Delecour eyes WRC return on home soil

Francois Delecour, a winner of four world championship rallies during his chequered career, is eager to return to the series this season with Rallye de France his priority.

The 48-year-old, runner-up in the world championship in 1993, was back in action at the wheel of a historic-specification Porsche 911 on a rally in the United Kingdom last weekend and insists he has lost none of his competitive instincts.

Speaking to the British weekly newspaper Motorsport News, Delecour said: “I would love to drive the new WRC for sure, on Rallye de France or another event. I am pushing for it because I have this opportunity with my budget from Romania and the tourist minister there.”

“He would like me to do the Dakar Rally, but I would like to do something in the world championship. They are sure that Dakar would give them good publicity and media, but for my case I would prefer to do WRC and Rallye de France.”

Delecour made his world championship debut back in 1984 and took part on 96 WRC events in total with Ford, Peugeot and Mitsubishi. He won his first WRC qualifier in Portugal in 1993 and made his last appearance in the series on Rally GB back in 2002.

He was a visitor to the Cardiff-based event last November to help celebrate the final appearance in the WRC for Ford’s Focus model, which he drove on 13 occasions in 2001.

The French legend plans to stay rally ready by contesting selected international events in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000.

Rallye de France, which is based in the outskirts of Strasbourg, is due to run from September 29-October 2.