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Griebel relishing topline WRC debut

Junior European champion Marijan Griebel will make his WRC debut at the wheel of a World Rally Car when he tackles his home event - ADAC Rallye Deutschland (16-19 august) - in a Citroën DS 3 WRC.

Griebel has tackled the rally previously with an Opel Adam R2 and a Skoda Fabia R5, finishing eighth in WRC 2 last year, but the step up to a previous generation World Rally Car will be a new challenge for the back-to-back ERC junior title winner.

"It will be even faster and more impressive than an R5 car and, for sure, more fun as well," the 29-year-old explained. "It's a good opportunity to learn, to get some media coverage, and promote myself for the future.

"Okay, I don't have a chance against the drivers in the 2018-specification World Rally Cars, but I can run in a really fast car in a WRC field, which is great for me. My aim for the weekend will be to stay on the road, beat all the R5 competitors, and finish in the top 10 to get some real world championship points."

It will be Griebel's second time in the PH Sport-prepared DS 3, after winning Rallye Lëtzebuerg in Luxembourg in July.

Having got to grips with the car, Griebel hopes local knowledge will give him a boost, with a number of stages running on roads he knows well.

He said: "The rally is in the middle of my home area with everything around 20km of Hahnweiler where I live, so it's a special event for me."

Zdroj: wrc.com