Eurolamp WRT


Eurolamp World Rally Team, or Eurolamp WRT for short, was a Ukrainian rally team that used to compete in the World Rally Championship-2.

History

In 2002 the founder of a Ukrainian product distributor Ascania Group Valeriy Gorban founded a racing team to compete in the Ukrainian Rally Championship. The original name of the team was the MacCoffee Rally Team, named after a coffee brand being imported to Ukraine by the Ascania Group under the deal with Singapore's Future Enterprises. To race for the team Valeriy hired the famous Ukrainian drivers Oleksandr Saliuk and his son Oleksandr Saliuk Jr. previously racing for Khors Air. While Saliuk Jr. retained his Lada Samara, his father switched from Ford Escort RS Cosworth, imported back in 1994, to Mitsubishi [Lancer Evolution#Evolution VII|Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII] which was present at the team's launch event at Bingo night club in Kyiv.
Valeriy Gorban entered a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX in the 2009 Rally Poland. The team expanded to include a second car during the World Rally Championship season|2010 season] for Oleksandr Saliuk, Jr., and a third car for Oleksiy Kikireshko in 2011 World [Rally Championship season|2011], and contesting the World Rally Championship for Group N Production Cars. The team returned in 2012, with Gorban placing third overall in the Production championship, scoring a class victory at the Acropolis Rally and podium finishes at the Rally Argentina and Rally d'Italia. The team's best result overall to date was eighth place at the 2011 Rally Australia, achieved by Saliuk, who left the team at the end of the season.
Following the introduction of Group R regulations in 2013 and the restructuring of the secondary World Rally Championship categories, Eurolamp switched to campaigning in the 2013 [World Rally Championship-2 season|WRC-2] with Mini [John Cooper Works WRC|Mini John Cooper Works S2000] cars supported by British motorsport firm Prodrive.

Complete WRC results

By class

Notes:
  • Rallies marked in italics were not contested as a round of the championship.