New race series features Chevrolet Cruze (From Dorset Echo)

New race series features Chevrolet Cruze

11:16am Tuesday 19th January 2010 in

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THERE'S a new race series featuring Chevrolet Cruze vehicles. The Cruze Cup, which was announced at the Autosport Show at the NEC in Birmingham, is an extreme one-make racing competition for private teams and drivers.

No stranger to on-track success, the Cruze has already completed a season at World Touring Car level, taking its maiden victory in Marrakech before it had even arrived in showrooms.

The winning driver in that race was Brit Rob Huff, and Huff is one of the men behind the new Cruze Cup.

The other is former racing driver Paul McMillan from Wisbech, Cambs. “Our aim is to offer drivers a chance to show their skills in equally matched cars in a fairly high profile series,” said Mr McMillan.

“The fact this is a car with racing pedigree, but is little different to what’s found in showrooms, makes it all the more exciting.”

The Cruze Cup consists of seven rounds of three 20-minute races at circuits across the UK, kicking off at Rockingham, Northants, on the weekend of April 10 and 11.

It will be run as part of the Dunlop Sport Maxx cup, meaning the races will be aired on television and will be part of high-profile meetings at various circuits across England and Wales. Each car is based on a standard showroom spec 1.8-litre Cruze, converted to accommodate KW racing suspension and Rimstock alloy wheels.

Mechanically, they are little different to standard cars, and all Cruzes on the grid will be scrutineered to ensure that the series is all about driver skill, as each vehicle will be identical.

The Chevrolet Cruze, which was launched in 2008 as a replacement for the Chevrolet Cobalt and Daewoo Lacetti, is available from Seward.