Eurosport Events’ François Ribeiro says that the new FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) will be ‘a good place’ for young talent to develop, after young Belgian Denis Dupont became the first confirmed entry for 2018.
25-year-old Dupont has again attracted support from the Belgian Royal Automobile Club (RACB), allowing him to enter the forthcoming WTCR season with Comtoyou Racing in an Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
Eurosport Event’s boss Ribeiro believes that this shows the new WTCR is a good fit for young drivers looking to build their profile in touring car circles.
“We are very pleased to welcome Denis Dupont to the FIA World Touring Car Cup for what we hope will be the start of a successful and exciting adventure,” said Ribeiro. “Denis will be confronted with an extremely competitive field so there’s no doubt that WTCR will be a good place for young talents like him to showcase their skills.”
“It speaks wonders of the drive and ambition of a national federation to back a young driver with financial support to allow them to run at international level and the RACB should be applauded for its fantastic level of commitment.
“We also look forward to working with Comtoyou Racing, a leading TCR International Series outfit with a strong reputation for success.”
Geoffroy Theunis, Manager of the RACB National Team is looking forward to continuing to work with Dupont for a third straight season.
“We are delighted that Denis can compete in the brand new FIA World Touring Car Cup,” said Theunis. “It’s a great challenge for the RACB National Team to be able to line up a red, yellow and black car in a world championship as hotly contested as this one.”
Dupont himself is looking forward to stepping into the Audi RSA3, having previously raced a SEAT León TCR in 2017.
“I will never be able to show my true gratitude for the exceptional opportunity that the RACB and Comtoyou have given me,” added Dupont. “I will be part of this growing international series, get more track time than ever before and drive an Audi RS3 LMS from Comtoyou Racing, which is obviously very powerful.
“Of course, I know almost none of the circuits but I have so many opportunities to be able to show my value and I hope to climb onto the podium several times.”