DA Racing have announced their 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship plans ahead of the season opening round in Spain in April.
The French team announced their intention earlier this year to tackle a full season of World RX with two ex-Peugeot-Hansen 208 Supercars and they have now announced that Jean-Baptiste Dubourg will contest all 12 rounds of the season on one of the teams entries. Dubourg is famous for his giant killing podium finish at the 2015 World RX of France.
Dubourg guided his Citroen C4 Supercar to third place in the 2015 World RX of France. Credit: IMG / FIA World RX
The second Peugeot 208 will be used in five rounds of the series in the hands of ex-FIA World Touring Car Championship driver Gregoire Demoustier, who moves across to World RX having contested several seasons in WTCC. Demoustier will compete in the World RX rounds at Barcelona, Portugal, Belgium, Canada and South Africa.
Dubourg is looking forward to the challenge of a full season in the series.
“It’s very exciting to be able to commit myself full-time to World RX,” explained JB Dubourg. “Having the opportunity to compete with not only the best rallycross drivers, but from motorsport in general, is a childhood dream come true. The commitment of this programme is a new step in the ambitious Team DA Racing-Eurodatacar project which started in 2012.”
The chance to drive one of the fully developed ex-works Peugeot’s is one that the French driver is eager to do.
“I will have the pleasure of driving a 208 WRX developed in Peugeot Sport’s workshops in recent years, whose reliability and performance are without question. I will take advantage of pre-season testing to continue the learning phase – we must seize every opportunity this year.”
Gregoire Demoustier joins the DA Racing outfit for his World RX debut after two seasons in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. Credit: Sebastien Loeb Racing/SLR
Demoustier explains why he’s made the move to Rallycross for 2017 with the team.
“It was impossible to resist the lure of rallycross,” admitted Demoustier. “I’ve watched World RX live on L’Equipe, the starts are very impressive and the races are physical, it reminds me of my experience from the Andros Trophy. In World RX, I’m entering a new universe – I have everything to discover.”
The first round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship takes place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on April 1-2.
