Rising French rally star Pierre Campana has netted a drive in a MINI John Cooper Works WRC machine for two rounds of this year's WRC season.
“To be driving a MINI John Cooper Works WRC car is an incredible thought and I will do all I can to uphold the reputation of all these legendary brands. I am incredibly thankful to the FFSA for giving me this incredible honour and would also like to extend my thanks to Drive-Pro for giving me this opportunity.”
Campana will drive the car in Germany and his home round of France with the Team Drive Pro team. Prodrive will have a hand in the car as will the FFSA, who have Campana as leader of the Rally Team France 2011 programme, which has been designed to get French drivers into the WRC, and boasts graduates such as seven-times World Champion Sebastian Loeb and multiple World Rally winner Sebastian Ogier. Campana will get a test in the car and will have his competitive début on the Richard Burns Memorial Rally in nine days time, before his Germany outing in the car.
“I am very proud to have been chosen by the FFSA to wear the colours of Rally Team France. For me it's a great leap forward in my rally career and I cannot wait to begin this exciting new chapter. It will be a big challenge but one which I am confident I can contest to a high level and with complete focus and motivation.” said the 25 year old Corsican.
The French ace is wary that he will have a difficult job ahead of him, having not competed in a WRC event for three years now, though his 2008 Tour de Corse outing netted him third in J-WRC. Adding to this, he has never competed in the Rallye de France in it's current form (based in Alsace) and he has never competed in Germany either.
“I can't wait for the test to get under way at Alès-Cévennes tomorrow. I am keeping my expectations realistic, though, because this will be my first WRC participation since Tour de Corse three years ago. I was not in last year's event at Alsace and this will be my first ever WRC Germany, so I will have plenty to learn in a short space of time. I am going to soak up every minute of this experience and just do my best along this great new journey which has been laid in front of me.” he added.
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