“One week before the season started we took delivery of the Cupra factory test car, with a whole barrel-load of new parts. It arrived in Budapest on the Sunday, the guys built the car and didn’t sleep for two days, I shook it down on the Tuesday morning at the Hungaroring for half an hour – it had fuel pick-up problems. We threw both cars in the truck and off we went to Pau for the first WTCR round. I guess we’re going then! We arrived on Thursday but the trucks didn’t get to Pau until Friday morning. We had to change the whole fuelling system in my car, but somehow in the first free practice session on Saturday morning the car ran, and ran well. We did enough to qualify, race well and score some points.
In a world-level opener, in what amounted to a brand new and unsorted car, Zengő and Huff had turned up and grabbed a 12th place finish in race one and a remarkable eighth in race two. “Not the best start to the season, but not the worst,” says Rob. “Literally one week before we were not racing at all.”
But that was only the start. Yes, the WTCR was down on entries this year, but it was still highly competitive, featuring works-supported customer teams and fast drivers Huff knows well. So his run of results after that Pau opener should not be underestimated or downplayed. Following the controversy of tyre-related race cancellations at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the WTCR arrived in Zengő’s Hungaroring backyard – and Huff finished second in the reverse-grid second encounter, chasing Cyan Lynk & Co’s quick Uruguayan Santi Urrutia all the way to the flag and snatching fastest lap along the way.
Then on to Aragon, he scored a sensational pair of second places – so three runner-up placings on the bounce – then claimed a fairy-tale win in Vila Real, Portugal. The street track is the only WTCR round to feature a rallycross-style ‘joker lap’, with a short alternative route created for one section that must be taken once a race. Huff played his joker to perfection as old rival Yvan Muller made an uncharacteristic error, to allow Rob to win what was the WTCR’s 100th race. Another overall race victory at the little-known Anneau du Rhin circuit in France capped a fantastic summer and left Huff in a remarkable third in the overall standings. He’d also already wrapped up the WTCR Trophy for independent entries and although Azcona and Hyundai had a comfortable lead at the top of the standings, Huff’s status as a title contender was little short of astonishing. Classic underdog stuff, in fact.
“I have driven better this year almost more than I ever have,” says Huff with obvious pride. “The last time I drove this well was probably 2011 when Yvan Muller pipped me to the championship. Even in my world championship year [2012] I didn’t drive as well or as clever as I did this year. I took the opportunities when they were there and made the best of bad situations. We finished every race in the points.”