Racing legend and former Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve was in Kent at the weekend.
The 42-year-old was getting to grips with Lydden Hill and the rallycross circuit ahead of his debut in the FIA World Rallycross Championship this season.
The series heads to Lydden for the second round of the season over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend in May and Jacques will be competing along with Kent’s very own Liam Doran, as well as a guest appearance from British Touring Car Championship Andrew Jordan.
Though hugely experienced in grand prix and IndyCar as well as at Le Mans where he finished second for Peugeot in 2008, Villeneuve faces new challenges racing one of the latest generation World RX Supercars. The flame-spitting Peugeot 208 prepared by Albatec Racing that he will be driving boasts more than 600bhp and thanks to its turbo and four-wheel-drive can accelerate to 60mph faster than an F1 car.
Albatec Racing Team Principal Andy Scott knows that the more time Villeneuve spends in the car the better it is when the season gets underway.
He said: “It is vital that he gets as much track time as possible, on different circuits, to help him acclimatise to a world rallycross car.
“We chose Lydden Hill, the home of rallycross in the UK, as it is the perfect circuit for this, providing a good mixture of challenges, requiring very fast and precise lines and braking points.
“It was also good for him to drive on a rallycross circuit that’s on the world championship schedule, as it gives him the chance to experience the whole atmosphere of racing in an amphitheatre circuit,” continued Scott, who was clearly pleased with Villeneuve’s swift progress. “As expected, he was immediately fast and just got quicker and quicker as the day progressed.”
Villeneuve, too, was delighted to be given a chance to experience the delights of the historic Kent circuit where rallycross was first conceived back in the 1960s.
He said: “To come to Lydden Hill is great, it’s fast, a real fun track with quite high speeds. It was also great to finally drive on a proper FIA World Rallycross Championship track with a combination of asphalt and graveI. It’s a nice circuit, it’s how tracks used to be made as it follows the lay of the land.”
Lydden Hill has already announced a raft of upgrades in preparation for its very first world championship motor sport event. What’s more, several famous names have already confirmed that they will be rolling up their sleeves to compete in the premier World RX Supercar class. Petter Solberg, the 2003 FIA World Rally Champion, is one of a number of international stars contesting the full FIA World Rallycross Championship.
Tickets for the British round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill on 24-25 May – with discounts of up to 20 per cent for those booking in advance – are available via the official www.lyddenhill.co.uk website. Accompanied children aged 12 and under are admitted free.