World champion for a day

Well that was close. After being tied on points for six laps behind the safety car on the final race in Macau, both drivers with eight wins a piece in the World Touring Car Championship that Chevrolet has once again dominated in their award winning Cruze, Yvan Muller eventually mugged Michael Nikyær for third and scooped up just enough points to clinch his third world championship ahead of his team mate and eventual race winner, Robert Huff.

It’s been a dream season for Chevrolet, qualifying in pole for every single race, wrapping up back to back constructor’s championships with their three drivers finishing first, second and third in the driver’s championship, and winning a staggering 21 out of 24 races. In fact, looking at the figures alone, it actually makes Sebastian Vettel and Redbull look like they had it pretty rough this season in F1, even if that would do little to console Yvan’s British team mate who battled hard all season only to come within inches of winning his first world championship.

There was a moment I’m sure where Huff could taste the victory; but despite his back to back wins last Sunday and his team mate only breaking the tie in world championship points by a single overtaking manuever, there was a time earlier this year when it was even closer for Muller.

It was February of this year. I was invited by the good folks of Chevrolet Philippines to get a chance to meet Yvan Muller at the Prince Bira circuit in Thailand. We arrived at the track just outside of Pattaya, excited, and raring to get a chance to take a tandem ride with a (then) double world champion. At least that was what was in the script.

Sure enough, the Frenchman rolls in with much deserved fanfare and is greeted by a star-struck press core from various parts of South East Asia. We discuss his career and success in WTCC, his commitment to this season, and a few personal quips about his training, family, and interests outside the sport. All is good.

And then they spring it on us. The details are vague, but basically there’s some sort of a timed competition involving a Chevrolet Cruze.

Now, I’m normally a very rational, reasonable fellow. But put a car, a track, and a stopwatch together and you normally just see the whites of my eyes. I can’t help it. It’s no different to waving a lucrative contract in front of a politician or a valid boarding pass in front of GMA.

In may have been sold as a playful 35-second slalom in a completely standard Chevy Cruze, but the kicker was that it was a chance to go up against a world champion in equal machinery.

But first a co-drive; an all out lap in a WTCC Cruze with the man who now has three world championships under his belt.

We peel off from the start line with hardly any wheel spin. Yvan is quick with the gears but smooth with everything else and careful to not waste any power with any unnecessary loss of traction. His movements almost appear in slow motion as he fluidly stitches one corner to the next, even if the view outside the window is telling a very different story.

Third, fourth, fifth, Yvan piles on the speed and then scrubs it off twice as quick as he sets the car up for a tight downhill right hander. He tells me later that he loves how you can really bring the Cruze up to the absolute limit and stay there because its slightly wider track and stiff chassis remain completely stable and predictable even under extremely heavy braking on an off camber turn, giving you progressive feedback rather than a violent snap – and after driving the PTCC Cruze prepared by BRE that won several races last year in the Philippine Touring Car Championships, I can certainly relate to that. It never feels nervous, and responds quickly to your inputs should you overcook it a bit.

We jump the curbs at the chicane and I can feel at least two wheels off the ground – which may sound aggressive, but it feels more like he is dancing with the car than wrestling with it.

We finish off the lap with a nice hard stomp on the brakes that feels as if the scenery might have trouble catching up. It was masterful and unforgettable, and Yvan was humble as he took in the numerous compliments.

But that was just the appetizer, and while we enjoyed a traditional Thai lunch, the main straight was cleared and hundreds of orange cones are set up for dessert – a tight, multi-directional slalom. The instructions are simple. Drive through the course as fast as you can and see how close you can get to Yvan’s time of 34.76 seconds.

I am about the tenth person or so to go out. I gun it as soon as the flag falls. Power from the 1.8 liter engine pours straight into the front wheels, but before it has a chance to overwhelm the rubber, I learn from Yvan’s example and modulate ever so slightly to make sure I don’t waste single drop. It’s a clean getaway and I’m able to nail it once I’m sure there’s no chance of wheel spin.

Barely a second or so after finding second gear, I lift off partially and tackle the first complex of cones. The amazing thing about the Cruze is, despite its’ on road comfort, the turn in remains very crisp by comparison to other sedans its size. Sure there’s body roll, but rather than diving, it seems to transfer it’s weight a lot more evenly, and the rear end never feels like it wants to overtake the front.

I slice through the left, right, left sequence, negotiate a semi circle, come down hard on the brakes, make a U turn at the end of the straight and dance with the Cruze all the way to the checkered flag. I can’t see the time, but I can see the faces of the participants, especially the Philippine contingent, and I just knew it had to be special.

Sure enough, as I hop out, there are back slaps, fist pumps, high fives and a lot of hair ruffling. I glance at the official time on the LED board: 34.66 seconds. It may be just a tenth of a second, but I was going to enjoy this for a lifetime.

And then I had my Robert Huff moment. About 5 minutes or so into the celebrations, one of the marshals announces that I had touched a cone, therefore earning a 5 second penalty that would effectively demote me into second place.

Heart-wrenching, sure, but at least for five full minutes, I felt what it was like to be a world champ, which is something that can never be taken away. And while there is a far more common saying about having loved and lost, I’d just like to say that my incredible experience was worth far more than what it cost.