Lada to introduce new car in Porto

Vladislav Nezvankin, the Lada Sport director, expects a big step forward with the Priora, which will replace the 110 model used for the Russian company's initial entry into the series.

"The first aerodynamic tests in the windtunnel have showed that our new Lada Priora is well balanced, which is extremely important on all the tracks we will visit. The drag coefficient is very low and that makes us competitive.

"The original Lada 110, which serves as a base for the new Lada Priora, already had a very low drag factor. This makes Lada one of the best cars in its class."

Driver and project leader Viktor Shapovalov added that the 110, which has so far failed to get above the midfield, would receive several upgrades as work continued on the Priora.

"Lada's latest challenger is undergoing improvement all the time, with several new parts and details constantly being tested," he said.

"In particular, the car's suspension will be heavily revised, with some of these changes being seen on the current car in time for the Morocco race in Marrakech from 2-3 May.

"By the end of May the Lada cars will also receive more powerful engines. This will allow the team to increase the car's top speed on the straights and to reduce the gap between Lada and the championship leaders."