On the rally scene since the end of 2007 alonside his official Porsche circuit engagements, Romain Dumas is now getting ready for a big first : he will take part in the Rallye de France – Alsace. In doing so, the French driver will participate in his first World Rally Championship event October 4-7. He will be driving a Mini John Cooper Works WRC prepared by French team Automeca.
« This participatioin in the Rallye de France – Alsace lines up exactly with my philosophy in rallying: I always want to do better and to move forward » explains Romain Dumas, who finished third in this year’s Rallye Lyon- Charbonnières. « After driving in the French Cup and in the French Championship, I wanted to take the next step, that’s to say the world level. The timing was right this season and a good opportunity presented itself with the Automeca Mini WRC. I jumped on the chance ! »
Used to driving his Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which he helped develop alonside his own team, Romain Dumas will be discovering a new car, the Mini WRC. With his usual co-driver, Matthieu Baumel, he will also be making his debut in Alsace. As a result, the objective is a humble one. « My goal is clear : reach the finish » underlines the official Porsche driver. « Between the level of competition and the characteristics of the course, the Rallye de France – Alsace will allow me to complete a max of kilometers and gather as much experience as possible. I won’t have a chance to drive the Mini WRC before we tackle the first special stages, so it will be like on the job training. The rally is long, and I’ll use that to try to gather momentum and raise the pace as we go. It will certainly be a very good learning experience and an interesting one too. I’m excited to discover all of it : the WRC in general, driving the Mini, the stages and also the atmosphere of Alsace. »
A seasons of challenges…
With this participation in the Rallye de France – Alsace, Romain Dumas adds a new challenge to a season that was already full of them. « It’s a bit of a crazy year » he admits. « Outside of my circuit commitments, I had a great adventure at Pikes Peak with my team, with a class win and second place overall. Coming up, I will be at Petit Le Mans with Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and of course this big debut in WRC competition that represents a relatively big step. It’s a new exciting challenge to take on ! »
Source : Romain Dumas