With five wins from six events, Quentin Gilbert is already certain to be crowned 2015 FIA Junior WRC champion*.< /b>
– The final round of the season will however see a three-way fight between the Italian Simone Tempestini, the Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby and the Frenchman Terry Folb for second and third places.
– Chris Ingram, the rising star of British rallying, joins the FIA Junior WRC at Wales Rally GB in a line-up of eight DS 3 R3-MAXs.
– This final meeting of the season will also decide the outcome of the FIA WRC3 title, which will go to either Quentin Gilbert or Simone Tempestini.
The last event of a seven-round calendar, Wales Rally GB is set to host the FIA Junior WRC drivers and teams for the end-of-season finale.
Eight DS 3 R3-MAXs line up for this final showdown. The Italian Simone Tempestini, who won in Poland, Ole Christian Veiby, who scored podium finishes in Monte-Carlo and Finland, and Terry Folb, runner-up in France and Spain, are all in with a chance of ending the season as runner-up in the FIA Junior WRC.
Whereas Tempestini and Veiby’s fates rest in their own hands – a win would be enough for either one to secure second place – Terry Folb also needs his rivals to underperform in order to finish as runner-up.
Five other drivers will be looking to add to their experience and make a real impact.
The youngest competitor in the category at just 18 years old, Pierre-Louis Loubet is set to continue learning about the World Championship. Runner-up in Portugal, he had to withdraw from Rally Poland and retired in Finland. He took a lot from his fifth place finish on the mixed-surface event in Spain and his appearance in Wales should help him to acquire new knowledge.
Making big strides with a revised system of pace notes, Mohammed Al Mutawaa finished just outside the top three in Catalonia. The Abu Dhabi driver can dream of moving up another step in Wales.
After taking part in Rally de Portugal earlier in the season, the Irishman Dean Raftery makes his return to the series in North Wales. Familiar with the roads of the British Isles, he’ll be competing in his second consecutive Wales Rally GB, after finishing second in his category last year. His experience of the road surface will undoubtedly be a real advantage.
New entrants for the event include the Belgian William Wagner and the British driver Chris Ingram. For his third outing in the World Championship, after winning his class in the Tour de Corse, Wagner is now set to test himself against the leading lights of the two-wheel drive category. As for Chris Ingram, although he is only 21 years old, he has been competing in British and European rallies for six seasons. He will need to get to grips with the DS 3 R3-MAX, but will undoubtedly be one of the drivers to look out for as the curtain comes down on 2015.
Already certain to secure the FIA Junior WRC title and the DS 3 R5 programme handed to the winner*, Quentin Gilbert will be competing at Wales Rally GB (outside of the Junior standings) in a DS 3 R3-MAX, as he looks to beat the Italian Simone Tempestini to the FIA WRC3 title. Nineteen points currently separate the two drivers, with the advantage held by the Frenchman.
QUOTE, UNQUOTESimone Tempestini: “I’m not entirely satisfied with my season, because my goal was to win the FIA Junior WRC title. Not everything went according to plan and Quentin Gilbert produced some very strong performances. We have nevertheless shown that we are capable of fighting at the front at each round, on every surface and we have always been quick. Only the final results haven’t been quite what we hoped for. I have learned a lot this year and I’m determined to use that in the future. Experience will be an advantage in Wales. I already know this rally and I’m aiming for the win, although I know that the British drivers will be very competitive. I’ll also be keeping an eye on the WRC3 standings. Once again, my goal will be to score as many points as possible and we’ll do the sums at the end.”
Chris Ingram: “I’m pleased to be taking part in Wales Rally GB, for the final round of the FIA Junior WRC calendar. It’s an opportunity measure myself against the championship’s regular drivers. I have competed here twice before and each time, I won the R2 category. This will be the first time I have raced in a turbo-charged car. I’ll have to get used to the DS 3 R3-MAX and this feature. I did some good testing in Wales in the worst possible conditions. I’m not setting myself any specific goals for my debut in the FIA Junior WRC. There’s no real pressure on me, I’m just going to do my best. I’ll look to my very passionate and experienced team to help me enjoy myself behind the wheel as much as possible.”
THE EIGHT CREWS ENTERED52 – Simone Tempestini (ITA) / Matteo Chiarcossi (ROU)Date of birth: 12 August 1994Team: Napoca Rally Team / Keane Motorsport2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 4th – Portugal, 6th – Poland, 1st – Finland, 9th – Spain, 3rd.
53 – Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) / Anders Jaeger (NOR)Date of birth: 17 June 1996Team: Printsport2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 3rd – Portugal, 5th – Finland, 3rd – France, 4th – Spain, 7th.
55 – Mohammed Al Mutawaa (ARE) / Stephen McAuley (GBR)Date of birth: 2 December 1992Team: Abu Dhabi Racing2015 results: Portugal, retired – Portugal, 6th – Finland, 6th – France, retired – Spain, 4th.
58 – Terry Folb (FRA) / Franck Le Floch (FRA)Date of birth: 26 May 1990Team: Daumas Racing / Allsports Management2015 results: Monte-Carlo, retired – Portugal, retired – Finland, 4th – France, retired – Spain, 2nd.
65 – Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA)Date of birth: 18 February 1997Team: PH Sport2015 results: Portugal, 2nd – Poland, missed – Finland, retired – France, retired – Spain, 5th.
67 – Dean Raftery (IRL) / John Higgins (IRL)Date of birth: 19 June 1991
78 – Chris Ingram (GBR) / Gabin Moreau (FRA)Date of birth: 7 July 1994Team: Autosport Technology
79 – William Wagner (BEL) / Kevin Parent (FRA)Date of birth: 26 January 1994Team: PH Sport
FIA JUNIOR WRC STANDINGS1. Quentin Gilbert 131 points2. Simone Tempestini 62 points3. Ole Christian Veiby 58 points4. Henri Haapamaki and Terry Folb 48 points6. Jean-René Perry 32 points7. Mohammed Al Mutawaa, Pierre-Louis Loubet and Federico Della Casa 28 points10. Yohan Rossel 25 points11. Christian Riedemann, Osian Pryce and 18 points13. Matthieu Margaillan 12 points14. Alessandro Re and Kornel Lukacs 8 points16. Jari Huutunen 6 points17. Charlotte Dalmasso 5 points18. Daniel McKenna 4 points
NATIONS TROPHY
1. France 137 points2. Italy 75 points3. Norway 73 points4. Finland 51 points5. Switzerland 42 points6. United Arab Emirates 35 points7. United Kingdom and Germany 18 points9. Hungary 16 points10. Ireland 8 points
2015 CALENDAR
22-25 January Rallye Monte-Carlo21-24 May Rally de Portugal2-7 July Rally Poland30 July – 2 August Rally Finland1-4 October Rallye de France22-25 October Rally de España12-15 November Wales GB Rally
* Subject to publication of the official results by the FIA.
