Dumfries, Scotland (UK) – 27 September 2017; Albatec Racing fields three Peugeot 208 RX Supercars in Rallycross France this weekend as South African Mark Cronje and Andy Scott join series regular Philippe Maloigne at Lessay.
Round eight of French RX marks the rallycross debut of Mark ahead of his World RX appearance in Cape Town in November. The event also sees a return to track action for Andy, who finished fifth on his first outing back in the Motis/Rock Oil Peugeot at Kerlabo.
Philippe has been among the pace-setters at every race this season, regularly setting fast laps and securing race and heat wins, and heads into the event fifth in the championship. At Lessay last year, Philippe was consistently in the top three all weekend, however damage sustained to his SamShield-backed Peugeot prevented him from qualifying. The former Motocross racer is determined to put that disappointment behind him as he embarks on this weekend’s race, where the Supercar class will be fiercely contested across 18 drivers.
Among the quality field, Mark will get his first competitive taste of rallycross action following two days testing at Dreux this week. The Pretoria rally ace successfully completed several runs at Dreux, setting very respectable times in his #124 Peugeot 208.
Andy returns to the driving seat for the first time since Kerlabo, as he concentrated on his role as Team Principal for the FIA European Rallycross Championship pairing of Tommy Rustad and Jere Kalliokoski. With Euro RX now finished, Andy’s sights are set on a solid result this weekend as he bids for a first victory in the domestic championship.
Track action in Lessay gets underway on Saturday with practice from 09.45, ahead of the first two qualifying races from 13.30. On Sunday warm-up takes place from 08.00, followed by two final qualifying races, with the semi-finals and Final from 13.45. All times CEST.
Andy Scott, Team Principal Albatec Racing:
“I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel. We had a solid test at Dreux and I’m feeling very relaxed in the car, and confident that we’ll be able to produce a good result. I’m delighted to welcome Mark into the team this weekend ahead of his World RX debut in South Africa. We had a good two days testing and he acclimatised well to the Peugeot 208. Philippe has proved consistently fast across the season so far, and will I’m sure be equally quick this weekend as he looks to take another win.”
Philippe Maloigne, driver Albatec Racing:
“After the disappointment of Mayenne, I’m really looking forward to returning to Lessay, where we were consistently among the fastest last season. I really like the circuit as it has a good combination of straights and corners, some fast and some slow, and it always produces great racing. We’ve proved many times this season that we have the pace and reliability to win. We’ve had some good joker strategies and some solid results across the weekends, now we need some good luck to help us get the result in the Final that we deserve.”
Mark Cronje, driver Albatec Racing:
“Having had my first experience of Albatec’s Peugeot 208 RX Supercar in testing, it’s been an awesome experience and I’m really looking forward to the weekend. The power itself is not so different, but the explosive power at the start and into the first corner is incredible and was the biggest surprise. It’s been a long time since I’ve raced with other drivers, so I’m looking forward to rubbing shoulders with the best in the championship, and would certainly like to be mixing it with the top guys. The car is engineered well, and it’s great to work with a team that clearly has a passion for rallycross.”
