Photo : LAURENT CARTALADE / VSA

 

Along with co-driver Denis Giraudet, Dumas will start a new chapter in the RD Limited prepared Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4,0l story. This unique car, developed especially for this event, will be making its race debut! Since his beginnings in rally in 2007, Romain Dumas has developed his own squad, RD Rallye Team, over the course of several seasons. The team will be in charge of running a new car in the World Rally Championship: the Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4,0l. « Taking on the Rallye de France with the Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4,0l? It’s simply a huge moment ! » admits the winner of the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans. « The first talks of this idea go back to 2010 so it’s been a long time coming, but I wanted everything to be right. And I feel that’s the case today. The first shakedown of the car was realised a few days ago after three months of intensive and impressive work from the team. It’s a different type of preparation and different approach needed with the FIA homologation process. It’s also a different philosophy : we will have less power and more weight than usual. But it’s an incredibly exciting project ! We have been working on the Porsche 911 type 997 for four years now, and this one is clearly the most advanced. »

Until now, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4,0l – of which only 600 street versions were built – had never raced before. The Rallye de France will therefore be the grand debut. The car is the fruit of hard workd and development led by RD Limited, the label created by Romain Dumas for Porsches prepared for rallying. In addition, Porsche France was intent on bringing logistical support to help in Romain Dumas’ challenge. Marc Ouayoun, general director of Porsche France, is excited : « When Romain Dumas told me about his plans to take part in the Alsace Rallye with a Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 type 997, I didn’t hesitate for a second to offer him Porsche France’s support. Romain is one of the greatest French drivers, and the only one of his compatriots to be part of the official Porsche 919 Hybrid LM P1 team. His enthusiasm is only equaled by his passion for the Porsche brand and I’m sure he will perform well and be up to the challenge of this Rallye de France-Alsace. »

With this new weapon, the RD Rallye Team is getting ready to take on a new challenge. For Romain Dumas, humility is still key. « Although the project is nice, we want to stay realistic and the goal is clear : we have to be there at the finish, » he confirms. « I’m proud to be racing in this unique car! But the challenge is not easy : it’s the car’s first outing so we don’t know where we stand compared to competitors and we have a lot to learn. Everything is new. We’re also taking the step from French Rally Championship to World Rally Championship, and in this situation our experience at Pikes Peak was important even if the conditions are totally different. And finally, it’s a special event for me on a personal level as well : I’ve waited a long time to drive a Porsche in the WRC and now I get to do so against François Delecour, who was my idol when I was a younger spectator on the stages. It will be a nice moment. »

(Based upon Romain Dumas press information)

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, DRIVERS' PARADE, FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014. After competing in the Rallye de France, Romain Dumas (on the microphone) will join his team mates Marc Lieb (right) and Neel Jani (centre) for the next round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Fuji Speedway on October 12.