World RX - Loheac: Three world champions on the track

Ninth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship will take place next weekend at Loheac, France. 37 Supercar drivers are on the entry list for racing at iconic French rallycross track, built 29 years ago. In addition to the list of permanent World RX teams and drivers, a number of stars from across the motorsport spectrum will race in France.

We will see the clash of three world champions from various motorsport discipline. First is of course 2014 World RX champion and 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg in a Citroën DS3. Next to him is 2004 and 2007 DTM champion Mattias Ekström, regular WRX driver with EKS RX Audi S1. Third on the list of champions is 4-time WTCC champion Yvan Muller, who will have his World RX debut with Albatec Racing’s Peugeot 208.

Yvan Muller in Albatec’s Peugeot 208 WRX

Muller’s teammate will be Jerome Grosset-Janin. Also driving a Peugeot 208 at his home event will be Super1600 star Steven Bossard, who will have his International Supercar debut at Loheac, while former WRC driver Francois Duval will make his return to World RX in a Pailler Competition Peugeot 208 alongside the team’s regular Euro RX drivers Fabien and Jonathan Pailler.

Guy Wilks and Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit will drive Mini RXs for the JRM Racing team in its fourth World RX outing of the season, while former winner of the French round of Euro RX, Kevin Procter will race a Ford Fiesta. Former French Champion Marc Laboulle will make his first start since Lydden Hill in May and European Championship regulars Jean Baptiste Dubourg and Tamas Karai add the World RX event into their schedule between Euro RX rounds in Norway and Spain. The most unusual entry is the Olymeca Sport built Renault Logan, the only non-turbo charged car on the grid. The driver of that car will be David Olivier.

Dacia Logan Supercar with 3.5 V6 engine

After eight rounds, championship leader is Petter Solberg with 193 points. Timmy Hansen (Team Peugeot Hansen) is second with 152 points, twelve more than third placed Andreas Bakkerud (Olsbergs MSE). From fourth to tenth there are Davy Jeanney (139), Johan Kristoffersson (135), Reinis Nitiss (122), Mattias Ekström (118), Toomas Heikkinen (95), Per-Gunnar Andersson (63) and Robin Larsson (62).

Team standings are the following: Team Peugeot-Hansen (291), Ford Olsbergs MSE (262), SDRX (218), Marklund Motorsport (174), Volkswagen Team Sweden (161), EKS RX (124), World RX Team Austria (56) and All-Inkl.com Munnich Motorsport (36).