Team ORECA returns to rally !

Besides collaborating with Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) in Endurance as part of TOYOTA Racing’s Le Mans project, ORECA is also about to return to rally ! Indeed the French team will embark on a twofold programme in 2015, taking part in several rounds of the WRC2 and the WRC3, entering one car in each class. ORECA will be involved in the discipline throughout several years as Eric Camilli and Teemu Suninen, members of TMG’s Junior Driver Development Program, will take on that new 2015 sporting challenge.

Team ORECA returns to rally !

Historically present in many disciplines and having racked up over 40 national and international titles, Team ORECA will return to rally this season. After a first experience in the early 80s, particularly with the BMW M1, Hugues de Chaunac’s squad marked the early 00s with two triumphs in the French Rally Championship (2002, 2003), a title in Spain (2004) while also becoming European Champion (2004) and Junior World Rally Champion (2003). ORECA clinched no less than 35 wins over that period of time !

Time has come for a return to rally, with an international twofold programme. Team ORECA will compete in several rounds of the WRC2 (second major rally competition after the World Rally Championship) as well as in the WRC3, each driver taking part in at least 6 rallies in total. More details about those entries will be unveiled soon.

WRC2 and WRC3 with, members of TMG’s Junior Driver Development Program Eric Camilli and Teemu Suninen !}

Eric Camilli, FFSA Rally French Team member, who has been an Oreca-Store.com driver for several years and has now also become a member of TMG’s Junior Driver Development Program, will compete in the WRC2. Born in Nice (France), he received a Rallye Jeunes award in 2012 before distinguishing himself with several wins as part of the Citroën Junior Trophy in 2013 and then most recently in the 208 Rally Cup in 2014. Actually, Eric Camilli was also awarded a Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy for its performance in the Tour de Corse last year. His 2015 season kicked off with his first participation in the Monte-Carlo Rally which he completed as WRC2’s best performer, coming in fourth place in his class.

Also a member of TMG’s Junior Driver Development Program, Teemu Suninen will compete in the WRC3. 21 years old only, he represents the Finnish upcoming generation. Having competed in rallycross, he has already earned a good reputation since making his debut in rally in 2013. With a class win in the 2014 Rally Finland, his first steps in WRC3 did not go unnoticed! That same year, he also won the Fiesta Sport Trophy.

“Our return to rally is fantastic news for all of the ORECA Group !” explains ORECA Group’s CEO Hugues de Chaunac. “We have great memories from our past campaigns and today we’re really looking forward to competing in that discipline again.

"It’s an interesting programme which spreads over several years and focuses on rising talents. Actually, providing support and training to young drivers has always been a foremost priority for us, whatever the type of competition. We want to be humble in our way of approaching this challenge : we are fully aware that the WRC2 stands as a highly competitive and close-fought class. We’re very happy to be able to count on Eric Camilli, a driver we’ve been following for several years now. Teemu Suninen is a promising young driver.”

Team ORECA’s WRC2 and WRC3 programmes will begin in Portugal at the end of May.