Catsburg joins Lada WTCC lineup

Dutch racer Nick Catsburg will drive a third Lada Vesta at the Moscow Raceway round of the World Touring Car Championship on June 5-7, joining Rob Huff and Jaap van Lagen.

Catsburg, a race-winner in VLN with the Marc VDS BMW team, joins the line-up in place of young Russian driver Mikhail Kozlovskiy, who was stood down ahead of the Nurburgring Nordschleife round of the series, in which the team fielded two cars. It is not known whether Kozlovskiy will drive for the team again.

"This car really requires a specific driving style with all that power on the front-axle," said Catsburg after a test session at Magny-Cours, where the ORECA-developed cars are based.

"Once I got some more laps in, I started to get used to the car and the driving style. I am really looking forward to this completely new challenge for me. The race will of course be difficult, but with the help of the team and my experienced teammates I am sure we can do well."

Lada's ambitious plans with the new Vesta this year have been hindered by the late completion of the car and major damage to two chassis in the Morocco round and at a test in Hungary.

After parting company with James Thompson ahead of the Nurburgring round, Lada Sport boss Viktor Shapovalov has refused to confirm the team's driver lineup for the rest of the year beyond the retention of Huff, and a commitment to race three cars in Moscow.

Originally on Autosport.com