Dumfries based Albatec Racing will enter their fourth different Rallycross Championship in 2015, having signed a deal to run a Peugeot 208 RX Supercar for French Formula 1 reporter Julien Febreau for the next two rounds of the 2015 French Rallycross Championship.
Febreau is no stranger to Rallycross, having competed in Super1600 machinery at Loheac, Essay and Mayenne in before making his Supercar debut at Pont de Ruan in 2014 where he went to win the event at his first attempt. He also competed in the FIA World Rallycross Championship-supporting RX Lites category, in which he finished third.
Febreau will test the team’s Peugeot 208 RX Supercar in France before heading to Circuit Faleyras, near Bordeaux. This also sees the beginning of a straight six week stint of Rallycross action for Albatec Racing, starting next weekend in France, before heading to Germany and the Estering circuit with EuroRX drivers Jerome Grosset-Janin and James Grint. Following that, Andy Scott will be in action himself at Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland at rounds four and five of this year’s BritishRX. Albatec and Febreau will then return to France to contest round six of FrenchRX, at Pont de Ruan over the weekend of 11-12 July.
So far this season, Albatec Racing are competing in what is their biggest programme of Rallycross action. Team Principal Andy Scott currently leads the MSA British Rallycross Championship after taking two victories and a second place in the first three rounds. Frenchman Jerome Grosset-Janin currently leads the FIA European Rallycross Championship after taking victory for Albatec Racing in the opening round of the series in Belgium. The squad also took part in the recent WorldRX of Great Britain, held at Lydden Hill in Kent where both Scott and David Binks failed to get into the Semi-Finals.
Team Principal Andy Scott is thrilled with the signing and the chance to compete in the French Series: “I’m delighted to welcome Julien to the team, he has a lot of experience behind the wheel, not only in rallycross, but across ice racing and drifting as well as tests in Formula 1. He will, I’m certain, prove an asset to the team, and I’m sure he’ll adapt very quickly to the Albatec Peugeot 208. The event marks our first outing in the French Rallycross Championship, but we’re all looking forward to racing at the Faleyras track, which we have regularly used for testing. Finally we get the chance to race there, among what I’m sure will be a strong quality field, and hopefully we can come away with another strong result.”
Julien Febreau is looking forward to racing the successful Peugeot Supercar on home soil and joining Albatec for the two events: “I am extremely excited to join Albatec Racing. My passion for motorsport and for driving pushes me to always try harder, and to only team up with the best. And that’s exactly what I’ve found with Albatec. I feel very lucky to join a team that races at the highest level in both World and European championships. I am very grateful to Andy Scott who trusted me and allowed me to drive this incredible Peugeot 208 WRX. It’s a new step in my journey as a race driver. I know some members of the team very well, and I know that I’ll benefit from everybody’s support during the events that we are going to race together.
“I’ve never had the opportunity to race at Faleyras, that will be a fantastic ‘first time’ for me. It will therefore be a serious challenge for me, but thanks to the Albatec team, we are going to prepare ourselves the best we can for this key moment of the season.”
However, next weekend’s event seems to be attracting a lot of big names in Rallycross…
“It seems that Faleyras, next weekend, will become ‘the place to be’. I think the number of drivers entering the Supercar series has never been that high. Jean-Baptiste Dubourg, who is France’s vice-champion, comes from the place, and will be there to defend the title he won last year. Francois Duval, Sebastien Loeb’s former team-mate in the World Rally Championship, will be there as well. All this shows that the level will be extremely high, but honestly I love it! For me, the goal is clear: to keep learning in the Supercar series. I raced only once in this category, and I still have a lot of things to learn before using the car’s potential at 100%. If I don’t make mistakes and if I keep learning throughout the weekend, while still enjoying it, then I’ll be able to say that my week-end was a success, whatever my standing will be when taking the chequered flag!”
