FIA World Rallycross Championship Ace Reinis Nitiss has announced that he will take part in this weekend’s opening round of the 2018 24H Series, the Dubai 24 Hours.

The Latvian driver has confirmed that he will make his debut in the event at the wheel of the AC Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS in the TCR Endurance class. Nitiss will join Frenchmen Stephane Perrin and Alexandre Renneteau in the TCR Endurance entry with experienced Touring Car driver Vincent Radermecker completing the Belgian team’s lineup.

After having a difficult season in the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship where he drove the third entry for the EKSRX squad, Nitiss sees this new event as part of a “New Year, New Opportunities, New Challenges,” during an off season where he has yet to confirm that he has signed with a World RX team for 2018.

“Although I have previously participated in other tests of Motorsport, I am sure that after I have finished on Saturday afternoon, I will be able to confirm that the experience gained so far is by no means comparable to the survivors of the last running of the 24 hours.”

However, Nitiss will not go into the event completely un-prepared and he is thankful of the assistance that he will gain once in Dubai in the build up to the 24 hour event.

“I do not currently have the smallest an idea of ​​what to expect from the competition, so thank you very much to Harald Sklenelmilham who found the time and the opportunity to join me in Dubai and give me some valuable advice on how to improve my performance.”

Whilst most of his career has been in either Rallycross or Rally competition, the Latvia driver is looking forward to a different challenge where speed tempered with endurance is the best way to reach the finish and potentially take a class win.

“In this event where distance and duration will be the longest in my career, I’ll start with a completely differently built car in a technically different way. In the race where the maximum speed is much higher than what we reach in rallycross, each of the lowest inaccuracies and errors can cost a lot.”

“However this will provide me with new knowledge, experience, and also the emotions that will make it easier to prepare for the start of the race!”