Denis Dupont has explained that his withdrawal from the full-season entry list for the TCR Europe series in 2019 has been down to last-minute financial pressures which he has been unable to find solutions to.
Dupont had originally been confirmed as being part of a two-car RACB National Team assault with Gilles Magnus for the 2019 season.
But the team, run by Comtoyou Racing, will now only run the one Audi RS3 LMS for Magnus after Dupont’s plans fell through at the last minute.
The Belgian driver, who raced in the FIA World Touring Car Cup in 2018, announced his change of plans on Thursday night, and he has now explained the situation in more context.
“The official announcement is from yesterday: I will not be competing in the TCR Europe Championship this season,” said Dupont. “This is obviously a surprise but also a big disappointment. That will not stop me from moving forward.
“I am a driver and a driver is above all there to win, this spirit did not leave me with this announcement.
“Just like a driver can suffer the technical damage to his car during a season without that jeopardising his professional skills, I suffered from external elements and decisions which, let me be clear, put me in a delicate position.
“This snag in my course will not stop me from bouncing, even stronger.”
Dupont, 26, is determined to put the strife behind him and learn from the challenges which have left him without a drive for the coming season.
“The reasons for my non-participation are simple: the conditions set by the team in financial terms have evolved to the point that, just a few days before the launch of the Championship, I cannot find viable solutions to fill the financial gap.
“This misadventure, added to the abortion of a 2019 program originally centred around the WTCR, will make me in the future more cautious and allow me to professionalise my commitment.
“As Malcom Forbes [American founder of Forbes magazine] put it, ‘A failure is a success if we remember something’.
“I also want to warmly thank for those who have allowed me to reach my goals to this day and, I have no doubt, who will continue to support me in my career in the future as well as all the people who sent me their encouragement.
“May they be reassured, I will be there, even stronger tomorrow.”