Duval to contest World RX Latvia round

The Belgian driver, who is a regular competitor in his home round of World RX, will deputise for the absent Jean-Baptiste Dubourg in a DA Racing Eurodatacar Peugeot 208.

Dubourg, a two-time Andros Trophy champion, is a permanent driver in the World RX series but will skip the Latvian round to be with his partner Adeline Sangnier, also a rallycross Supercar racer, for the birth of their first child.

"When I received the proposal, I did not hesitate for a second,” said Duval. “I haven’t had the opportunity to carry out a single meter of testing with the car and I need to learn a new circuit too.

"But, this shouldn’t penalise me too much I don’t think. DA Racing Eurodatacar is a private team that is taking on the factory teams, it’s a little bit like David against Goliath, but the challenge is very exciting. I hope the weather conditions will be changeable, which will level the difference in power of the cars.

"It’s difficult to set an exact target, but I will do everything to give the maximum I can, to thank the Dubourg family and all of the DA Racing Eurodatacar Team for their confidence in me.”

Duval’s best rallycross result was in 2010, when he won his home round of the European Championship at Maasmechelen.

The former works Ford and Citroen WRC driver finished fifth at the Mettet round of World RX in 2016, racing an OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta, and 15th in this years’ event in an Albatec Racing-run Peugeot 208.