Robert Huff outclassed his more experienced Chevrolet team-mates in the opening rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship at Monza today, the 25 year-old Cambridge driver starting the race ahead of both Alain Menu and Nicola Larini to line up 21st on the grid for the day's opening race.

Huff, who moved over from the UK-based BTCC to re-join Ray Mallock Limited in the world's premier tin-top series, followed that up with 20th in race one, again ahead of Menu and Larini although he was forced out of the second race after a collision with Gianluca De Lorenzi on lap five.

The new Chevrolet Lacetti has struggled to find top speed pace in the first few tests of the new season but both Rob and the team are confident that things will improve over the coming months. "I actually set my fastest race lap on lap seven of nine which clearly shows how good the car is," said Rob at the end of the first race. "We still lack top speed, of course, but we're as quick as anybody else through the corners and we can outbrake anybody. All I had to worry about was a slightly long brake pedal, which is why the team bled the system between the races."

"For any driver the biggest test is to see how you compare to your team-mates. Both Alain and Nicola have got loads of experience and they are the benchmark by which I will gauge my performance this season. We've improved the car pretty much every lap, the car handles really well, the brakes are great and generally I'm really happy with how things went."

Things had looked good in the second race too, Rob gaining several places in the opening laps until he was collected by the BMW of De Lorenzi on the fifth lap sending him into instant retirement. "Things were going really good until some Italian just obliterated me for no reason," he said after retiring.

Rob's next outing will be at Magny Cours in France on May 1st.