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Fifteen young drivers racing to go in Portugal

Preview JWRCFifteen crews are set to line up at the second round of the FIA Junior WRC, in Portugal.
In their DS 3 R3-MAXs, these under-28 year-old drivers are all aiming to claim the title which will secure them a drive for next season's FIA WRC2 in a DS 3 R5.
The Frenchman Quentin Gilbert currently leads the championship standings after his win at Rallye Monte-Carlo, ahead of the German Christian Riedemann and the Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby.
The leading programme for world rallying's promising youngsters, the FIA Junior WRC is increasingly establishing itself an essential stepping stone for young drivers. The partnership instigated last year between Citroën Racing and the FIA has been a resounding success, with eighteen drivers aged under 28 registered for this season.

A popular category with crews from eleven different countries in Europe and Asia, the FIA Junior WRC now also relies on the competitiveness of DS 3 R3-MAX. The benchmark in the two-wheel drive category stands out thanks to its impressive performances on all surfaces and its particularly modest maintenance costs.

The formula created almost fifteen years ago has always produced the top drivers. Sébastien Loeb (2001), Dani Solà (2002), Dani Sordo (2005), Sébastien Ogier (2008), Martin Prokop (2009) and Stéphane Lefebvre (2014) have all won titles in the category dedicated to young rally drivers with Citroën Racing. Kris Meeke and Thierry Neuville have equally taken advantage of this category to cut their teeth in the World Championship.

In 2015, there are seven events on the FIA Junior WRC calendar. The drivers can choose six rallies at which they wish to score points. There will therefore be fifteen crews competing in Portugal out of a total of eighteen contenders.

After winning the class at Rallye Monte-Carlo, French driver Quentin Gilbert is the early favourite to succeed Stéphane Lefebvre as champion. With the second-placed German Christian Riedemann missing the Portugal round, Quentin has a golden opportunity to extend his lead.

Third in Monte-Carlo, the Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby leads the FIA WRC3 after winning in Sweden. On gravel, he'll be hoping to show off his considerable talent and be a credit to the "Norwegian school" led by Mads Østberg, who is currently second in the WRC.

Although the rally changes region this year, the Italian Simone Tempestini will nonetheless be looking to make use of the experience acquired last year in Portugal when he finished sixth. The Hungarian Kornel Lukacs will be thinking the same thing after he took twelfth place in 2014 with his DS 3 R3.

For French driver Charlotte Dalmasso, the only woman taking part, the Irishman Daniel McKenna and the Frenchman Terry Folb, Rally de Portugal will also be their second event of the season. And whereas Charlotte Dalmasso brilliantly scored her first points in the FIA Junior WRC last time out, Daniel McKenna and Terry Folb were forced to retire on the Monaco stages.

Although they missed the opening round on the Mediterranean coast, the Emirati Mohammed Al Mutawaa, the Finn Henri Haapamaki and the Swiss Federico Della Casa all competed in the 2014 FIA Junior WRC and begin their campaign this year in Portugal.

For the Briton Osian Pryce, the Irishman Dean Raftery and the French drivers Pierre-Louis Loubet, Jean-René Perry and Matthieu Margaillan, this new formula Rally de Portugal will be their maiden appearance in the FIA Junior WRC.

One interesting point is that the rally is a homecoming of sorts for the Loubet family. The youngest in the category at just 18 years old, Pierre-Louis Loubet is set to take part in only his second rally at an event at which his father Yves secured a World Championship podium in 1988. Yves Loubet was European Champion and claimed four podium finishes in the WRC.

In addition to the Drivers' and Co-drivers' titles and the Nations Trophy awarded after Wales Rally GB, the winner of the FIA Junior WRC will earn the chance to drive a DS 3 R5 at six rounds of the 2016 WRC2. Last season's winner, Stéphane Lefebvre will be competing at Rally de Portugal in a DS 3 R5. He currently lies fourth in the championship.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

Ole Christian Veiby: "My goal was to compete in the World Championship this season. The Junior championship offers a great opportunity to drive on the WRC roads. The DS 3 R5 promised to the winner is also a very big draw. This first year should enable me to acquire a lot of experience. This season got off to a very good start with a podium at Rallye Monte-Carlo. The feeling is good in the DS 3 R3-MAX. The fact that Rally de Portugal is practically a new event will shake things up a bit. I know that it will be very closely contested because it's pretty open, a lot of drivers have a chance of being among the front-runners. I'd be pleased with a top 5 finish, and maybe a podium will be possible!"

Pierre-Louis Loubet: "I started racing competitively in karting. At fifteen years old, when it was time to move into single-seaters, the costs involved were too high. So I became interested in rally, which my dad was very pleased about. Last year, I did some testing in an R2. When it came to choosing a programme for this season, we decided it would be preferable to start with the FIA Junior WRC to learn about racing at that level. I took part in my first rally in April. I really liked the DS 3 R3-MAX. It has enormous potential. My aim is to finish this Rally de Portugal. It will only be my second rally, but if we can go quickly, then it would great to show it!"

THE FIFTEEN CREWS ENTERED

51 - Charlotte Dalmasso (FRA) / Marine Delon (FRA)
Date of birth: 15 October 1991
Team: ISC Distribution
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 8th

52 - Simone Tempestini (ITA) / Matteo Chiarcossi (ITA)
Date of birth: 12 August 1994
Team: Napoca Rally Team / Keane Motorsport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 4th

53 - Ole Christian Veiby (NOR) / Anders Jaeger (NOR)
Date of birth: 17 June 1996
Team: Printsport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 3rd

54 - Daniel Mc Kenna (IRL) / Andrew Grennan (IRL)
Date of birth: 3 April 1987
Team: RR Logistic
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, retired

55 - Mohammed Al Mutawaa (ARE) / Stephen McAuley (GBR)
Date of birth: 2 December 1992
Team: Abu Dhabi Racing
2015 results: first round

58 - Terry Folb (FRA) / Franck Le Floch (FRA)
Date of birth: 26 May 1990
Team: Daumas Racing / Allsports Management
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, retired

59 - Kornel Lukacs (HUN) / Mark Mesterhazi (HUN)
Date of birth: 5 September 1991
Team: Gekon
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 7th

60 - Quentin Gilbert (FRA) / Renaud Jamoul (BEL)
Date of birth: 29 May 1989
Team: DG Sport
2015 results: Monte-Carlo, 1st

62 - Henri Haapamäki (FIN) / Marko Salminen (FIN)
Date of birth: 6 January 1989
Team: Hannu's Rally Team
2015 results: first round

63 - Federico Della Casa (CHE) / Domenico Pozzi (ITA)
Date of birth: 11 July 1991
Team: Delta Rally
2015 results: first round

64 - Osian Pryce (GBR) / Dale Furniss (GBR)
Date of birth: 24 February 1993
Team: Autosport Technology
2015 results: first round

65 - Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Victor Bellotto (FRA)
Date of birth: 18 February 1997
Team: PH Sport
2015 results: first round

66 - Jean-René Perry (FRA) / Joshua Reibel (FRA)
Date of birth: 25 December 1992
Team: MY Racing / Allsports Management
2015 results: first round

67 - Dean Raftery (IRL) / John Higgins (IRL)
Date of birth: 19 June 1991
2015 results: first round

68 - Matthieu Margaillan (FRA) / Mathilde Margaillan (FRA)
Date of birth: 14 October 1986
Team: AFC Racing
2015 results: first round

2015 CALENDAR

22-25 January Rallye Monte-Carlo
21-24 May Rally de Portugal
2-7 July Rally Poland
30 July - 2 August Rally Finland
1-4 October Rallye de France
22-25 October Rally de España
12-15 November Wales GB Rally