Jacques Villeneuve returned to rallycross action with a determined performance in round ten of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy at Franciacorta today. After missing the last two rounds to fulfil prior television commitments, the former F1 World Champion joined Albatec Team Principal Andy Scott aboard one of the team’s two litre, 16v Peugeot 208s, at World RX of Italy.The former Indycar World Series Champion thrilled the local crowds with a sterling drive against 2003 WRC champion and current World RX points leader Petter Solberg in a heat that saw the French Canadian grab the lead into the first corner. Amid one of the strongest entries of the season, Jacques looked set for an overall top 12 finish, but a heavy hit on lap two lost him around five seconds, dropping him down the order. Despite that he netted the fastest lap of the race to confirm his intention of progressing to the finals.For Andy, his debut race at the new-for-2014 track near Milan, proved eventful from start to finish, the Lochfoot racer battling hard with Henning Solberg until the very last corner. A solid drive saw him running third into the final lap, when he was passed at the last turn, pushing the 2011 British Rallycross Vice-Champion down to fourth.Heat two saw Andy and Jacques line up side-by-side on the grid. At the start Jacques just got the advantage, grabbing second as they entered the first jump, however a determined move by Andy saw him pass his teammate for the place, which he held to the flag. There was disappointment for the French-Canadian though, as a driveshaft broke on lap two, sending him into a spin, and ultimately dropping him down the overnight standing.Although currently lying outside the crucial top 12, the gap from Jacques to the final qualifying place is just 25 points, with 100 points available from tomorrow’s final two qualifying heats. With only overnight maintenance of the two 208s required, both drivers are determined to continue their bid for a semi final position with two strong, clean results.Tomorrow’s track action resumes with morning warm-up at 08:00, ahead of the final two qualifying heats at 09:15, with the semi finals and Final starting from 15:00. Further information and live timing is available from www.rallycrossrx.com, with UK viewers able to watch the action live on Eurosport.Andy Scott, Team Principal and driver Albatec Racing #26 :“I’m not entirely happy with where we are after the first day, however we still have everything to fight for and we’ll be giving it everything we’ve got tomorrow. The points are incredibly close, for both Jacques and myself, with just 25 points separating him from the final qualifying position, so two good, quick races are essential.“The atmosphere here is great, the circuit seems to suit us, but we had a number of problems today which we will work on tonight to overcome for tomorrow.”Jacques Villeneuve, driver Albatec Racing #25 :“I’m pleased to be back racing in rallycross this weekend but a little disappointed with the overall overnight standings. We made some positive changes between open practice and the first heat, which allowed me to improve my best lap time by a second, but in the second heat I suffered a driveshaft failure, which ruined my race.“Tomorrow though I will push hard and try and get some quick races in to keep my chances of progressing through to the finals.”