The latest auto news, reviews, prices, product and vehicle releases. Feb
13th
Stay connected Subscribe to our RSS feed
From press release
Former F1 and IndyCar World Series Champion Jacques Villeneuve will join Dumfries-based Albatec Racing in the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship (RallycrossRX).
The French-Canadian will drive one of the team's 600bhp two-litre, 16v Peugeot 208s in the 12-round series, which starts in Portugal in May.
Villeneuve is the only active racing driver to have won the IndyCar World Series Championship (1995), the Indy 500 (1995) and the Formula One World Championship (1997), and remains the only Canadian to claim the Indy 500 or the F1 Drivers' titles.
He will join the team that ran World Rally Championship star Kris Meeke in the series' flagship event in Lohéac, France last year. Although the first F1 star to race in RallycrossRX, Villeneuve will not be the first to drive with Albatec - he follows Mika Salo who tested for the team in a private session in Finland.
Villeneuve's vast experience across single-seaters, NASCAR, and Sportscars proved a huge advantage during a recent two-day test at Dreux in France, where he posted competitive lap times from the outset.
His Andros Trophy expertise is also likely to be an asset when he lines up alongside the RX series regulars for the opening round at Montalegre over the weekend of 3/4 May, while later in the year, his home fans will get to see him in action at Trois-Rivieres, in Quebec.
Since coming into rallycross last season, the fledgling Albatec Racing team has notched up numerous heat wins across British and European competition, and secured a dominant overall Supercar victory in its last race of the year, the final round of the British Rallycross Championship at Croft. Now the pairing of Villeneuve, alongside Team Principal Andy Scott, 2011 British Rallycross Vice-Champion, brings the team high hopes of delivering some strong results amongst a class field of the best rallycross racers in the world.
"I am really looking forward to entering the rallycross arena with Albatec Racing," Said Jacques Villeneuve.
"With my previous ice-racing experience, I'm excited about driving sideways in a 600bhp, four-wheel-drive Peugeot 208 over the combination of loose and tarmac surfaces, not to mention the jumps. With the added incentive of it being an FIA World Championship, the opportunity was really too good to miss.
"We had a very successful test in France, I was very impressed with the quality of the team, particularly on the engineering side, it reminded me of my time in F1. The car is just so responsive, the power is amazing, and with 600bhp to play with, who wouldn't be excited by that. I was pleasantly surprised by how reactive the car is to any changes, and I'm very much looking forward to getting into the events.
"I'm a racer and of course I want to win, but there are lots of unknowns going into a new championship, and with a new car. I certainly hope to win races, but I appreciate there are a lot of things I don't know, so 2014 will be a learning year," Villeneuve said.
Former F1 and IndyCar World Series Champion Jacques Villeneuve will join Dumfries-based Albatec Racing in the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship (RallycrossRX).
The French-Canadian will drive one of the team's 600bhp two-litre, 16v Peugeot 208s in the 12-round series, which starts in Portugal in May.
 |
| Photo: Albatec Racing |
Villeneuve is the only active racing driver to have won the IndyCar World Series Championship (1995), the Indy 500 (1995) and the Formula One World Championship (1997), and remains the only Canadian to claim the Indy 500 or the F1 Drivers' titles.
He will join the team that ran World Rally Championship star Kris Meeke in the series' flagship event in Lohéac, France last year. Although the first F1 star to race in RallycrossRX, Villeneuve will not be the first to drive with Albatec - he follows Mika Salo who tested for the team in a private session in Finland.
 |
| Photo: Albatec Racing |
Villeneuve's vast experience across single-seaters, NASCAR, and Sportscars proved a huge advantage during a recent two-day test at Dreux in France, where he posted competitive lap times from the outset.
His Andros Trophy expertise is also likely to be an asset when he lines up alongside the RX series regulars for the opening round at Montalegre over the weekend of 3/4 May, while later in the year, his home fans will get to see him in action at Trois-Rivieres, in Quebec.
Since coming into rallycross last season, the fledgling Albatec Racing team has notched up numerous heat wins across British and European competition, and secured a dominant overall Supercar victory in its last race of the year, the final round of the British Rallycross Championship at Croft. Now the pairing of Villeneuve, alongside Team Principal Andy Scott, 2011 British Rallycross Vice-Champion, brings the team high hopes of delivering some strong results amongst a class field of the best rallycross racers in the world.
 |
| Photo: Albatec Racing |
"I am really looking forward to entering the rallycross arena with Albatec Racing," Said Jacques Villeneuve.
"With my previous ice-racing experience, I'm excited about driving sideways in a 600bhp, four-wheel-drive Peugeot 208 over the combination of loose and tarmac surfaces, not to mention the jumps. With the added incentive of it being an FIA World Championship, the opportunity was really too good to miss.
"We had a very successful test in France, I was very impressed with the quality of the team, particularly on the engineering side, it reminded me of my time in F1. The car is just so responsive, the power is amazing, and with 600bhp to play with, who wouldn't be excited by that. I was pleasantly surprised by how reactive the car is to any changes, and I'm very much looking forward to getting into the events.
"I'm a racer and of course I want to win, but there are lots of unknowns going into a new championship, and with a new car. I certainly hope to win races, but I appreciate there are a lot of things I don't know, so 2014 will be a learning year," Villeneuve said.