and Thompson will be one of the strongest in the Championship.”