Twelve months after his first participation in the WRC, Romain Dumas will once again take part in the Rallye de France-Alsace, October 3-6. The official Porsche driver will compete in the 11th round of the World Rally Championship behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta RS WRC prepared by M-Sport with Romain Dumas Rallye Team running the car. With his usual co-driver, Matthieu Baumel, unavailable due to previous engagements, Romain will drive with the experienced Denis Giraudet.
« My first steps in WRC last year were very interesting and I wanted to return to the international stage again this season » explains Romain Dumas, who finished 16th in the Rallye de France-Alsace 2012. « The opportunity to drive the Ford Fiesta presented itself and I took it. Of course, my objectives will be a little higher because I now have some experience in this rally, but I’m still focused on learning and I’m especially humble in my approach to this challenge. Alsace is a difficult event and the competition is top notch. I’m a race track guy, with experience in rallies, sure, but in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS ! Thanks to what I learned in my previous participation, I’m hoping to do better. A top ten finish would be a good result. But the primary mission will be, as always, to be there at the end in order to gain as much experience as possible. »
After competing in the 2012 Rallye de France-Alsace in a Mini John Cooper Works WRC, Romain Dumas opted for a Ford Fiesta RS WRC this year. « I’ll drive the car for the first time about 10 days before the rally » said the French driver. « I can’t way to discover what the Ford Fiesta RS is like, which has shown a good level of performance. We’ll have support from M-Sport, but my team will be in charge of running it, which is also another step up from last year. Without a doubt, it will reveal what we’re made of. After regional and national rallies, and Pikes Peak, my team’s progression continues via the WRC. »
Official Porsche driver since 2004 in endurance racing, Romain Dumas made his rally debut in 2007 with his own team and a Porsche 911 GT3 RS developed on his own. Most notably, he had several podium finishes in the French Rally Championship, as well as three Grand Challenge wins at Alès, France. Latest winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LM GTE Pro category, Romain is actively participating in the development of the new Porsche LM P1, which will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014.
Source : Romain Dumas