Albatec Peugeot 208 Bids For BRC Honours At Maasmechelen

Albatec Racing will make the most of the seven week break in the FIA European Rallycross Championship to contest the fifth round of the British Rallycross Championship at Maasmechelen next week (20&21 July). Returning to the scene of his 2011 victory at the Belgian track, Team Principal Andy Scott will pilot his brand new 600bhp, two-litre, 16v Albatec Peugeot 208 on its British series debut, on the back of heat victory in the latest round of RallycrossRX.

Heading straight to Belgium from an intensive test in France ahead of the next round of RallycrossRX in Lohac at the end of August, Scott will join the domestic series regulars aiming to repeat his dominant performance at Knockhill in May. In the hands of Scott, now firmly established as one of Europes top Supercar racers, the Albatec Peugeot 208 is expected to be among the frontrunners amid a competitive field of Britains top rallycross teams.

An impressive track record at Maasmechelen, which this year does not feature on the European championship calendar, sees Scott aim to capitalise on the form that also netted heat victory last season, as well as fourth overall in the 2011 European round. Joining the team in Belgium will be Scotts son Marc, currently the runaway leader in the RX150 class, who bids for his fifth successive victory in the series.

One of the most eagerly anticipated rounds on the British schedule, Maasmechelen will offer the fledgling team valuable track time as it continues its development programme ahead of the final three rounds of RallycrossRX, while providing the opportunity for Scott to reinforce his 2011 British Rallycross Vice-Champion status and keep race sharp in his bid for honours.

Track action starts with official practice on Saturday, 20 July, followed by three heats and the all-important Finals on Sunday. Tickets and further event information for the fifth round of the MSA Monster Energy British Rallycross Championship will be available from www.rallycrossuk.com with live timing throughout the weekend via http://www.rallycrossuk.com/live-event-timing

Andy Scott, Albatec Racing Driver car #26:

Im very excited about racing at Maasmechelen, as weve achieved some strong results there in the past. The Peugeot 208 has shown great potential in its first few months of development, with heat wins and a strong lap pace particularly over the last few rounds, and racing in Belgium offers valuable track time to progress further.

We are now approaching probably the biggest event of the season for us, and its imperative that we continue to move forwards ahead of the Loheac race. With an intensive test programme planned for next week, running under race conditions undoubtedly offers the best opportunity to monitor that progress, while allowing us to have some fun!

Marc Laboulle, Albatec Racing Team Manager:

We are very much looking forward to racing at Maasmechelen next week. It is very important for us in our on-going development programme to have as much track time as possible, and running under race conditions is certainly more effective than testing alone. We continue to be very happy with the pace of the car, particularly over the last few races, so we head to Belgium with high expectations.

Andy has had considerable success there in the past, but there will be no pressure on him in the championship fight, so he can simply enjoy the experience, while gaining valuable track time before the next round of RallycrossRX in Lohac next month.


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