Four Cruzes in top six at Sonoma
Menu takes pole sensational, Muller and Huff in 3rd and 4th
 
SONOMA, 22 September 2012: The Chevrolet Cruzes did not miss their first important rendezvous on American soil, claiming pole position, and filling most of the top spots in today’s qualifying for the WTCC’s first visit ever to the US in Q2 after an intense battle with teammate Yvan Muller and SEAT’s Gabriele Tarquini.
 
Alain Menu took an incredible pole, his second this year, in the dying seconds of the session with a perfect lap on the hilly and technical California track, beating his rivals by almost three tenths of a second.
 
Tarquini took second spot while Muller qualified in third position ahead of teammate Rob Huff. Alex MacDowall, of the independently-run Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Cruze, finished sixth fastest.
 
In a warm and sunny afternoon, the RML-run Cruzes proved competitive, raising a lot of expectations ahead of the two races tomorrow, which could see Chevrolet secure its third WTCC Constructors’ World Champion title with three rounds to go. To achieve this, the Cruzes will have to end the day with 42 points more than BMW and 37 more than SEAT.
 
The fight for the Drivers’ title, for which only the three Chevrolet drivers remain in contention, remains wide open.
 
 
·        QUOTES
 
Alain Menu (1st): “It’s a great feeling to be on pole on such a driver circuit. I have to thank my engineer and all the boys because the car was simply perfect. We worked well on the set up and the balance of the Cruze and it paid off.
 
“The track conditions evolved between Q1 and Q2 but the car was fantastic throughout. I managed a clear lap with no mistakes and the right rhythm, which is so important here.”
 
Yvan Muller (3rd): “Alain did a great job today. Third is not bad and I am pleased with that, but I have some regrets because I didn’t drive that well, I made a couple of mistakes in the decisive laps, and I think I had the car to do better. The circuit is definitely not easy …”
 
Rob Huff (4th): “I’m happy with my performance as I could have improved my time by two tenths compared to the time set in Q1. My first fast lap was a bit messy; I made a couple of mistakes and struggled in turn 2, but the second time round was much better. I am pleased because that’s everything I had on my car today. We’ll work on the set up tonight and I am sure we can make some improvements.”