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World RX 2018: New team, proven pedigree for GC Kompetition

Team: GC Kompetition

Car: Renault Megane R.S.

Drivers: Guerlain Chicherit, Jerome Grosset-Janin

2017 Teams' Championship: N/A

It is the car many have been eager to get a closer look at... and not just because the all-new Renault Megane RS and GC Kompetition represent a colourful addition to the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy this season.

Though the machine won't be revealed in its full ‘war paint' until later this week at an official launch in Paris, the striking silhouette has certainly been turning heads in pre-season testing regardless.

More significantly, so has its performance after drivers Guerlain Chicherit and Jerome Grosset-Janin posted immediately competitive lap times during pre-season testing at Silverstone. A new car and a new team aside, for many the pace of the GCK Renault Megane RS will come as little surprise given the significant input of renowned engineering firm Prodrive.

The British company has been involved in the ambitious GCK project from the ground up and brings huge experience from its title-winning stints in the World Rally Championship with Subaru, sportscar racing with Aston Martin and touring car series' across the globe. It's no stranger to rallycross either having developed a MINI RX based on the car it ran for a time in the WRC.

This however marks its most dedicated World RX effort, with rival Petter Solberg - who won the 2003 WRC in the Prodrive-prepared Subaru Impreza - saying there is no reason why the team cannot be in the mix from round one, while those with a keen eye for detail have already spotted some interesting design quirks under the skin.

For Monster athlete Chicherit - the ‘GC' in GCK - the project is the culmination of a huge effort to do more than simply drive at the highest level in World RX and he is excited about both his and the car's potential given the impressive foundations that have been set.

"It's always important to dream big," the eight-time Dakar Rally participant stated. "It is ambitious and we have been working really hard for this. When you start something like this you try to make it good and you work as hard as you can. The whole team - Prodrive and GCK - have been involved in this full-time but it is brand-new, so we will see how we fare."

Though Grosset-Janin brings greater rallycross experience to the table compared with fellow Frenchman Chicherit, 2018 will mark his first-ever full-time World RX campaign. However, as a two-time runner-up in Euro RX, the 33-year old is arguably a ‘rookie' in name only.

"I am a sportsman and I am professional, I have trained all my life so reaching the world championship has always been my main target and I am very happy to be here with Guerlain," he said.

"I am feeling very good and happy to be part of this project. There is a lot of expectation and it will be very interesting to see how we fare. Nothing will be easy with this level of competition, but I am very confident with what we are doing."

Zdroj: fiaworldrallycross.com