Following the announcement of Denis Dupont as the first confirmed driver on the WTCR grid yesterday, Comtoyou Racing have unveiled their second driver. Aurelien Panis will contest the 2018 season for the front-running Belgian squad.
The young Frenchman contested the latter half of the TCR International Series last year following a mid-season switch from the WTCC, claiming a maiden touring car win on his fourth start in Buriram.
“I am very happy and proud to join the team Comtoyou Racing and Audi for this season of the WTCR. After a first year in touring cars, to be part of this new world championship was a goal,” announced Panis, the son of former Grand Prix driver Olivier.
“I am very happy to join this competitive and professional team where I will be able to consistently fight at the front. I am eager to discover the Audi and to start this new season!”
Team-manager Francois Verbist is confident that the 23-year old will be able to perform strongly for the squad, particularly given Panis’ performances in the electric category of the Andros Trophy where he leads the championship.
“Aurélien is very fast and very skilled with cars, as he shows us every week in the Andros Trophy” said Verbist, “We are very pleased to welcome him to the team and we will do everything alongside Audi Sport so that he is competitive in the early races. Now that it’s official, we can go testing.”
Comtoyou team principal Jean-Michel Baert announced in late-December that he was hoping to get 3 Audi’s onto the WTCR grid in 2018 and, given the team recently took delivery of a fourth Audi RS3 LMS, there’s potential for another big name announcement to come from the team.
