Salzburgring WTCC: Hugo Valente sidelined by big practice crash
Campos Chevrolet racer Hugo Valente has been ruled out of this weekend's Salzburgring World Touring Car Championship meeting after his Chevrolet Cruze sustained heavy accident damage in a practice crash
Valente was in the slipstream of practice two pacesetter Sebastien Loeb when he cut the inside grass at Turn 9, sending his car off into the Armco on the outside of the quick Fahrerlagerkurve.
The shunt ends a promising start to the weekend for Valente, who was second fastest in Friday's test.
"I was following Loeb, and had less downforce than usual," explained the Parisian.
"Loeb had taken the grass on the inside, my car was moving a bit too much, and maybe in following him I [cut] too much on the right, on the grass.
"The car went into oversteer and then onto the grass [on the outside]. You are going so fast there that once you are in the gravel it is too late.
"We are out of qualifying and the race. We'll try and fix the car in time for Moscow."
Valente suspected that the Austrian venue will suit the RML-built Cruzes, and provide an opportunity to finish close to the three dominant factory Citroen C-Elysees.
"We could have been there with Citroen and maybe finished right behind them," he suggested.
"I was behind Loeb and I was catching him on the straights in the slipstream.
"I don't think they have a more powerful engine than us, I think it is quite similar. The difference is more chassis, suspension and bumpers."
Previous article
James Thompson excluded from last two WTCC rounds
Next article
Salzburgring WTCC: Gianni Morbidelli ends Citroen's pole streak
About this article
| Series | WTCC |
| Author | Peter Mills |
Why joker laps are entering the mainstream
This season the World Touring Car Championship looks certain to bring joker laps to a circuit-racing world championship for the first time. And it need not be the daft gimmick people may think
The making of the world's best tin-top driver
He has been overshadowed at Citroen for the last three seasons, but the retirement of Yvan Muller means the world says farewell to one of touring-car racing's finest talents
Volvo's plan to conquer the WTCC
Volvo gave the World Touring Car Championship a major boost when it announced it would enter the series, but its ambitions don't stop there. JACK COZENS examines its programme, the S60 and what its arrival means for the WTCC
The WTCC's Nordschleife gamble paid off
A 17-car field on a 13-mile track - the WTCC's Nurburgring Nordschleife gamble wasn't going to be easy to pull off. STUART CODLING explains how the series made it work
Insight from a Nordschleife master
World championship racing returns to the Nordschleife this weekend. STUART CODLING got a lesson from one of the legendary track's few masters
Becoming world champion for £100k
The 2012 World Touring Car champion says he never had the money to race cars. Yet 2015 is his 11th season in the WTCC. He talks STUART CODLING through his journey from motorsport fan to paid professional - for little more than £100,000
Can the vanquished champion bounce back?
The World Touring Car Championship kicks off in Argentina this weekend, and Yvan Muller bids to reclaim his throne from Citroen team-mate Jose Maria Lopez. He talks to STUART CODLING
The top 10 WTCC drivers of 2014
Citroen had no rivals during the 2014 World Touring Car Championship, and 'rookie' Jose Maria Lopez hit the ground running to emerge as a worthy champion. PETER MILLS rates the field
