French junior to make history in Latvia

Rising star Stéphane Lefebvre and co-driver Thomas Dubois will make history this week when they give Peugeot’s 208 R2 its debut in the FIA European Rally Championship.

The French pair will chase ERC 2WD Championship honours on Rally Liepāja-Ventspils from 1-3 February as part of the Saintéloc Peugeot Rally Academy.
Peugeot’s 208 R2 made its competition debut on Rallye Sanremo last October (pictured). Since then the company has sold 71 cars with many more sales expected.

Nineteen-year-old Lefebvre, the Volant 207 Junior class winner in 2012, has never rallied on snow and ice before. He said: “I don’t feel anxious, I’m just looking forward to trying something new, but I presume it must be a bit like rallying on gravel. It will be nice to see how I compare with the R2 class’s top drivers and I hope to be able to get closer to their times towards the end of the rally.”

While Lefebvre might be new to snow and ice, he does at least have some knowledge of the 208 R2: “I did some endurance runs in the 208 R2 during its development, so I know it quite well,” he said.