Reigning MSA British Rallycross Vice-Champion, Andy Scott will make his Rallycross de Loheac debut on September 1&2. Equipped with his two-litre, 16 valve Ford Focus ST T16 4x4, the leading Scottish driver will battle against a bumper 26 Supercar grid in what is billed as Europes biggest rallycross showdown.
Staged at the Circuit de Loheac in Brittany, France, Rallycross de Loheac is arguably the most significant event outside of the FIA European Rallycross (ERC) calendar. As such, it promises to attract Europes elite from across the ranks of the ERC and French Rallycross Championship, all vying for the coveted national race crown in front of a staggering 40,000-strong crowd.
Scott heads across the English Channel to contest the event for the first time amid a break in his Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) commitments as Team Principal and lead driver for Scott-Eklund Racing. A GRC race winner currently lying eighth in the Driver Standings, Scott will resume his Stateside racing duties aboard the SER Saab 9-3 on September 29, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
In addition to his US racing achievements, Scott has been no stranger to the European circuits this season. He took triple heat race wins at the opening Great Britain ERC round and added another to his tally on his series return in Belgium following a four month absence.
While adjusting to the substantially different characteristics of the 600bhp Saab 9-3 and 550bhp Ford Focus ST, Scott continued important development of the Scott Trawlers entry in Holland. Although unable to challenge for a repeat of his maiden 2011 ERC podium when a broken intermediate driveshaft robbed him of a potential second place in the final qualifying heat, Scott showed improved pace throughout the weekend.
With the Tony Bardy Motorsport team continuing the cars positive development and Scott keen to end his summer European campaign on a positive note, expectations are high that the partnership can deliver its first podium of the season in front of an enthusiastic and supportive French crowd. Scott commented: Rallycross de Loheac is one of the biggest standalone events in Europe and Ive always wanted to be a part of it. The competition will be fierce, were expecting around 40,000 spectators and, although Ive never driven it before, Circuit de Lohac is one of the best. Thats enough to whet my appetite.
Everything about the event will be new to us, including running on the Kumho controlled tyre. Ill also be learning the circuit in practice, so we have to quickly adapt to the new conditions. We may not have achieved the results we had initially hoped for in the recent ERC rounds, but weve made positive steps forward with the car, and our progress this weekend will be interesting against such a huge field.
We expect the competition to be just as tough as that in the ERC, but Im fired-up to bring home a good result, to give me a boost back to the US for final GRC season rounds.
Scott will tackle the Circuit De Loheac for the first time in practice, from 09.00 to 12.00 (local time) on Saturday, September 1, ready for the official timed sessions at 13.30. Racing action then starts with the Super Pole at 16.00 followed by the first stage heats. Two further heat rounds will take place on Sunday, ahead of the all-important Finals from 16.00.
