Reigning French Junior Rally champion Axel Garcia will rub shoulders with the global elite at the Rallye de France – Alsace on 3-5 October, the flagship event of his official programme with Renault Sport Technologies and a major landmark in his fledgling career. “It’s a boyhood dream for me,” he said. “Just to be a rally driver was a dream, but to be competing in a world championship event as an official Renault Sport driver is an incredible opportunity, especially with a new car like the Clio R3T. Fabien and I can’t wait to get to the start line.”

Before they do so, Axel Garcia and Fabien Pomares will be putting the Renault Clio R3T through its paces in a test session and driving in the East Belgian Rally. “We’ve invited Axel to the event as part of the commercial launch of the Clio R3T,” said Renault Sport Technologies Team Manager Sylvain Alanore. “He’ll be looking to safeguard his position as an official driver by performing as well as he possibly can. What with the test session as well, which will take place at the East Belgian Rally, Axel and Fabien will arrive in Strasbourg with a good feel for the Renault Clio R3T.”

Having taken part in several rounds of the French Rally Championship in the Renault Twingo R.S. R2 Evo, Axel Garcia is stepping up a level, at the wheel of a car destined to become the benchmark for 2WDs. “The Clio R3T is incredibly efficient,” said the Herault driver. “You can go very fast and still keep calm as it offers an awful lot of traction. It’s a car that showed what it can do at Mont Blanc, and I hope to continue on the same path, first at the East Belgian Rally and then at the Rallye de France – Alsace. It’s a big challenge, with my first rally outside France and then my first world championship event. Doing 300 kilometres of specials will be a new experience for me, but I’ve been preparing physically for this for the last few weeks.”

With the reigning French Junior Rally champion coming to the end of his 2014 programme, these two outings in the Clio R3T will be crucial to his development as a top-level driver. “It’s an important couple of weeks in Axel’s career as an official driver,” added Sylvain Alanore. “It’s an opportunity for him to make an impact against the kind of opposition he’s never had to face before. A lot’s expected of him and he’ll be determined to prove his worth. Renault Sport Technologies has always played a part in bringing new talent through, and we’ll be there to help him meet what is a fascinating sporting challenge.”