Albatec Racing will run its full complement of three Peugeot 208 RX Supercars in round two of the FIA European Rallycross Championship at the Lankebanen track in Norway this weekend (11&12 June). Team Principal Andy Scott returns to race action alongside reigning Euro RX champion Tommy Rustad and vice-champion Jérôme Grosset-Janin in the event, which forms round five of World RX.
The NAF World RX of Norway sees 26 drivers competing for Euro RX points. Holding the joint lead following a strong performance in round one is Poujoulat-backed Jérôme. The Frenchman netted the fastest overall time across all four qualifying races and semi-final, and finished second in the Final. HTB-backed Tommy competes in only his second race with the Dumfries team, and following a successful test recently goes into the event looking for a repeat of his victory on his home track last year.
For Andy, the event marks his first competitive outing of 2016 following a season long campaign in British RX in 2015. Amid the fiercely competitive Euro RX field, the Dumfries racer in his Motis/Rock Oil-backed Supercar will look to start the year in style at one of his favourite rallycross tracks.
The circuit is renowned for its tricky first corner, which also includes the start of the joker lap, and where strategy comes into its own in determining the outcome. Track action in Norway begins on Friday with practice at 18:00. On Saturday practice continues at 09:00 with the first of four qualifying races at 11:00 and the second at 14:30. Sunday sees warm-up at 08.30, followed by qualifying three and four at 10:00 and 11:45 before the semi-finals and Final from 14:00. All times CEST.
Tommy Rustad, driver Albatec Racing #24 :
“I’m really looking forward to my home event. I love the track, because of the elevation changes with various kinds of corners and I like the high speed entry to the joker lap. It’s also nice to have good support on the sidelines, which gives me extra motivation. I had a fantastic weekend here last year, and I will do everything I can to repeat it this year.
“We had a good test at Gardermoen Rallycross track this week, where I made a couple of practice starts, so I feel more confident now and am sure the starts will be much better this weekend. Every time I get in to the car I feel more confident and I am sure we will continue to get stronger for every race. This year’s championship is more competitive, there are more cars and stronger teams in Euro RX this season, as a result of development from World championship teams.”
Andy Scott, Team Principal Albatec Racing #26:
“I can’t wait to get back to Norway for my first competitive outing of the year. Hell is one of my favourite tracks so what better place to start my 2016. It’s been an incredibly busy start to the season, competing in British, French and Euro RX, and I was disappointed to miss the opening round but delighted that we’ve now finished the third car, and pleased to be joining Jérôme and Tommy for the next race.
“The competition in Euro RX is incredibly strong this season, and I’m sure the event will be as competitive as the Belgian round proved to be. With three cars in the Albatec camp in Norway, it would be great to have all three in the Final.”
Jérôme Grosset-Janin, driver Albatec Racing #74 :
“I’m looking forward to getting back to race action this weekend. For me Hell is one the most difficult tracks on the calendar, and one which is the most representative of RX tracks. It’s important to have a good strategy there, and the joker and first corner can actually remove some of the pressure. I’ve always had a good feeling there and was actually fifth fastest overall in qualifying in 2014.
“We just need to be consistent across all the elements; drivers, car and the team and if we have all this together we can perform well. The competition in Euro RX this year is much greater than last year, with around 6-8 drivers all capable of winning, but the tighter the level, the higher the pleasure!”
