Kozlovskiy replaces Dudukalo at Lada's WTCC squad
Lada has confirmed that Mikhail Kozlovskiy will replace Aleksei Dudukalo in its World Touring Car outfit from the second round of 2013 at Marrakech, as first revealed by AUTOSPORT in March.
Dudukalo's place in the team was understood to be in jeopardy following his qualifying accident at Monza.
The 36-year-old had barrelled into the side of team-mate James Thompson on only the second lap of Q1, with the resulting damage ruling both men out of the opening two races.
The team has now confirmed that 29-year-old Kozlovskiy, champion in the 2008 Russian SEAT Cup and '10 Russian Touring Light series, will be brought in.
"Mikhail is a young, talented driver. I am sure he will be able to adapt to the car, the team and WTCC the format," team manager Viktor Shapovalov said.
"We have already worked with him in the Russian Championship, when he drove for the Lukoil Racing Team Lada.
"I am confident that our partnership in WTCC will be successful."
Kozlovskiy admitted he would need time to adapt to the step-up, but said his previous experience of the Lada Granta would help ease his transition.
"Each touring car driver dreams of [racing in the] WTCC and I am no exception," he said.
"I wanted to participate in the world championship and now I'll do my best to achieve good results.
"Actually the Lada Granta is not completely unknown to me, as I drove it last year in the Russian championship.
"The Marrakech debut without tests will not be easy, but I hope to be fast and not to waste too much time for apprenticeship."
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