After triumphing in the 2018 Teams Championship with Frederic Gabillon and Ulysse Delsaux, RDV Competition will be back in Valencia on April 13-14 with both its aces in the ELITE 1 Division. Gabillon will drive a new #3 Tepac Toyota Camry, while ELITE 2 Champion Ulysse Delsaux will take the wheel of the #36 Global Civil Services Camaro and both are poised to deliver strong results for the French team.
For Frederic Gabillon 2019 will mark the 7th season of competition in the European NASCAR series and the French driver, who finished second in points for the third time in his career in 2018, will hunt for that elusive title once again despite an ankle injury suffered during the off-season while playing squash.
“I’ll return to normal in one or two weeks and I hope to be ready for our first test because it will be fundamental. With new tyres and new shocks the car will be almost a new one for everybody, so the key will be to understand the new parts and be consistently fast all season long,” said the Uzes, France native, who won twice last year. “The longer ELITE 1 races will also make it more interesting, we have always been fast at the end of the run, but that will depend a lot on how we work the General Tire tyres. I hope my experience and our crew chief’s experience will help us. We really can’t say now. There’s an even stronger competition this year and it will be a great challenge!”
After conquering the ELITE 2 Championship with 3 wins, 3 poles and 9 top-5s out of 12 races, Ulysse Delsaux will take another step in his blossoming career by moving to the ELITE 1 Division to compete against the best NASCAR drivers in Europe. The 22-year-old Troyes native had already raced in the top NWES division in 2016 – finishing 9th in points – and will return more mature and aware of his potential. His Camaro will feature a special number and Delsaux will carry more responsibilities in defining his setup and race strategy.
“I always wanted a number that meant something to me, tied to the history of motorsport. The 36 is the inversion of 63, a tribute to my father Emmanuel, who was born in 1963, the same year my idol Jim Clark won his first Formula 1 World Championship. Last time I competed in ELITE 1 I finished ninth, so this year I want to work with my team, on my car, to fight for the top-10 or the top-5,” said Delsaux. “I will have to take more decision regarding the setup. We’ll have huge competition this year with a Formula 1 World Champion like Jacques Villeneuve coming in and it’s going to be a great challenge for me. I am training hard both physically, mentally and on the simulator and I can’t wait to hit the track.”
While team owner Franck Violas is currently working on the ELITE 2 lineup, looking for ambitious drivers to side with Gabillon and Delsaux, he feels RDV Competition further upped its game to offer the best opportunity to its drivers to reach the ultimate goal.
The team will be on track soon to prepare the April 13-14 Valencia, Spain season opener working to understand the new General Tire tyres and the technical upgrades NASCAR Whelen Euro Series mandated to the Euro NASCAR cars.
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series PR
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