Albatec Racing makes its French Rallycross Championship debut at Circuit Faleyras, near Bordeaux next weekend (13&14 June), with Canal+ Formula One reporter Julien Fébreau at the wheel of one of the team’s 600bhp Peugeot 208 RX Supercars.
The experienced Frenchman is no stranger to rallycross, competing successfully at Lohéac, Essay and Mayenne in Super 1600, before making his Supercar debut at Pont de Ruan in 2014, winning at his first attempt. The 32 year-old also competed in the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy last season, in Canada in RX Lites, in which he finished third.
European and British RX Championship-leading outfit Albatec returned to its Lochfoot base from the British round of World RX at Lydden Hill last month, to re-prep the cars ready for testing in France next week. Following the test, the team will head straight into round four of the French RX series at the 1.1km track.
The event marks the start of a busy time for the Andy Scott-led team, which embarks on a six-week stint of back-to-back races across European, French and British RX, with the team heading straight to Buxtehude from Faleyras for the second round of Euro RX. Albatec and Fébreau will also contest round six of French RX, at Pont de Ruan over the weekend of 11&12 July.
Track action in Faleyras gets underway on Saturday June 13 with practice at 09.30, with the first of two heats starting at 13.30. Sunday’s action resumes with morning warm-up at 08.00, followed by heats 3 & 4 at 09.00, with the semi finals and finals starting from 13.45. Tickets for the event are available from https://www.weezevent.com/rallycross-de-faleyras-gironde-2015
Andy Scott, Albatec Racing Team Principal:
“I’m delighted to welcome Julien to the team, he has a lot of experience behind the wheel, not only in rallycross, but across ice racing and drifting as well as tests in Formula 1. He will, I’m certain, prove an asset to the team, and I’m sure he’ll adapt very quickly to the Albatec Peugeot 208.
“The event marks our first outing in the French Rallycross Championship, but we’re all looking forward to racing at the Faleyras track, which we have regularly used for testing. Finally we get the chance to race there, among what I’m sure will be a strong quality field, and hopefully we can come away with another strong result.”
Julien Fébreau, Albatec Racing driver:
“I am extremely excited to join Albatec Racing. My passion for motorsport and for driving pushes me to always try harder, and to only team up with the best. And that’s exactly what I've found with Albatec. I feel very lucky to join a team that races at the highest level in both World and European championships. I am very grateful to Andy Scott who trusted me and allowed me to drive this incredible Peugeot 208 WRX. It’s a new step in my journey as a race driver. I know some members of the team very well, and I know that I’ll benefit from everybody’s support during the events that we are going to race together.
“I’ve never had the opportunity to race at Faleyras, that will be a fantastic “first time” for me. I’ve heard a lot of things about the track, as this is probably the nicest and the most technical track in France. The track is very rolling, and it keeps switching between high-speed curves and tight hairpins. The top speed is impressive there, more than 175 km/h, which is quite high for a Rallycross car. It will therefore be a serious challenge for me, but thanks to the Albatec team, we are going to prepare ourselves the best we can for this key moment of the season.
“It seems that Faleyras, next week-end, will become “the place to be”. I think the number of drivers entering the Supercar series has never been that high. Jean-Baptiste Dubourg, who is France’s vice-champion, comes from the place, and will be there to defend the title he won last year. François Duval, Sebastien Loeb’s former team-mate in the World Rally Championship, will be there as well. All this shows that the level will be extremely high, but honestly I love it! For me, the goal is clear: to keep learning in the Supercar series. I raced only once in this category, and I still have a lot of things to learn before using the car’s potential at 100%. If I don’t make mistakes and if I keep learning throughout the week-end, while still enjoying it, then I’ll be able to say that my week-end was a success, whatever my standing will be when taking the chequered flag!”
