Albatec Racing are prepared for Loheac this weekend as they return for the French round of the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship with an all-French lineup of drivers.

2015 is a mammoth year of rallycross action for Albatec Racing, who have so far competed in the British and European Rallycross Championships as well as selected rounds of the French and World Rallycross Championships.

2015 FIA European Rallycross contender and Mettet EuroRX victor Jerome Grosset-Janin returns to the team as he competes on home ground in one of the Dumfries based teams Peugeot 208 RX Supercars. Grosset-Janin won the French Rallycross Championship in 2013 and is in contention for the 2015 EuroRX title.

“I’m feeling good about my home event, it is good to feel the atmosphere to come, it’s exciting. Loheac is a very special event on the RX calendar, with all its history, it’s the place where rallycross arrived in France nearly 50 years ago and the crowd is also very impressive. It’s a typical French gravel track, so thankfully there’s no dust! I made the podium there when it was a French championship round and the semi final last year, so I have hopes of a great result this year.”

Meanwhile four time FIA World Touring Car Champion and ten time Andros Trophee Champion Yvan Muller joins the team for his first taste of WorldRX action on home turf. The Frenchman recently tested for the team with positive results and is looking forward to his debut.

“I’m very excited about racing in Lohéac, particularly the very first start and the first corner. I spent some time learning the track on a simulator, but of course you can’t compare that to racing there. The cars are great and very fast, and have been designed to be good on both tarmac and gravel, so I’m sure there will be some compromise required. I think the biggest challenge will be to learn how much to attack on the gravel, and indeed the tarmac, to make sure I look after the tyres across the weekend,” explained Muller.

“I don’t have any specific plans, just to explore and to learn, so I have not set myself any goals for the weekend. Rallycross has grown so much, and has a great future ahead of it, and at world championship level I expect the battle to be very intense.”

However Team Principal Andy Scott is aware of the difficult task ahead for the team and drivers for this weekends event.

“This event is probably the biggest event of the year for Albatec as a team; a French car, on a French track, with two French drivers and some of our key personnel are French, so it’s like a home event for us. Personally I love the track, the atmosphere, the crowd, the organisers do a great job and of course IMG as always will put on a great show,” explained Scott.

“In Yvan and Jérome we have two very strong drivers, with a lot of experience between them, however the field is exceptionally strong and the competition fierce, so we’re under no illusions that it will be a tough challenge.”