Multiple World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller has what it takes to set top 10 times on Rallye de France Alsace this week.
The French star is lining up for his third appearance on his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship, this time at the wheel of a Prodrive-run MINI John Cooper Works WRC.
Following a 60-kilometre test in the United Kingdom last week, Prodrive WRC Team chief Dave Wilcock admitted Muller had excelled and would have little adapting to his third choice of car in as many years.
“I both rode in the car with him and watched him drive last week and you could see him steadily adapting his driving style to suit the MINI’s four-wheel- drive chassis,” said Wilcock. “I’m sure that after a few stages to settle in, he will be regularly setting top 10 times and against the best rally drivers in the world that would be quite an achievement. Of all the rallies Yvan could compete on, then I would say that France or Spain, would best suit him.”
Prodrive will field a second John Cooper Works WRC in France for team regular Dani Sordo, who finished runner-up on the Strasbourg-based round last season. The Spaniard completed a test in France on Monday.