The Frenchman's programme is in preparation for the 2018 edition of the championship, which he will contest with GCK, in a Prodrive-built Renault Megane.

In 2017, Chicherit will race a Clio run by Fors Performance in the full French Rallycross Championship and at World RX events in Barcelona (Spain), Hockenheim (Germany), Mettet (Belgium), Hell (Norway), Loheac (France) and Cape Town (South Africa).

“The idea is to give me more experience and more confidence, just to understand the sport as much as possible to be ready for 2018, when I will be racing with the new Megane,” said Chicherit.

The Clio Supercar that Chicherit will race was used to win two events in the 2016 French championship, one of the most competitive domestic rallycross series, in the hands of Fabien Chanoine.

Jerome Grosset-Janin used the car for a campaign in the European Rallycross Championship in 2014 and finished on the podium at Lydden Hill.

Although the new GCK Megane will be officially launched at the Loheac World RX event in September, the car won’t be raced this year. Instead it will undergo extensive testing behind closed doors in preparation for 2018.

Three Megane Supercars will be built by Prodrive at its Banbury base, with two of the new machines being used by Chicherit and a yet to be confirmed teammate in World RX 2018.