Kris Richard will make his second appearance in the World Touring Car Championship in the season finale in Qatar this week, after being given the chance for a second outing in the Campos Racing Chevrolet Cruze.
Richard has been given the drive thanks to the fact that Campos’ planned driver, Esteban Guerrieri, has once again been called up to the factory Honda squad to replace the injured Tiago Monteiro.
The Swiss racer got his first outing in the WTCC in the rain-soaked Japanese event in October, and he has now been given another chance in the season-ending Middle East races.
The 23-year-old will thus take to the Losail International Circuit under the floodlights for Friday evening’s WTCC finale.
“I’m really happy to get this opportunity again,” said Richard. “It’s good for promoting myself but of course it’s good for the experience and I really hope I can drive a TC1 World Touring Car in dry conditions to really try to prove what I can do.
“I know where the buttons are and I know how the car works and this helps the confidence, especially after Japan.
“The first goal is to get into Q2, the second to catch Tom Coronel because he has the same car as me and he’s a very experienced driver.
“After this I want to show some good skills, some good manoeuvres and have some nice fights. Of course, I have to be realistic but a top 10 would be perfect for me. I know it will be difficult but if we can bring everything together I am optimistic I can do something.
“I’ve looked at some on-boards several times and the first impression is I like this track. Racing at night will be a new experience but I’ve seen from the footage the floodlights mean it’s close to being like daylight.”