Fresh from a first podium of the season last time out in Mexico, Nicola Larini says he feels Chevrolet can run strongly once again in Valencia this weekend as the World Touring Car Championship returns to Europe.
After a difficult start to the season for the RML-run squad in Brazil, Larini picked up a third place finish in the opening race of the weekend at Puebla and although he failed to score in the second race, he now heads to Spain leading the Chevrolet challenge in tenth in the championship standings.
With the team having also run well in the two WTCC tests that have taken place since Mexico – with Alain Menu and Rob Huff both pacing a day at Valencia and Oschersleben – Larini said he was confident for the weekend ahead when he thinks the Lacetti will be closer to the pace.
"The two-day test in Oschersleben was extremely fruitful," he said. "It was very useful in validating some adjustments we had already explored in Guadix. Nothing major, at this stage of the development of the car you work on little things, but altogether these little things can make an improvement and in a championship as competitive as the WTCC, any improvement is welcome.
"I am very happy of the work we have done in the last months; we really worked hard and in the right direction. In Oschersleben, I had the fastest lap time until the very end of the session, when I was beaten by a competitor by just a tenth. Lap times do not mean a lot in such tests, as you never know in which configuration the other cars are running, but at least it is a positive sign.
"We go to Valencia with a confident mindset, although this year it is very difficult to make any predictions. But since we were competitive in Puebla, where the altitude was a clear handicap for us, I see no reason why we shouldn't be ok on a track like Valencia."
![Nicola Larini - Chevrolet Lacetti [pic credit: FIA WTCC]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/411957.jpg)
