Terry Folb will become the first driver for the newly formed Sébastien Loeb Racing Junior World Rally Championship programme.

Having announced the team would be heading in to the FIA World Rally Championship with a J-WRC team two weeks ago, Sébastien Loeb revealed the reasons behind choosing the Alsace-born driver.

“We’re delighted to welcome Terry to our team” said Loeb. “He’s young, he’s experienced with both the DS3 R3 Max and the J-WRC and, on top of that, he’s from Alsace too. So he’s got the perfect profile!”

The Alsace-based team was formed four years ago and has been involved in Sportscars and Touring Cars since, the J-WRC programme is the teams first foray in to a very familiar territory for the team’s founder.

“He’s consistently improved since his debut in rallying and the season he completed in 2015 speaks for itself: great results and a very convincing second part of the championship. That’s interesting for what’s to come. It’s also a responsibility for us as Terry is ambitious.” added Loeb.

“We need to enable him to take the next step. Our initial discussions have been positive and constructive. We share the same views on many aspects, in terms of how to approach things or regarding our ambition… He’s a young driver with a good head on his shoulders. He knows where he wants to go. It was important for Dominique and me to choose an all-round driver, i.e. with great qualities behind the wheel and beyond.”

Co-founder Dominique Heintz along with Loeb have employed the services of former co-driver Daniel Elena as they look to take Folb to the top of the class that he finished third in last season.

“I’m simply really looking forward to starting working with the Sébastien Loeb Racing” said an excited Folb. “In 2015, the aim was to improve and to move up a notch by entering in the J-WRC, and I think I did a good job.

“I didn’t necessarily expect to join a team like that of Sébastien Loeb and Dominique Heintz, but I’m very happy! There cannot be any better teacher than Sébastien himself. It’s a fantastic opportunity for a driver, and even more so coming from Alsace. I’m convinced that I’m going to learn a lot.

“Sébastien will be a real asset to my progress. The team is very professional and well-structured. Fortunately I already know a couple of its members. Usually there’re supposed to be one year to learn then one year to win. We’re sharing the same ambition!”

The 25-year-old will be joined by regular co-driver Frank Le Floch as they undergo preparation for the first round of the championship in Portugal in May (20-22).