South African rally champion Cronje to make WRX debut

The 39-year old has experience of competing a range of machinery in both rally and karting, and drove an M-Sport-built Ford Fiesta WRC car in the UK in 2013. He was present for the launch of the Killarney rallycross track late last year and tested a single-make RX2 International Series car on the circuit. 

Cronje will be the first South African driver to participate in a round of the series. “

I’m really looking forward to racing in World RX, and love the fact that it will be in front of all my supporters,” he said.

“I’ve been competing in motorsport for 27 years and previously won the Rotax Max World Final in South Africa in 2003, and it was unbelievable. I have no rallycross experience, just a very kind sponsor who enjoys throwing me in at the deep end!

“It’s going to be very different as we will be rubbing door handles with the other competitors, and it’s going to bring back some great memories of when I competed on tarmac.

"I’ve done some circuit racing, its where I cut my teeth and I have a few karting championships to my name, so I’m very excited to be racing against other people again.”

Mark Cronje

Photo by: Tom Banks

The Dumfries-based Albatec Racing squad currently fields a pair of cars in the European Rallycross Championship for former BTCC star Tommy Rustad and Jere Kalliokoski.

It will run a second 208 Supercar - alongside title contender Philippe Maloigne - in a round of the French Rallycross Championship at Lessay in early October for Cronje, following a two-day test for him to get acclimatised to the car.