Spaniard Pepe Oriola will reunite with Campos Racing for the 2018 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR), partnering John Filippi in a new CUPRA TCR car.
Oriola has spent the past three seasons racing in the TCR International Series with SEAT and Craft-Bamboo Racing, after previously competing in the World Touring Car Championship full-time between 2011 and 2013, predominantly in SEAT machinery before completing the 2013 season in a Chevrolet.
The announcement marks the return of Oriola to the Eurosport-run FIA touring car series, where he previously took one win in 2013. The 23-year-old has since scored eight wins in TCR.
“It’s going to be a complicated year, but it will also be rewarding,” said Oriola. “I’m going to make the most of the opportunity that SEAT and CUPRA have given me, as they have always believed in me as a driver.
“I will try to reward them on the track. I am very happy to take part in the WTCR with a completely Spanish team – we have known each other for years, which is an advantage for us.
“The calendar is very interesting. I will go to many circuits that I do not know, but I will start from Marrakech, where I won my first race in the WTCC, and I will come back to Macau, which is a really unpredictable place.”
The Head of SEAT Sport, Jaime Puig, who has followed Oriola around the world in the TCR International Series in recent years, is looking forward to continuing to work with the Spanish driver.
“I am very happy that Oriola gets to race the TCR Cupra in WTCR,” added Puig. “Pepe has grown a lot in SEAT León Eurocup, coming in the WTCC and gaining successes in the TCR Series.”
President of the new SEAT brand CUPRA, Antonio Labate, says that Oriola will fit in with the new brand image of the marque.
“Pepe Oriola is a very young and passionate rider who loves to face challenges with determination and determination: this is exactly the spirit of Cupra,” added Labate.