Alain Menu says he expects a tough weekend of racing at Monza as the World Touring Car Championship descends on Italy for the final race of the European season this weekend.
The Swiss star took his fourth win of the season last time out at
Brands Hatch – leading the opening race from start to finish – but also hit bad luck when he was excluded from race two following an incident with Augusto Farfus during a Safety Car period.
Despite that disappointment, Menu moved into the top six in the standing as the lead Chevrolet driver although he admitted he was unsure on whether he can repeat the feat at one of the quickest circuits on the calendar thanks to the extra ballast he will now be forced to carry on his Lacetti.
“Another trip down memory lane for me: the first ‘real' podium of Chevrolet and myself in the WTCC,” he said. “But that was almost two complete seasons ago, as it happened at the very start of last year. Now it will be a bit more difficult with all the success ballast I'm carrying, but we have seen that the Chevrolet Lacetti seems to like fast tracks more now than before, so who knows?
“Everybody is now carrying lots of weight, so the battle for the top will be more equal than ever before, both in qualifying as in the races, even if being ‘heavy' is a distinct disadvantage at Monza. Don't be surprised if some twenty cars qualify in one second and if some of the independents show up at the front.”
