Mehdi Bennani will return to World Touring Car action this weekend in Morocco, when he joins a 15-car grid for the FIA TCR World Tour on the Marrakech circuit.
Bennani, 40, raced full-time in World and European touring cars between 2010 and 2022, but was absent from tin-top competition last year.
The Moroccan will race on his home circuit for the first time since 2019, when the Circuit Moulay el Hassan last featured in international touring car racing as part of the FIA World Touring Car Cup.
The second round of the FIA TCR World Tour this weekend will feature 15 cars, as the full-season contingent of 11 cars is joined by four wildcard entries.
Dušan Borković will race an additional GOAT Racing Honda alongside team owner Rubén Fernández Gil, the duo joining full season drivers Esteban Guerrieri and Marco Butti.
Bennani will line up in a new CUPRA Leon VZ TCR for Team Clairet Sport, with the French outfit also fielding an Audi for endurance racer Julien Piguet.
Bennani won’t be the only Moroccan driver on the grid, though, as Volcano Motorsport is running 22-year-old Sami Taoufik for the full season in one of its Audis alongside John Filippi.
Hyundai’s Norbert Michelisz currently leads the drivers’ standings after the opening round in Vallelunga in Italy, 15 points clear of BRC Racing team-mate Mikel Azcona.
Action gets underway with practice and qualifying on Friday, followed by two races on Saturday at 11:30 local time (equivalent to BST) and 15:30 local time.
For the first time in top level touring car racing, action will take place on the 1.98 km short circuit.
Timetable – Friday
Free Practice 1: 10:00 West Africa Time (WAT), 10:00 BST, 11:00 CEST
Free Practice 2: 13:00 WAT, 13:00 BST, 14:00 CEST
Qualifying: 16:00 WAT, 16:00 BST, 17:00 CEST
Timetable – Saturday
Race 1: 11:30 WAT, 11:30 BST, 12:30 CEST
Race 2: 15:30 WAT, 15:30 BST, 16:30 CEST